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    Shelby About Town

    Sheila Jackson Lee's daughter weds, Clarence Thomas revisits Tony's and acookbook success

    Shelby Hodge
    Nov 21, 2012 | 9:01 am
    • Austin Hanson receives his day in Houston proclamation from City CouncilmanSteve Costello at Green Beans & Guacamole event.
    • Society for the Performing Arts gala chairs set the lively pace at the launchparty.
      Photo by © Wilson Parish
    • Jim and Beverly Postl opened their home for the SPA cocktail party.
      Photo by © Wilson Parish

    The scene was beyond special at Haven when Austin Hanson and his mother, Belinda Hillhouse, presented a check for $150,000 to the Arc of Greater Houston, proceeds earned from sale of their cookbook Green Beans and Guacamole.

    As he was growing up, Hanson benefited the programs for special needs children offered at the Arc. He was inspiration for the cookbook filled with recipes from local chefs.

    City Councilman Stephen Costello surprised most in the gathering by presenting the young man with a mayoral proclamation declaring it "Austin Hanson Day in Houston."

    Applauding the happenings were Laurie McNay, Corky Hillhouse, Abbas Hussein, Elaine Roberts, Kim Padgett and Soren Pedersen.

    Rocking good times

    Well in advance of the Society for the Performing Arts gala in April, chairs Rosemary Schatzman and Vanessa Sendukas stirred up the "Red Hot in Rio" fun with a warm-up at the home of gala kick-off chairs Beverly and Jim Postl.

    The party crowd sampling fare from City Kitchen included SPA exec June Christensen, Leticia and Steve Trauber, Liz and Tom Glanville, Mary Lou Swift and Joanne and Bill Crassas.

    High-profile nuptials

    It was a who's who of Democratic politics that were among witnesses to the Sunday afternoon nuptials between Erica S. Lee, newly elected trustee to the Harris County School Board, Dr. Roy L. Carter. They said their "I do's" at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ and celebrated their marriage with a reception at the Hilton Houston-Post Oak.

    Headlining the heavy-hitter crowd toasting the newlyweds were the bride's parents, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and Elwyn Lee. Among guests were U.S. Rep Al Green, Arthur Schechter, State Rep. Sylvester Turner, City Controller Ronald Green and wife Judge Hillary Green, Judge Zinetta Burney, Carolyn and John Guess, Jewell McGowen, Licia Green Ellis, Dr. Wanda Mott and husband Bill Russell, Algenita Scott Davis and husband Ardie Segars and Rufus Cormier.

    Sight 'ems

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas returning to Tony's for dinner after having lunched at the award-winning restaurant that same day with Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack . . .

    Historian and acclaimed journalist Tony Perrottet, author of Napoleon’s Privates, bunking at the Royal Sonesta while exploring Houston . . .

    L’Olivier chef de cuisine Kevin Bryant treating his pals Sunday afternoon to a tempting tailgate feast of grilled lobster and other goodies at longtime River Oaks area dive McElroy, the food off just in time for the Houston Texans pouncing of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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    hottest headlines of 2025

    Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025

    Amber Heckler
    Dec 22, 2025 | 3:45 pm
    Museum of Fine Arts, Houston gala 2025
    Photo by Wilson Parish
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    Editor’s note: As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. In our City Life section, readers will notice several of our local universities earned high praise from prestigious global and national publications. Houston's sprawling suburbs continued to skyrocket in popularity for their livability and safety, and no top-10 list is complete without mentioning the city's wealthiest residents. Read on for the top 10 Houston City Life stories of 2025.

    1. 2 Houston universities named among world’s best in 2026 rankings. These two high-performing local institutions – Rice University and University of Houston – are in a class of their own, according to the QS World University Rankings 2026. QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) compiles the prestigious list each year; the 2026 edition includes more than 1,500 universities from around the world.

    2. Richard Kinder is Houston's richest billionaire in 2025, Forbes says. The Kinder Morgan chairman is the 11th richest Texas resident right now, and ranks as the 108th richest American. Kinder also dethroned Tilman Fertitta to claim the title as the wealthiest Houstonian.

    3. 2 Houston neighbors shine as top-10 best places to live in the U.S. Pearland and League City, respectively, claimed No. 3 and No. 6 in U.S. News & World Report's annual "Best Places to Live in the U.S." rankings. The 2025-2026 rankings examined 250 U.S. cities based on five livability indexes: Quality of life, value, desirability, job market, and net migration.

    4. 5 Houston suburbs deemed best places to retire in 2026 by U.S. News. The Woodlands and Spring should be on the lookout for an influx of retirees next year, U.S. News predicts. Three more Houston-area neighbors also ranked among the top 25 best places to retire in America.

    5. Activist group calls out Houston highway as a 'freeway without a future'. A May 2025 report from Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) included Houston's Interstate 45 expansion on its list of highways with infrastructure that is "nearing the end of its functional life." CNU claims further expansion of Houston's highway system could eventually lead to the loss of the city's bayous, while also diminishing the remaining flood-absorbing land.

    6. 10 things to know about America's first Ismaili Center opening in Houston. After nearly 20 years in the making, the long-awaited Ismaili Center, Houston finally opened its doors to the public. The 11-acre site was painstakingly designed and constructed to offer indoor and outdoor public spaces for all Houstonians to enjoy, connect, and engage.

    7. Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta asking $192 million for superyacht. Fertitta, who owns the Houston Rockets and restaurant and hospitality conglomerate Landry's, decided to sell his 252-foot yacht, named Boardwalk, to make room for an even larger superyacht he is expected to receive in April 2026. Among numerous luxurious amenities, Boardwalk also features a helipad.

    8. 2 Houston neighbors rank among America's safest suburbs in 2025. Spring came in at No. 19 and West University Place followed at No. 21 in SmartAsset's August 2025 study, which is the first time the two Houston suburbs have made it into the top 25.

    9. Houston is one of America's most overpriced cities, study finds. This likely isn't a surprise to some Houstonians. The study, conducted by Highland Cabinetry, said Houston "struggles with heavy pollution and underwhelming income levels."

    10. 9 Houston universities make U.S. News' 2025 list of top grad schools. Among the newcomers this year are Houston Christian University and Texas Southern University. HCU's graduate education school ranks No. 21 in Texas, and TSU has the 10th best law school in the state.

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