2021's top city life stories

Winter Storm Uri and a favorite Houston TV weather personality top our 2021 city life headlines

Favorite Houston TV meteorologist Britta Merwin announced her move this year.

Our City Life section covers myriad topics: urban development, city news, weather issues, education, and of course, Houston's natural resource: people.

Little surprise, then, that readers clamored to stories of people and education — and to a drastic weather issue. Our top headlines covered Winter Storm Uri, education rankings (a hot topic here), TV personalities on the go (also quite popular), and best places to live.

With that, here's a look back to what our urban-minded followers clicked on most this year.

1. CenterPoint Energy's online outage tracker crashes as thousands of Houstonians wake to no power. As thousands woke to no power on the morning of Winter Storm Uri's arrival, CenterPoint Energy's normally reliable tracker crashed — another headache in a day and week of headaches.

2. Charming Houston TV weather personality lands major national gig. Amiable Channel 2 meteorologist Britta Merwin announced she was leaving the Channel 2; it was soon reported that she was joining Fox Weather, Fox News Media’s new streaming weather service.

3. Texas billionaire and family reign as the world’s richest clan. Fort Worth billionaire Alice Walton and the Walton Family (of Wal-Mart) remain the world’s richest family; their wealth has grown by more than $23 billion.

4. Ken Hoffman blasts his former hero and center of controversial new HBO documentary. Our columnist noted that in watching the controversial HBO documentary Allen v. Farrow, he was "disappointed and repulsed by the comedian whose work I loved and admired," Woody Allen.

5. Longtime Houston TV news anchor retires and will be replaced by his son. Leaving a 23-year post is never easy, but surely ABC13 anchor and mainstay Art Rascon found comfort in announcing he will be replaced by his son, Jacob.

6. Prestigious Houston university declared No. 7 in the nation and best in Texas by new study. In its annual rankings, Niche.com ranked Rice University the seventh best college in the U.S. and the best college in Texas.

7. Houston's most popular traffic anchor signs off after 6-year run. Popular ABC13 traffic anchor Katherine Whaley announced that she was leaving the station after six years to dedicate her time to her family. The avid foodie still boasts a considerable social media presence.

8. 2 Houston suburbs named best places to raise a family in Texas for 2021. Two Houston suburbs made Niche's list of best places for families in Texas: The Woodlands (No. 3), followed by Cinco Ranch (No. 4).

9. Hardworking Houston suburb tops list of biggest boomtowns in Texas. Personal finance website SmartAsset ranked Conroe as the No. 1 boomtown in the state and at the No. 3 spot among the nation’s top boomtowns.

10. 7 prestigious Houston-area high schools rank among best in Texas for 2021. Houston schools scored well in both the best private and public school categories.

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no more trips to Colorado

Bill to legalize marijuana in Texas filed by Dallas Democrat

Photo courtesy of Texas Original

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Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. House Bill 1208 would legalize the cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Adults could also keep up to 10 ounces of cannabis in their residence, as long as it is stored in a secure location.

Smoking or consuming cannabis while in a public place or in a car on a public road would not be allowed.

Gonzalez filed the bill in mid-November, one in a suite of bills that also included expanding insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for LGBTQ couples; and requiring landlords to disclose all fees before a rental lease is signed.

Her bill was filed prior to an initiative launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on December 4 to ban THC products in Texas entirely.

In addition to legalizing recreational use, the bill also makes provisions for its production and sale including requiring that the packaging be child-resistent and clearly labeled, so that it's not confused for candy.

Businesses looking to grow, transport, test, or sell cannabis would need to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the sale of all cannabis and cannabis products. Some of the profits would go towards funding public schools.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Medical cannabis is currently legal in Texas under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed for conditions such as epilepsy, MS, autism, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some cities have also approved decriminalization for the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana, including Austin, Bastrop, Dallas, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and Lockhart.

politics marijuana