Texas under attack

Tornado blows by Kingwood, little damage reported, but it's another edgy weatherday in a year packed with misery

This intermittently torrential downpour has been long awaited. But in this year of extremes in Houston, if it's not dry conditions and fire danger, it's something else.

Tuesday's storm system brought a cold front across the states, and with it the threat of tornadoes and severe weather.

KTRK Ch. 13 is reporting that a tornado touched down in Atascocita this afternoon, taking down trees and power as it moved at 20 mph toward Humble and Kingwood. Luckily, little damage was recorded:

Humble ISD told Eyewitness News that trees are down around Willow Creek Elementary School, Riverwood Middle, Shadow Forest Elementary. Power is out at most of the schools. The kids are there, but there are no reports of injures. No damage at [Creekwood] Middle.

The district says no buildings are reporting damage, but that homes around Willow Creek Elementary appear to have suffered some damage.

Several other tornadoes have taken shape on the radar through the afternoon, and hail and damaging winds look to be a possibility throughout Tuesday evening. Counties throughout the Houston area and those to the east are under a tornado watch, tentatively until 8 p.m.

In case you have forgotten, FEMA has a helpful hints for staying safe during a tornado. If inside, go to an interior room "away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. . . Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck."

If outside or driving, find the nearest ditch or depression (not near an overpass or bridge), lie flat and "cover your head with your hands."

Stay safe out there. With the way Houston weather's gone this year, who knows what's coming next?

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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.”