Hometown Glory?

National writer claims Houston "smells bad," admits it's one of most dynamiccities in America

Houston has been called "brutally ugly" among other undesirable names, but Andrew Osterland, writing for Investment News, is the first in recent memory to lead with the charge that the city "smells bad" — not that I'm arguing with his point.

It's part of a rite of passage for national publications, it seems, to lodge a few overarching insults before heaping praise on Houston. Osterman gets credit for picking a different sense to have offended, but in general I'm pretty bored of this setup, the journalistic equivalent of negging a girl in a bar before trying to sleep with her. Not cool, dude.

And yet, overall, the feature on Houston portrays a culturally sophisticated economic powerhouse that's dubbed "one of the most dynamic cities in the U.S."

In general I'm pretty bored of this setup, the journalistic equivalent of negging a girl in a bar before trying to sleep with her. Not cool, dude.

In addition to brief mentions of "world-class museums, performing-arts organizations and an enormous variety of excellent restaurants for residents who love to eat out," the focus here in on Houston's economic appeal, which owes a lot to the energy industry, although that image doesn't quite convey the modern Houston business climate.

“Houston used to be a blue-collar town. Now it's a white-collar town,” said Patrick Jankowski, vice president of research at the Greater Houston Partnership, an advocacy association for business. “The city has changed from being the place where the equipment was made to the place where the decisions are made.”

Houston isn't just growing in terms of jobs, it's growing in wealth and influence as well as the home of 22 Fortune 500 companies (second only to New York), 94 foreign consulates and nearly 100,000 millionaires.

“There's so much new wealth being created here,” said Jim Trippon, who owns Trippon Wealth Management Group LLC, a registered investment advisory firm that manages $120 million and is affiliated with Raymond James Financial Services Inc. “It's an amazing business community, and it's wide open for anyone who has ambition.”

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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.”