What rain?

America's Soggy Sweethearts: Weather Channel touts Houston's rain over evenSeattle's

Hello, Houston! Oh, you're flooded? It must've rained.
We get a lot of these sunshine-y days, but we get equal parts Debbie Downpour,it seems.

Scoot over, Seattle. Shove off, Syracuse. There's a new poncho-inspired champion on the block, and it ain't either of you.

What we're saying is, your city isn't The Weather Channel's Best Location for Rain.

But then, what city is?

Pull back your curtains, Houston. You're looking at the city hand-picked by The Weather Channel elites.

Surprised? No one that's ever spent time in our marshy metropolis should be. Although our current rainfall hasn't been the best showing, new recruits, we assure you, it rains here.

After a week-long series of polls on Facebook and Twitter to suss out America's Best Climates, it's no surprise that The Weather Channel editorial meteorologist Jonathan Erdman chose Houston as the Best Climate for Rain in the country.

Viewers chose Astoria, Ore., but seriously, what do they know anyway?

"From a meteorologist's point of view, even rain is bigger in Texas," gushed Erdman. "Have you seen it rain in Houston? I mean, really rain in Houston?"

Why, yes, weather man, we've been here in May and June. But we understand it's your job to enlighten the skeptical masses. Carry on.

So, what factors, pray tell, earned Houston a rain-soaked thumbs up from the mortal gods of weather?

"Close proximity to deep Gulf moisture plus the potential for larger-scale weather systems and individual thunderstorms clusters to stall over the city can set the stage for huge deluges," Erdman explained.

Besides being an incredible, breathless statement, indeed, it's all stuff with which we are acutely acquainted. But we'll take the title, stick it in our arks, and float on it anyway.

Seattle, you can have your doom-and-gloom skies. Syracuse, you can have your street-blocking snowfall. We'll see your inclement weather and raise you a mid-afternoon cloudburst.

Oh, that's right. WE WIN.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”