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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021  HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM  VOL. 120, NO. 123  $2.00 HH

Trump lawyers wrap up brief defense

Former president’s legal team argues
his words at rally are protected speech
By Eric Tucker,
Lisa Mascaro and
Mary Clare Jalonick
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Donald
Trump’s impeachment law-
yers accused Democrats of
waging a campaign of “ha-
tred” against the former
president as they sped
through their defense of his
actions and fiery words be-
fore the Jan. 6 insurrection
at the U.S. Capitol, hurtling
the Senate toward a final
vote in his historic trial.
The defense team vigor-
ously denied on Friday that
Trump had incited the dead-
ly riot and said his encour-
agement of followers to
“fight like hell” at a rally that
preceded it was routine po-
litical speech. They played
dozens of out-of-context
clips showing Democrats,
some of them senators now
serving as jurors, also telling
supporters to “fight,” aim-
ing to establish a parallel
with Trump’s overheated
rhetoric.
“This is ordinarily politi-
cal rhetoric that is virtually
indistinguishable from the
language that has been used
by people across the politi-
cal spectrum for hundreds
of years,” Trump lawyer Mi-
chael van der Veen said.
“Countless politicians have
spoken of fighting for our
Jabin Botsford / Associated Press principles.”
Michael van der Veen, lawyer for former President But the presentation
Donald Trump, peeks out from the Senate floor. blurred the difference be-
tween general encourage-
ment to battle for causes
and Trump’s fight against of-
ficially accepted national
election results. The defeat-
ed president was telling his
supporters to fight on after
every state had verified its
results, after the Electoral
College had affirmed them
and after nearly every elec-
tion lawsuit filed by Trump
and his allies had been re-
jected in court.
The case is speeding to-
ward a vote and likely ac-
quittal, perhaps as soon as
Trump continues on A10

City, state
‘Thank you, Houston. take action
ahead of
I love you.’ icy storm
By Jasper Scherer
and Zach Despart
STA F F W R I T E R S

The Houston region’s preparation

Longtime Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is leaving Houston after a disappointing 4-12 season last year.
With Watt’s departure, star leaves legacy on and off the field
By Aaron Wilson
STAFF WRIT E R
It was just a line on the
NFL’s transaction report a lit-
tle after 3 p.m. under the cate-
gory of “terminations of vest-
ed veterans” — Watt, J.J., DE.
But for a region, the league’s
jargon marked the end of a 10-
year career in Houston as no-
table for its acts on the field as
off.
Watt, who will be 32 when
the next football season kicks
off, wanted a chance to com-
pete for the Super Bowl ring
that had eluded him in Hous-
» What comes next for both
Watt and the Texans? Page C1
ton. The Texans, a team in
transition (or turmoil) with a
new general manager, a new
coach and a disgruntled quar-
terback, agreed to let the face
of the franchise for the last
for the coming winter storm continued
Friday with crews treating roads for ice,
schools and public transit announcing
plans to close early next week and local
officials warning residents to prepare to
stay home for days on end.
Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state-
wide emergency Friday as workers
from Houston Public Works, the Texas
Department of Transportation and the
Harris County Toll Road Authority
sprayed overpasses, toll roads and free-
ways with a mixture intended to pre-
vent icing. In some cases, they have
been forced to wait until roads dry or
scattered rain stops.
More than 30 public, private and
charter school districts and colleges, in-
cluding Houston ISD, announced they
would close completely on Monday and
Tuesday. Another 29, including Alief,
Spring and Goose Creek ISDs, said they
Weather continues on A12
» Utilities working to keep power on
during cold spell. Page B1
» Gardeners, beware of freeze. Page D1
Karen Warren / Staff file photo
Note to subscribers
Because of the winter
weather forecast for the region,
it is possible that delivery of
decade become a free agent. your weekend newspapers will
“It was a decision we mutu- be delayed.
ally agreed upon that was For the latest information on
best for him and best for the the storm's impact, please go to
Texans,” Texans chairman our subscriber website,
HoustonChronicle.com, where
and CEO Cal McNair said. “It
you'll find the latest news and
is bittersweet, and we’ll move
safety information, as well as
forward. J.J. will always be a
the electronic version of the
Watt continues on A11 newspaper.

Retailers feel cold shoulder for Valentine’s Day In-custody deaths

By Amanda Drane
STA F F WRIT E R
A cozy, candlelit Valen-
tine’s Day dinner can turn
up the heat on romance. A
pandemic and a gust of frig-
id air can keep that celebra-
tion at home, putting a chill
on restaurants’ plans for a
long-awaited profitable
evening.
And so as the global
health crisis continues to
hammer retailing and pull
budgets and attention
spans in other directions,
analysts are predicting a
lukewarm Valentine’s Day
for stores and restaurants.
For restaurants already
struggling with coronavi-
rus-era capacity restric-
tions, this weekend brings a
double whammy with a
cold, wet snap pushing
people from patios.
“The weather is our big-
gest enemy,” said Ben Berg,
who through Berg Hospital-
ity owns Turner’s, the An-
nie Cafe and B&B Butchers.
“If it rains, people don’t go
out. If they even think
there’s going to be ice and
snow, we’re finished.”
The forecast aside, a sur-
vey from Lending Tree, an
online borrowing platform,
found 40 percent of Amer-
icans plan to skip Valen-
tine’s Day this year, and a
separate study by market
Retail continues on A12
‘alarming’ in Texas
By Eric Dexheimer
AUST I N B UR E AU
Almost a third of the
nearly 11,000 people who
have died in the custody of
Texas police, jails and pris-
ons since 2005 succumbed
at least in part to a pre-ex-
isting medical condition —
an “alarming” number
suggesting police and pris-
ons need to dramatically
improve screenings before
someone is handcuffed or
locked in a cell, says the di-
Jon Shapley / Staff photographer rector of a new criminal
David Brown arranges the showroom at his justice think tank.
flower shop ahead of Valentine’s Day. The finding is part of a
detailed examination of in-
custody deaths performed
by the Institute for Predic-
tive Analytics in Criminal
Justice, a new Texas A&M
University System center
led by Alex del Carmen, a
criminal justice professor
at Tarleton State Universi-
ty.
Following last year’s po-
lice killing of former Hous-
ton resident George Floyd
in Minneapolis, the Hous-
ton Chronicle revealed
how Texas laws designed
to identify racial profiling
were failing because the
Deaths continues on A11

Index
Business .........B1 Directory .......A2 Lottery ...........A2 Sports..............C1
Comics ..........D4 Editorials .....A13 Markets .........B3 TV....................D3
Crossword....D3 Horoscope ...D4 Obituaries ....B5 Weather........B8
A2 | Saturday, February 13, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HHHH

CITY | STATE

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BUSINESS CITY|STATE SPORTS

TAX BAY THE GREAT

SEASON OYSTERS EXODUS
Tax season started Fri- Sustainable harvesting J.J. Watt is just the latest
day. Here’s a guide to model may help save notable athlete to leave
some of the changes Galveston’s oysters. the Houston sports
after a year of tumult. houston scene since 2020.
houstonchronicle.com/ chronicle.com/ houstonchronicle.com/
2020tax galvestonoysters exits

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TOMBALL AROUND THE REGION FALLBROOK

New building Domestic

planned near
medical center League City sees chance violence tied to
fatal stabbing

to fly high with birding

A new medical office A man was stabbed to
building is in the works death early Friday in
as part of a 13-acre devel- what appears to be a
opment near Tomball domestic violence-relat-
Regional Medical Center. ed case in north Harris
The building, being County, officials said.
developed by Bryant + Deputies found a man
Stacy Group, is 60,000 dead from multiple stab
square feet, three sto- wounds around mid-
ries, and will include a night in a residence in
mix of family physicians, the 1100 block of Progre-
specialists and diagnos- so Drive in the Fallbrook
tic functions. It’s being neighborhood, said Sgt.
designed by Browne Jason Brown of the Har-
McGregor Architects and ris County Sheriff's Of-
built by Arch-Con Con- fice.
struction. The facility A 911 caller initially
will be located at the told authorities that a
southeast corner of Mi- woman had been assault-
chel Road and School ed at the location, Brown
Street. said. While deputies
were en route, the call
DALLAS was upgraded to a stab-
No suspects bing. Several children
were in the residence.
identified yet in The man and woman
fatal shooting were previously in a
Dallas police are in- dating relationship,
vestigating after a man Brown said. The woman
was found fatally shot was detained as a sus-
late Thursday in east Oak pect and taken to a hos-
Cliff. pital to be treated for
Officers were called injuries, Brown said.
about 11:50 p.m. to the Officials have not
1500 block of Iowa Ave- determined whether
nue, where they found charges will be filed.
55-year-old Jason Wil- John Steelman / Contributor AUSTIN
liams suffering from a
The yellow-rumped warbler might be spotted during the Tweet Heart Trail Walk at 10 a.m. today.
gunshot wound. He was DPS officer hurt
taken to a hospital and
pronounced dead. Developing programs to make the area a destination for during pileup
is honored
No one has been ar-
rested and police did not
birdwatchers could help tourism take off, officials say The Texas Public Safe-
release any additional ty Commission along
information about the
League City is hoping that its ef- By John DeLapp world to look at the birds.
with Texas Department
forts to become a birding destina- C O R R E SP O N D EN T “We realized there was some-
incident. of Public Safety Director
tion will help tourism take flight. thing to be said for this; so we built
Steven McCraw present-
WAXAHACHIE Boosting tourism by attracting birds such as brown pelicans — a boardwalk and there’s an educa-
ed one Purple Heart and
birders is no flight of fancy: About which dive-bomb lakes and ponds tion center there now. We started
Ellis County 80 million birdwatchers contrib- for fish — to tiny songbirds. tours and really started to push it.
eight Lifesaving Awards
to members of the Texas
joins suit against ute more than $40 billion to the “We have all these amazing That was a big development for
Highway Patrol at the
‘bullet train’ U.S. economy. birding hot spots,” Polk said. “We us.”
PSC meeting Thursday at
“Birding is a huge industry,” have the Great Texas Coastal Bird-
The proposed high- the DPS Headquarters in
said Stephanie Polk, manager of ing Trail, which runs through the Birding classes planned Austin.
speed passenger rail line the city’s convention and visitors’ entire state (and) we are on the In an effort to get the homefolk
bisecting Ellis County The Purple Heart
bureau. “Birdwatching is a won- Clear Lake Loop.” interested in birding, League City
was once again the target award was presented to
derful market for tourism. It’s also has several programs in the offing.
of opposition from the Sgt. Jerrod Burtnett,
something that people do that’s Guide in the works One event is today, the Tweet
Highway Patrol-Lubbock.
Commissioners’ Court safe and they can keep a social dis- Acknowledging that, Polk is Heart Trail Walk, which will be
on Tuesday as commis- He received a Purple
tance. It’s really an untapped mar- working on a birding guide for the held at 10 a.m. at Dr. Ned and Fay
sioners agreed to weigh Heart for his actions on
ket for this area.” entire Bay Area. Dudney Nature Center, 1220 Egret
in on a lawsuit challeng- Dec. 27, 2019, according
Birders can be hardcore. “I’m kind of working on what Bay Blvd. North.
ing it. to a DPS news release.
“Some birdwatchers start in the locations we have, what makes Participants will stroll the na-
Commissioners ap- Burtnett, then a troop-
early part of the year in the Rio them special, what’s the best time ture center’s paths, have a birding
proved a resolution in er, was investigating a
Grande Valley, then they come up to see (different birds) and what session with a Texas master natu-
support of a friends-of- series of crashes due to
the Texas coast and they go all the people need to know about it,” she ralist and learn how to access bird-
the-court brief in the zero visibility fog in
way to Florida,” Polk said. “They said. “I’m partnering with Galves- ing apps.
case of James Fredrick Lubbock County. He had
follow the migration patterns and ton and Lone Star Coastal Alliance On tap are some birding clas-
Miles v. Texas Central just finished checking on
depending on what you are inter- and a bunch of other organiza- ses.
Railroad and Integrated a bystander along the
ested in, different areas have dif- tions. “There will be a series of eight
Texas Logistics Inc. The side of the road, when a
ferent offerings.” “I’m not the only one that weeks of classes on Monday nights
suit is currently on ap- fast-moving tractor-
thinks birding is an important (beginning March 22) and we will
peal before the Texas trailer lost control and
Much to offer market. There’s a lot of other re- be doing them via Zoom online for
struck another vehicle.
State Supreme Court. When it comes to attracting gional partners that get it and un- free,” League City spokeswoman
County Judge Todd The tractor-trailer
birders, League City has much to derstand it.” Sarah Greer Osborne said. “Then
Little said every county went into the ditch,
tout. It is home to eight municipal Polk has experience when it our plan is to culminate the eight
between Dallas and hitting more vehicles as
parks, a county park, a prairie pre- comes to marketing a city as a weeks in May with the Big Sit.
Harris counties involved well as Burtnett, causing
serve, a nature center and several birding destination. She did that “Cities all over the U.S. do it and
in the rail line routing him serious injury. After
hike-and-bike trails. Clear Creek in Beaumont before moving to you sit and you count birds. It’s
will join in the brief. a series of surgeries, he
runs through town, and the city is League City last year. billed as one of the easiest recre-
Texas Central Railroad continues to improve.
also situated on Clear Lake. Com- “We had a wetlands area that ational activities around.”
proposes a 90-minute Burtnett was presented a
bine all that with the fact the city we developed called Cattail Registration for the online clas-
trip via high-speed rail Purple Heart in recogni-
has a footprint of more than 50 Marsh,” she said of Beaumont. “It ses can be done via the city’s web-
between Dallas and tion of his courageous
square miles with large swaths of was part of the water reclamation site at https://bityl.co/5Yqp.
Houston with one stop in service and personal
yet-undeveloped land, and there area for the city. It was a huge wet-
the Brazos Valley, while sacrifice.
are numerous places for birders to land that became a major haven DeLapp is a freelance writer. He
replicating the Japanese From staff and wire
have a field day. for birds, and the birdwatchers can be contacted at reports
“bullet train” system. Local birds range from water would come from all over the texdelapp@gmail.com.

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Officers
kill man
in armed
standoff
By Julian Gill
and Samantha Ketterer
STA F F WRIT E RS
Houston police shot and killed a
man Thursday who authorities
said pointed a gun at two officers at
a Greenspoint-area apartment.
The man, identified as 20-year-
old Edwin Adan Velasquez, was
the second person killed in a police
shooting this year in Houston, ac-
cording to the Houston Police De-
partment.
Velasquez was the subject of a
criminal mischief call around 8:30
p.m., police said. His sister told po-
lice that he was destroying the in-
side of her home at the Casa Verde
Apartments at 2 Goodson Drive.
While police were responding,
dispatchers relayed additional in-
formation that the man was armed
with a gun. Officers knocked and
as soon as the door opened, the
man “immediately” pointed a gun
at the officers, HPD Executive As-
sistant Chief Matt Slinkard said.
“There was no delay,” he said.
The officers who shot him were
identified as D. Shurtleff and D.
Coppola, who not injured in this
incident. Both are assigned to the
North Belt Patrol Division. Shur-
tleff was sworn in as an officer in
September 2018 andCoppola was
in January 2016.
Velasquez was shot several
times, Houston police said. It's un-
clear whether the man shot his
weapon, Slinkard said.
He died just outside the apart-
ment. The officers did not enter
the apartment, Slinkard said.
The woman and two children in
the home were unharmed, he said.
“Any loss of life is tragic when
we have an incident like this,” he
said.
Officers have not responded to
any calls for service at the address
in the past six months, according
to HPD.
Houston police are investigating
seven officer-involved shootings
that have occurred this year. Two
of those involved deputies or con-
stable’s deputies, and the other
five related to HPD. Two of those,
including Thursday’s shooting,
were fatal.
samantha.ketterer@chron.com
Celebrating the Lunar New Year
Dragon dancers from Shaolin Temple Cultural Center perform during the Lunar New Year
celebration at Lucky Land on Friday. Lucky Land, owned by Nida Lee, features a variety of
replicas of famous Chinese cultural influences.
Locally based spaceflight company
unveils its mission control center
By Andrea Leinfelder
STA F F WRIT E R
The new Intuitive Machines
mission control center will re-
sume a long-held Houston tradi-
tion: Guiding landers to the sur-
face of the moon.
And while its landers won’t be
carrying people, the company’s
missions will still be historic.
Houston-based Intuitive Ma-
chines will be one of the first com-
panies to own and operate a lunar
CITY | STATE HOUSTON CHRONICLE  PAGE A3 HH
Grieving mother searches
for justice in son’s killing
Leticia DelBosque, mother of Delmar Rene Nolasco, listens during the bond hearing for his accused killer Friday at Harris
County Criminal Justice Center in Houston. DelBosque has been trying to get justice for her son since 2019.
14 months after teen’s deadly shooting near
his home, a suspect finally appears in court
By St. John Barned-Smith
STAFF W R ITER
Leticia DelBosque sat quietly
on the 15th floor of the Harris
County courthouse Friday, ig-
noring the chatter around her.
She sat head down, hands
clasped, waiting to see the man
who is accused of killing Delmar
Nolasco, her 19-year-old son.
It has been 14 months since
Nolasco called her as he was
walking home from the park
where he played basketball ev-
ery day, telling her he was al-
most at the house.
lander. It’s delivering commercial
cargo and NASA-provided pay-
loads to the moon this year, and it
will carry a NASA ice-mining ex-
periment to the moon as soon as
next year.
To build its control center,
called Nova Control, Intuitive Ma-
chines hired an expert from
NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
“I was super excited at the op-
portunity to create a control cen-
ter from scratch,” said Troy Le-
Blanc, the vice president of con-
Fourteen months since anoth-
er call, 20 minutes later, that No-
lasco had been shot, steps from
her home on Terry Street in Near
Northside.
Fourteen months since she
rushed home and found him
sprawled facedown outside their
house, bleeding from his head,
back and legs.
He is another fatality among
the city’s rising body count, one
of 275 that year. In 2020, more
than 400 Houstonians were
killed, an onslaught of new cases
police have struggled to clear.
Dec. 11 plays over and over in
Elizabeth Conley / Staff photographer
trol centers for Intuitive Ma-
chines.
LeBlanc previously used
NASA’s mission control as a flight
controller. He also worked on the
actual hardware and software
used to run mission control, and
he led efforts to modernize and
upgrade the agency’s systems.
Right before leaving NASA, Le-
Blanc helped renovate and re-
store the Apollo Mission Control
Center. He got a chance to work
Intuitive continues on A8
Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer
her head. come home beaten and bruised,
Ever since Nolasco’s murder, jumped by some boys from the
DelBosque waited for his killer’s neighborhood who accused him
arrest. Seethed in anger. Doubt- of stealing weed from them.
ed justice would come. Mourned She’d torn out of the house
her boy. looking for them, and when she
“I’m having a hard time not found them, almost got into a
going after this kid,” she’d said, fight with them herself. She’s un-
voice raw, days earlier, at a meet- apologetic.
ing for parents of murdered chil- In the close-knit pocket of the
dren. “Someone has to pay.” Near Northside neighborhood,
He’d filled her with pride. friends soon came calling. Many
He’d just turned 19. He was a new said Nolasco’s killer had posted
dad, to little Alyssa. She thought about the shooting on social me-
about how he played with the dia.
neighborhood dogs. How he de- DelBosque tried to get Nolas-
lighted in playing basketball at co’s friends to identify his shoot-
the park near their house, mar- er. None were willing. She called
velling at the view of the down- the detective handling the case,
town skyline, snapping pictures. over and over, asking for news.
Days before his death, he’d Killing continues on A8
Witness describes
deadly I-35 pileup
as ‘never ending’
By Kaley Johnson the TEXPress lanes.
F O RT WO RTH STA R-T E L E G R A M As he recovered from his own
fender bender in the main lanes
FORT WORTH — What started of traffic, Chaney watched a car
as an average day for Ryan Cha- slide on the ice and into the bar-
ney turned into “a genocide of rier inside the TEXPress lanes.
metal” as he found himself pull- Another car was unable to slow
ing people from the wreckage of down and smashed into the first
a mass-casualty crash in Fort car.
Worth on Thursday morning. “The truck behind that vehi-
Chaney, an independent cle tried to sacrifice himself into
trucker from Argyle, about 30 the concrete barrier, but the ice
miles north of Fort Worth, was was so slick that as soon as he hit
driving south on I-35 to work, the brakes, it was over,” Chaney
where he hauls power poles for said. “He pushed them about 30
Sabre Industries. The 6 a.m. feet. And then it was car, truck,
traffic moved at car, truck, car —
about 60 mph it was never end-
on mostly dry “People called me a ing.”
roads. Cars slid and
As he neared
hero, but I’m just crashed into one
the 820 inter- like no. It’s kind of another for
change in his fight or flight.” about three min-
pickup, Chaney utes. During a
noticed
headlights
flecting off the
his Ryan Chaney
re-
pause in the cha-
os, Chaney
jumped over the
surface of the road and realized barrier to try and help. He
there could be black ice. He and found some people who needed
other cars around him slowed help getting out of their cars.
to about 20 mph. Most of the people seemed OK,
But as he reached the 35W so Chaney started to walk
bridge near downtown Fort through the pileup to see if
Worth, the road turned into “a more people needed help.
solid sheet of ice,” he said. The The crash quickly became
driver next to him spun out and worse. A grain hopper truck
hit a barrier. He slid into the car, smashed into the stopped cars
luckily not causing much dam- and exploded, he said.
age, and gained enough control “I couldn’t see a foot in front
to pull to the side of the high- of my face,” he said. “All that
way. stuff was in the air, and I figured
Chaney got out of his truck that’s where I should focus my
and stood next to a concrete attention, where it was worse.”
barrier that separated him from Pileup continues on A8

AROUND THE NATION
AND WORLD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Biden aims to close
Guantanamo prison
WASHINGTON — President
Joe Biden will seek to close
the prison on the U.S. base at
Guantanamo Bay following a
review process, resuming a
project begun under the
Obama administration, the
White House said Friday.
White House press secre-
tary Jen Psaki gave no time-
line, telling reporters that the
formal review would require
the participation of officials
from the Department of De-
fense, the Justice Department
and other agencies who have
not yet been appointed under
the new administration.
President Barack Obama
ran into intense domestic
political opposition when he
sought to close the detention
center, a notorious symbol of
the U.S. fight against terror-
ism. Biden may have more
leeway now that there are
only 40 prisoners left and
Guantanamo draws much less
public attention.
SWITZERLAND
Human rights panel
blasts Myanmar coup
GENEVA — The U.N.’s top
human rights body passed a
consensus resolution Friday
urging military leaders in
Myanmar to immediately
release Aung San Suu Kyi and
other civilian government
leaders detained after a mil-
itary coup, while watering
down an initial draft text
amid pressure led by China
and Russia.
In a special session at the
Human Rights Council, the
original resolution presented
by Britain and the European
Union was revised to remove
calls to bolster the ability of a
U.N. rights expert to scruti-
nize Myanmar and for re-
straint from the country’s
military. The council has no
power to impose sanctions
but can train a political spot-
light on rights abuses and
violations.
“The seizure of power by
the Myanmar military earlier
this month constitutes a pro-
found setback for the country
after a decade of hard-won
gains in its democratic transi-
tion,” Deputy High Commis-
sioner for Human Rights Nada
al-Nashif said. “The world is
watching.”
MEXICO
Police discover bags
full of body parts
MEXICO CITY — Prosecu-
tors in the western Mexico
state of Jalisco say that police
have found 18 plastic bags full
of hacked-up body parts on
the outskirts of the city of
Guadalajara.
Police found one human
limb near a highway over-
pass, which led them to the
heap of taped-up bags in a
gully nearby, the agency said
late Thursday. The severed
limbs are being examined to
determine how many corpses
the parts belonged to.
The state is home to the
Jalisco New Generation Car-
tel, one of Mexico’s most
violent and powerful.
INDIA
Explosion kills 15
at fireworks factory
NEW DELHI — Several
explosions at a private fire-
works factory in southern
India killed at least 15 workers
and injured 26 others on
Friday, police said.
Those injured in the blasts
at the factory in Tamil Nadu
state’s Virudhunagar district
were taken to a nearby hospi-
tal for treatment, police offi-
cer Raj Narayanan said.
Narayanan said 11 people
died on the spot and four
later succumbed to burn
injuries in the hospital. Four
workers were allowed to go
home after receiving first aid.
The explosions occurred
while chemicals were being
mixed by the workers to
make fireworks, the Press
Trust of India news agency
said.
From wire reports
NATION| WORLD HOUSTON CHRONICLE  PAGE A4 HH
Biden to let 25,000 asylum seekers
back in U.S. to unwind Trump rule
By Elliot Spagat
AS SOCIATED PR E S S
SAN DIEGO — The Biden admin-
istration on Friday announced
plans for tens of thousands of peo-
ple who are seeking asylum and
have been forced to wait in Mexico
under a Trump-era policy to be al-
lowed into the U.S. while their cas-
es wind through immigration
courts.
The first wave of an estimated
25,000 asylum-seekers with active
cases in the “Remain in Mexico“
program will be allowed into the
United States on Feb. 19, authori-
ties said. They plan to start slowly,
with two border crossings each
processing up to 300 people a day
and a third crossing taking fewer
numbers.
President Joe Biden’s adminis-
tration declined to publicly identi-
fy the three crossings out of fear it
may encourage a rush of people,
but U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Tex-
as Democrat, said officials told him
that they are Brownsville and El
Paso in Texas, and San Diego’s San
Ysidro crossing.
The move is a major step toward
dismantling one of former Presi-
dent Donald Trump’s most conse-
quential policies to deter asylum-
seekers from coming to the U.S.
About 70,000 asylum-seekers
Strong start for Year of the Ox
Worshippers burn joss sticks as they pray Friday at the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong to
celebrate the Lunar New Year, which marks the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac.
Attacks on older Asians stoking
fears ahead of Lunar New Year
By Daisy Nguyen
ASS OCIATED PR E SS
OAKLAND, Calif. — Police are
stepping up their patrols and
volunteers are increasing their
street presence after several vio-
lent attacks on older Asians
stoked fear in San Francisco Bay
Area Chinatowns and subdued
the celebratory mood leading
up to Lunar New Year.
City officials also have visited
Chinatowns in San Francisco
and Oakland this week to ad-
dress residents’ safety concerns
and condemn the violence.
They vowed to combat a prob-
lem that has been simmering
since the start of the coronavi-
rus pandemic but sparked new
outrage after two unprovoked
attacks were caught on video
within a span of days and spread
widely online.
In one, a young man shoved
Vicha Ratanapakdee to the
ground on Jan. 28 as he was tak-
ing his morning walk in San
Francisco’s Anza Vista neigh-
borhood. The 84-year-old Thai
man’s head struck the pave-
ment, and he died two days later
in a hospital. Prosecutors
charged a 19-year-old with mur-
der and elder abuse.
On Jan. 31, a security camera
caught a man in a hooded sweat-
shirt barreling into a 91-year-old
Asian man in Oakland’s China-
town, causing him to fall face-
first into the pavement, narrow-
ly missing a bike rack. Police ar-
rested the suspect and said he
Asylum seekers wait at a bus station in Brownsville. President
Joe Biden nixed the “Remain in Mexico” policy for new arrivals
and now is letting 25,000 with active cases back into the U.S.
were enrolled in the program offi-
cially called Migrant Protection
Protocols since it was introduced
in January 2019.
On Biden’s first day in office, the
Homeland Security Department
suspended the policy for new ar-
rivals. Since then, some asylum-
seekers picked up at the border
have been released in the U.S. with
notices to appear in court.
Biden is quickly making good
on a campaign promise to end the
policy, which the Trump adminis-
Max Leung gives out information on how to report a hate
crime in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood.
had assaulted a couple on the
same block later that day and
another on Feb. 1.
In just the last two weeks, au-
thorities recorded 18 crimes
against Asian Americans around
Oakland’s Chinatown, said Nan-
cy O’Malley, district attorney for
Alameda County.
Community advocates said
the attacks have left many older
Asians fearful about going out to
shop for Friday’s start of the Lu-
nar New Year, the most impor-
tant holiday in several East
Asian countries that marks the
beginning of the Chinese lunar
calendar. Shops and restaurants
are typically bustling in China-
towns this time of year, but the
pandemic and safety concerns
have dampened the festive at-
John Moore / Getty Images
tration said was critical to revers-
ing a surge of asylum-seekers that
peaked in 2019. But the policy also
exposed people to violence in
Mexican border cities and made it
extremely difficult for them to find
lawyers and communicate with
courts about their cases.
“As President Biden has made
clear, the U.S. government is com-
mitted to rebuilding a safe, order-
ly, and humane immigration sys-
tem,” Homeland Security Secre-
tary Alejandro Mayorkas said.
Kin Cheung / Associated Press
Jim Wilson / New York Times
mosphere.
“There’s a huge amount of
sadness and rage in the commu-
nity,” said Alvina Wong, director
of the Asian Pacific Environ-
mental Network. “Folks are on
edge and tense and don’t know
when the next thing is going to
happen. They see what’s hap-
pening in other cities, and it’s
not stopping.”
The recent attacks represent
the latest spike in verbal and
physical attacks against Asian
Americans since the coronavi-
rus, which emerged in China,
reached the United States. Stop
AAPI Hate, launched by two ad-
vocacy groups to encourage
Asian Americans to report such
incidents, has documented
more than 3,000 attacks to date.
“This latest action is another step
in our commitment to reform im-
migration policies that do not align
with our nation’s values.”
Asylum-seekers will be released
with notices to appear in court in
cities close to or in their final desti-
nations, typically with family, ad-
ministration officials said.
Homeland Security said the
move “should not be interpreted
as an opening for people to mi-
grate irregularly to the United
States.” Administration officials
say the vast majority of people
who cross the border illegally are
quickly expelled under a public
health order that Trump put in
place in March amid the coronavi-
rus pandemic. But some asylum-
seeking families have been re-
leased in Texas and California,
working against that messaging.
Court hearings for people en-
rolled in “Remain in Mexico” have
been suspended since June be-
cause of the pandemic. Getting
word to them about when to re-
port to the border for release may
prove a daunting job. Homeland
Security said it would soon an-
nounce a “virtual registration pro-
cess” online and by phone for peo-
ple to learn where and when they
should report. It urged asylum-
seekers not to report to the border
unless instructed.
High court:
State must
let pastor
in execution
By Adam Liptak
N EW YO R K T I M E S
WASHINGTON — The Supreme
Court late Thursday let stand a rul-
ing that halted the execution of an
Alabama inmate unless the state
allowed his pastor to be present in
the death chamber.
The inmate, Willie Smith, a
Christian, sought to have his pas-
tor, Robert Paul Wiley Jr., provide
him with spiritual guidance and
comfort, his lawyers wrote, “in-
cluding by holding his hand, pray-
ing with him in his final moments
and easing the transition between
the worlds of the living and the
dead.”
Prison officials denied the re-
quest under a recently revised pol-
icy that bars from the execution
chamber spiritual advisers of all
faiths. A federal appeals court then
ruled that the execution could not
proceed unless Wiley was allowed
to be present.
The Supreme Court’s order said
only that it would not vacate the in-
junction entered by the appeals
court requiring the pastor’s pres-
ence. It gave no reasons.
The order did not specify how
every justice had voted. But Justice
Amy Coney Barrett joined the
court’s three-member liberal wing
— made up of Justices Stephen
Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Ele-
na Kagan — to let the appeals
court’s ruling stand.
“Alabama has not carried its
burden of showing that the exclu-
sion of all clergy members from
the execution chamber is neces-
sary to ensure prison security,” Ka-
gan wrote for those four justices in
a concurring opinion. “So the state
cannot now execute Smith with-
out his pastor present, to ease
what Smith calls the ‘transition be-
tween the worlds of the living and
the dead.’ ”
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote
that he would have lifted the in-
junction but gave no reasons.
In a dissent, Justice Brett Kava-
naugh, joined by Chief Justice John
Roberts, wrote that he, too, would
have lifted the injunction.
“Because the state’s policy is
nondiscriminatory and, in my
view, serves the state’s compelling
interests in ensuring the safety, se-
curity and solemnity of the execu-
tion room,” he wrote, “I would
have granted the state’s applica-
tion to vacate the injunction.”
It was not clear how Justices
Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch vot-
ed.
Smith was sentenced to death in
1992 for robbing, kidnapping and
murdering Sharma Ruth Johnson
after approaching her at an ATM.
 CORONAVIRUS HOUSTON CHRONICLE  PAGE A5 HH

Officials
‘froze’ over
nursing
home data
requests
By Marina Villeneuve
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov.

Andrew Cuomo’s top aide told
Democratic lawmakers that the
administration took months to re-
lease data revealing how many
people living at nursing homes
died of COVID-19 because officials
“froze” over worries the informa-
tion was “going to be used against
us.”
Republicans who term the
comment admission of a “cover-
up” are now calling for investiga-
tions into and the resignations of
both Cuomo and the aide, secre-
tary to the governor Melissa De- Taylor Glascock / New York Times
Rosa. And a growing number of Students return to Blair Early Childhood Center on Thursday in Chicago after a deal was reached between the city and its
Democrats are joining calls to re- teachers union. New government guidance for reopening classrooms does not require teachers to be vaccinated first.
scind Cuomo’s emergency execu-

CDC: Schools can reopen safely

tive powers, blasting the adminis-
tration’s defense of its secrecy.
The disclosure of DeRosa’s
comments, made on a Wednes-
day conference call with Demo-
cratic legislative leaders, came as
the Democratic governor — a
third-term Democrat who says
he’ll run again in 2022 and
penned a book touting his han-
dling of the pan-
demic — and his
administration
were already fac-
ing backlash over
their handling and
reporting of out-
breaks in nursing
Cuomo homes.
Cuomo refused
for months to release data on how
the pandemic has hit nursing
home residents, instead pointing
to figures more favorable to his
administration. Experts say the
release of more — and accurate —
data can shape policy to help save
people’s lives.
“These are people’s parents
and grandparents,” Fordham
University political science pro-
fessor Christina Greer said.
“They’re people. We should be
more specific. Cooking the books
on the data isn’t just about nurs-
ing homes, it’s about numbers of
people infected and possibly
dead.”
In recent weeks, a court order
and state attorney general report
have forced the state to acknowl-
edge the nursing home resident
death toll is nearly 15,000, when
it previously reported 8,500 — a
number that excluded residents
who died after being taken to hos-
pitals.
Since last spring, news outlets,
lawmakers and the public have
asked the Cuomo administration
for data about COVID-19 deaths
among nursing home residents.
On Aug. 3, lawmakers asked state
health Commissioner Howard
Zucker for the number of nursing
home residents who died in hos-
pitals.
By mid-August, then-President
Donald Trump began retweeting
comments criticizing Cuomo for
his administration’s response on
nursing home deaths. On Aug. 26,
the Department of Justice gave
Cuomo’s administration 14 days
to provide data on nursing home
deaths.
“Basically, we froze because
then we were in a position where
we weren’t sure if what we were
going to give to the Department of
Justice or what we give to you
guys and what we start saying was
going to be used against us, and
we weren’t sure if there was going
to be an investigation,” DeRosa
told the Democratic leaders in
comments were first reported by
the New York Post.
Cuomo administration officials
have also said they needed
months to verify deaths outside
nursing homes.
Still, it remains unclear why
New York couldn’t provide data
that nearly every other state pub-
lishes to lawmakers and the Jus-
tice Department at the same time,
and later correct it if needed.
if basic protocols are followed
By Collin Binkley
and Mike Stobbe
ASS OCIATED PR E SS
The nation’s top public health
agency said Friday that in-person
schooling can resume safely with
masks, social distancing and oth-
er strategies, and that vaccina-
tion of teachers, while impor-
tant, is not a prerequisite for re-
opening.
The Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention released its
long-awaited road map for get-
ting students back to classrooms
in the middle of a pandemic that
has killed nearly 480,000 people
in the U.S. But the agency’s guid-
ance is just that — it cannot force
schools to reopen, and CDC offi-
cials were careful to say they are
not calling for a mandate that all
U.S. schools be reopened.
Officials said there is strong ev-
idence now that schools can re-
open, especially at lower grade
levels.
Recommended measures in-
clude hand washing, disinfection
of school facilities, diagnostic
testing and contact tracing to find
new infections and separate in-
fected people from others in a
school. It’s also more emphatic
than past guidance on the need
to wear masks in school.
“We know that most clusters in
the school setting have occurred
when there are breaches in mask
Vaccines for children still many months away
By Apoorva Mandavilli
NEW YO R K TIME S
As adults at high risk for CO-
VID-19 line up to be immunized
against the coronavirus, many
parents want to know: When will
my child get a vaccine?
The short answer: Not before
late summer.
Pfizer and Moderna have en-
rolled children 12 and older in
clinical trials of their vaccines
and hope to have results by the
summer. Depending on how the
vaccines perform in that age
group, the companies may then
test them in younger children.
The Food and Drug Administra-
tion usually takes a few weeks to
review data from a clinical trial
and authorize a vaccine.
Three other companies —
Johnson & Johnson, Novavax and
AstraZeneca — also plan to test
their vaccines in children, but
are further behind.
When researchers test drugs
or vaccines in adults first, they
typically then move down the
age brackets, watching for any
changes in the effective dose and
for unexpected side effects.
“It would be pretty unusual to
wearing,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky,
the CDC’s director, said in a call
with reporters.
The guidance was issued as
President Joe Biden faces increas-
ing pressure to deliver on his
promise to get the majority of K-8
schools back to in-person teach-
ing by the end of his first 100 days
in office. He acknowledged that
the goal was ambitious, but add-
ed, “It is also a goal we can meet if
we follow the science.”
Biden said schools will need
more money to meet the CDC’s
standards and called on Con-
gress to pass his COVID-19 pack-
age quickly to get $130 billion in
aid to schools.
“We have sacrificed so much in
the last year,” Biden said in a
statement. “But science tells us
that if we support our children,
educators and communities with
the resources they need, we can
get kids back to school safely in
more parts of the country soon-
er.”
The new guidance includes
many of the same measures pre-
viously backed by the CDC, but it
suggests them more forcefully. It
emphasizes that all of the recom-
mendations must be implement-
ed strictly and consistently to
keep school safe. It also provides
more detailed suggestions about
what type of schooling should be
offered given different levels of
virus transmission, with differing
A 15-year-old participating in Moderna’s teen COVID-19
vaccine trial receives a shot Feb. 5 in Houston. Pfizer and
Moderna are testing their vaccines on children 12 and older.
start going down into children at
an early stage,” said Dr. Emily Er-
belding, an infectious diseases
physician at the National Institut-
es of Health who oversees testing
of COVID-19 vaccines in special
populations.
People younger than 21 ac-
count for about one-quarter of
the population in the United
States, but they make up less
advice for elementary, middle
and high schools.
Vaccinating teachers can pro-
vide “an additional layer of pro-
tection,” Walensky said.
There’s wide agreement that
learning in the classroom is more
effective and that students can
face isolation and learning set-
backs at home. But teachers
unions in some areas say schools
have failed to make buildings safe
enough to return.
The new guidance was em-
braced by both sides of the de-
bate, with each saying it bol-
stered their position. House Mi-
nority Leader Kevin McCarthy
said it’s further evidence that
schools are equipped to reopen
now.
The new information “affirms
what many of us, including stu-
dents and parents, have known
for months: It is critical for
schools to open as safely and as
soon as possible,” he said.
Becky Pringle, president of the
National Education Association,
applauded the guidance but said
schools are failing to meet it.
Most still have outdated ventila-
tion systems, she said, and few
have the type of virus testing pro-
grams suggested by the CDC.
“CDC standards still aren’t be-
ing met in too many of our
schools,” Pringle said. “We can
and must provide students the
opportunity to return to in-per-
Brandon Thibodeaux / New York Times
than 1 percent of deaths from CO-
VID-19. Still, about 2 percent of
children who get COVID-19 re-
quire hospital care, and at least
227 children in the United States
have died of the disease.
“It is a significant disease in
children, just not necessarily
when you compare it to adults,”
said Dr. Kristin Oliver, a pediatri-
cian and vaccine expert at Mount
son learning, but we also must
ensure that every school has the
safety measures in place to keep
students and educators safe.”
CDC officials emphasized that
in-person learning has not been
identified as a substantial driver
of coronavirus spread in U.S.
communities, and that transmis-
sion among students is now con-
sidered relatively rare.
The CDC also stressed that the
safest way to open schools is by
making sure there is as little dis-
ease in a community as possible.
The agency urged local officials
to assess whether a bad outbreak
is occurring in a community
when making decisions about
sending adults and children in to
schools.
The guidance included a color-
coded chart, from blue to red, on
assessing community spread, in-
cluding rates of new cases per
100,000 people and the percent-
age of positive tests.
Biden’s national strategy says
the administration “will also
work with states and local school
districts to support screening
testing in schools, including
working with states to ensure an
adequate supply of test kits.”
But the CDC guidance stops
short of recommending testing,
saying “Some schools may also
elect to use screening testing as a
strategy to identify cases and pre-
vent secondary transmission.”
Sinai Hospital in New York.
Children will also need to be
vaccinated in order for the Unit-
ed States to approach herd im-
munity. Scientists have estimat-
ed that 70 percent to 90 percent
of the population might need to
be immunized against the coro-
navirus to reach herd immunity,
especially with more contagious
variants expected to circulate
widely in the country.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
was authorized in December for
anyone 16 and older. The compa-
ny has continued its trial with
younger volunteers, recruiting
2,259 adolescents from 12 to 15
years of age.
Results from that trial should
be available by summer, said
Keanna Ghazvini, a spokeswom-
an for Pfizer.
Modernabegan testing adoles-
cents ages 12 through 17, and
plans to enroll 3,000 volunteers
in this age group. The company
expects results “around midyear
2021,” said Colleen Hussey, a
spokeswoman for Moderna.
Based on the results, Moderna
plans to assess the vaccine later
this year in children between the
ages of 6 months and 11 years.

Coronavirus at a glance
108,154,014 27,487,790 2,543,620 2,380,818 480,724 40,112 Source: WHO, CDC,
Confirmed cases Confirmed cases Confirmed cases Deaths Deaths Deaths Johns Hopkins University

worldwide in U.S. in Texas worldwide in U.S. in Texas

 SALE
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LAST 3 DAYS!
 SALE
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LAST 3 DAYS!
A8 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
CITY | STATE
Texan is getting back ring lost decades ago
By Madalyn Mendoza
STA F F WRIT E R
SAN ANTONIO — Nearly 50
years and a thousand miles later,
a San Antonio woman will reunite
with the wedding ring she lost in
the Chicago snow.
In 1973, Karen Autenrieth lost
her wedding ring while helping
her three small children into the
car outside her grandma’s house
in a Windy City neighborhood, ac-
cording to the Chicago Tribune.
She looked around when she real-
ized her ring slipped off, then
went back after the snow melted
to search again, to no avail.
“It was very cold, and the snow
plows had plowed the snow up
onto the curbs,” she told the
Tribune. “I had parked my car in
front of my grandmother’s house,
KILLING
From page A3
But even though the alleged
shooter’s identity was common
knowledge, days turned to
weeks, weeks to months, and
nothing seemed to be happening.
“It’s been letdown after let-
down after letdown,” she said.
Only in October did things fi-
nally start to change.
A friend of Nolasco’s worked
up the courage to go to the police,
and identified the shooter.
It was a surprise, DelBosque
said. “I didn’t think she’d do it,”
she said.
Suspect arrested
In November police obtained
an arrest warrant, but detectives
couldn’t find the suspect.
She started looking herself,
driving by the house where she
believed he was staying, sending
photographs and videos to detec-
tives working the case.
On Wednesday, she got a call.
Police had arrested Elias Vidal,
18. He’d been charged with mur-
der.
In court on Friday, DelBosque
sat, filled with questions. Would
prosecutors bring Vidal into
court? Would she get to watch?
Would he get bail? How had he
managed to retain Dick DeGue-
rin, one of the city’s most famous
defense attorneys?
Just after 10 a.m., a deputy let
her and eight members of her
family into the 262nd District
Court, where Vidal stood facing
Judge Lori Chambers Gray, as De-
Guerin asked for a lower bail. Vi-
dal wore an orange jumpsuit, his
hair akimbo.
She sat, hunched in one of the
narrow pews, joined by Nolasco’s
dad, grandparents and older sis-
ter.
She watched, brow furrowed,
and listened as DeGuerin told
Gray that he was representing Vi-
dal because the boy’s grand-
mother had worked for him as his
housekeeper for years.
She listened as DeGuerin said
police reports had shown trouble
between Vidal and Nolasco: that
Nolasco and DelBosque had at-
tacked Vidal and a friend days be-
fore the murder, and that the day
Nolasco died, he’d had a knife in
The new mission control center of Intuitive Machines, which is building a lunar lander that will
travel to the moon later this year, is shown Thursday in Houston.
PILEUP
From page A3
He saw a woman inside a small
car, crumpled to the point that he
could not tell what kind of car it
was. The woman was screaming,
so he jumped the rail and tried to
get to her. He was in-between a
tractor-trailer, the rear of a trac-
tor-trailer and her car, which was
HH
and I was climbing over mounds
of snow, helping each kid get into
the car. My hands were cold — I
didn’t have mittens on — and my
ring just flew into the snow.”
Now with the help of Facebook
and two historians, her ring will
be back on her finger for Valen-
tine’s Day.
The reunion process began
with another unfortunate case of
a ring swept away by the snow. A
man penned a Facebook post ask-
ing for help finding his ring,
which was lost this month. The re-
quest generated comments that
included one from a friend who
mentioned she found an inscrib-
ed wedding ring while gardening
but was unsuccessful in finding
the owner.
The comment caught the atten-
tion of another friend, who
Parents Delmar Nolasco and Leti DelBosque pause Friday at a cross installed on the spot where their son was fatally shot in 2019
outside their home. DelBosque says that day, Dec. 11, plays over and over in her head.
Shooting victim Delmar Rene Nolasco’s half-sister, Alexis
Rogers, hugs mom Leticia DelBosque at court Friday. Nolasco is
one of 275 slaying victims of 2019 in Houston.
his hand.
DelBosque disputes the con-
text of those claims, however,
wedged between the two vehi-
cles.
Chaney was trying to help her
out of the trapped car when he
saw a FedEx truck heading to-
ward them. He dove under the
tractor-trailer and watched help-
lessly as the truck slammed into
the woman.
“And she was crushed to
death,” he said.
In total, about 100 vehicles
tagged the Ridge Historical Soci-
ety. The group is dedicated to pre-
serving the history of Morgan
Park, one of the southernmost
neighborhoods of Chicago where
Autenrieth’s was lost and then
found. Researcher Carol Flynn
and Linda Lambert took on the
case, using the “R.A. to K.B. 4-16-
66” inscription in the ring as a
main clue.
They started researching prop-
erty records, newspaper archives
and ancestry websites for infor-
mation surrounding the home
where the ring was dug up by the
gardener. Eventually, they found
a newspaper clipping written by a
man who once lived at the house.
Obituaries for the man and his rel-
atives led Flynn and Lambert to
Karen, maiden name Karen Berk,
who they hoped was the “K.B.”
and says the altercation with Vi-
dal came after he and his friends
beat up Nolasco. That he’d only
Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer
were part of the roughly mile-long
wreckage, according to authori-
ties.
Six people have been con-
firmed dead, and about 65 were
injured.
“People called me a hero, but
I’m just like no. It’s kind of fight or
flight,” Chaney said. “Either you
leave or you stay and fight it out.
And my instinct was to stay and
see what I could do. I didn’t want
She had left an online note in
2006 in response to one of the
obituaries. In it, the woman
dropped important clues, such as
being married 40 years earlier,
confirming the 1966 wedding. She
signed off on the online condo-
lences as Karen Berk Autenrieth,
the Tribune reported.
The researchers used Face-
book to find Autenrieth, who lives
in San Antonio. Flynn said she
didn’t know what to expect after
sending a random message to Au-
tenrieth — much could have hap-
pened in nearly 50 years. But
hours later, the two were on a
phone call crying over the fortu-
itous finding and coordinating a
way to return the ring.
Autenrieth, who did not return
a request for comment, told the
Tribune that her family moved to
had a knife because he’d just got-
ten beat up, days before.
“Four kids beat … my son,” she
said. “Yeah, I went after (them).”
Gray listened, impassive, as a
prosecutor described the killing
and subsequent investigation.
Bail reduced
A few minutes later, the judge
agreed to reduce Vidal’s bail
slightly, to $75,000. She warned
the teen: no drinking, no drugs,
no weapons. If he was able to
post bail, he’d have to wear an an-
kle monitor and agree to a curfew
from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day.
He signed some paperwork,
and then a deputy ushered him
away.
Moments later, DelBosque and
her relatives filed out of the
courtroom.
“That’s not bad,” said Enrique
DelBosque, Leti’s brother.
INTUITIVE
From page A3
with flight controllers and direc-
tors who put men on the moon.
All of this knowledge was used
to build Nova Control, and he
made some adjustments to
NASA’s approach.
At NASA, flight controllers sit in
a theater-like setup, with their
desks in rows that face a large
monitor at the front of the room.
Intuitive Machines designed its
mission control in a circular con-
figuration. Its mission controllers
sit at computers facing the circle’s
outside. In the center of the circle
is a table, and the controllers can
swivel their chairs toward the ta-
ble for easy collaboration.
Some of these mission control-
lers will not be needed after the
lander reaches the moon’s sur-
face. So they can leave and create
open seats for people monitoring
to just pull out my phone and re-
cord like a pansy.”
He urged people to stop shar-
ing photos and videos of the
crash, warning that people might
recognize a loved one’s car in the
wreckage before they know what
happened to them.
“Nobody needs to see that, es-
pecially people that were there
that witnessed things,” he said.
“Because then they relive it.”
Texas in 1982 and that she had
long given up hope of ever seeing
her ring again. She and her hus-
band, Robert, are still happily
married.
“I went, ‘Holy Mary, I can’t be-
lieve it,’” Autenrieth said.
The ring will be mailed back to
San Antonio, where the Auten-
rieth family is planning a special
occasion to mark its return to
their matriarch’s finger. Auten-
rieth said her children made her
promise not to open the package
until Valentine’s Day, when the
family gathers to celebrate her
youngest son’s 49th birthday.
The Autenrieths will celebrate
their 55th wedding anniversary,
ring and all, on April 16, she said.
mmendoza@mysa.com |
@maddyskye
Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer
“$75,000 is still a lot.”
They drove to Terry Street, to
the house where DelBosque used
to live. They gathered by a waist-
high brown cross, adorned with
Nolasco’s name.
It’s cemented into the asphalt
so no one will knock it down, she
said.
She paused, in the biting cold,
thinking back to the last day she
saw her son.
Nolasco had called at 3:13 p.m.,
telling her he was on his way. At
3:39 p.m., minutes after she’d left
work — a rarity, since her days al-
most never ended early — she’d
received a panicked call: get
home, her son had been shot.
She crouched, and pointed at a
divot a bullet had torn in the as-
phalt.
“He died right here,” she said.
st.john.smith@chron.com
the lander’s payloads. This, too, is
designed to boost collaboration.
At NASA, people associated with
payloads often sit in another
room or at another NASA facility,
LeBlanc said.
But for those unable to travel to
Houston, Intuitive Machines is us-
ing the cloud to help payload op-
erators access data from their
own offices. A copy of its control
system is stored in the cloud,
where it can be easily accessed
from anywhere.
“I always hoped that I would be
part of NASA when a crewed mis-
sion put astronauts back on the
moon,” LeBlanc said. “But this
opportunity to work on an un-
crewed lander came up at a great
time for me to make a change of
career and be participating in a
historic return to the surface,
even if it’s an uncrewed system.”
andrea.leinfelder@chron.com
twitter.com/a_leinfelder
He said he is “internally con-
fused and sad,” and frustrated by
the way people were trapped in
the pileup by the TEXpress lanes.
The lanes require motorists to
pay an electronic toll as a way to
get around congestion that chron-
ically occurs near downtown Fort
Worth.
“You’re trapped by two walls,”
he said. “It was basically turned
into a gigantic slip and slide.”
HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | A9
A10 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
FROM THE COVER
Eyes turn to GOP senators
as impeachment vote nears
By Mary Clare Jalonick
A S S OC I AT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Most every
Senate juror has said they will
listen to the evidence in Donald
Trump’s historic second im-
peachment trial, but most
minds were likely made up be-
fore the trial began. Democrats
would need a minimum of 17 Re-
publicans to vote with them to
convict Trump of incitement of
insurrection, and that appears
unlikely.
Still, Democrats say they are
holding out hope that they will
win over enough Republicans to
convict the former president for
his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots,
in which five people died. If
Trump were convicted, the Sen-
ate could take a second vote to
ban him from running for office
again. A final vote is likely on Sat-
urday.
Frequent Trump critics
Republican Sens. Lisa Mur-
kowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of
Nebraska, Mitt Romney of Utah
and Susan Collins of Maine have
been clear that they believe
Trump incited the riots on Jan. 6.
While none of them are locks to
vote for conviction, they have
joined with Democrats twice to
vote against GOP efforts to dis-
miss the trial.
Collins said after the riots that
Trump does “bear responsibili-
ty for working up the crowd and
inciting this mob.” Murkowski
called on Trump to resign after
the attack on the Capitol, telling
a local paper three days later
that “I want him out. He has
caused enough damage.”
Romney tweeted on Jan. 6:
“What happened at the U.S. Cap-
itol today was an insurrection,
incited by the President of the
United States.”
Sasse said that Trump had
“lied to” Americans and the
“consequences are now found in
five dead Americans and a Capi-
tol building that’s in shambles.”
In a recent video, he said Repub-
lican politics shouldn’t be about
the “weird worship of one
dude.”
Murkowski, Collins and Sasse
voted to acquit Trump during
his first impeachment trial, in
which Democrats charged that
he had abused his power by urg-
ing the president of Ukraine to
investigate then-candidate Joe
TRUMP
From page A1
Saturday, with the Senate evenly
divided between Democrats and
Republicans and a two-thirds ma-
jority required for conviction.
Trump’s lawyers made an abbrevi-
ated presentation that used less
than three of their allotted 16
hours.
Their quick pivot to the Demo-
crats’ own words deflected from
the central question of the trial —
whether Trump incited the assault
on the Capitol — and instead aimed
to place impeachment managers
and Trump adversaries on the de-
fensive.
His lawyers contended he was
merely telling his rally crowd to
support primary challenges
against his adversaries and to
press for sweeping election re-
form.
Fighting words
After a two-day effort by Demo-
crats to sync up Trump’s words to
the violence that followed, includ-
ing through raw and emotive video
footage, defense lawyers suggest-
ed that Democrats have typically
engaged in the same overheated
rhetoric as Trump.
But in trying to draw that equiv-
alency, the defenders minimized
Trump’s monthslong efforts to un-
dermine the election results and
his urging of followers to do the
same. Democrats say that long
campaign, rooted in a “big lie,”
laid the groundwork for the mob
that assembled outside the Capitol
and stormed inside. Five people
died.
“And so they came, draped in
Trump’s flag, and used our flag,
the American flag, to batter and to
bludgeon,” Rep. Madeleine Dean,
one of the impeachment manag-
ers, said Thursday as she choked
back emotion.
On Friday, as defense lawyers
repeated their own videos over
and over, some Democrats chuck-
led and whispered among them-
selves as many of their faces
HH
Activists rally outside Sen. Mitch Romney’s office on Friday,
demanding that he vote to convict Donald Trump.
Biden. Romney was the sole GOP
guilty vote.
Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Too-
mey, who is retiring from the
Senate in 2022, has also voted
twice with Democrats to move
forward with the trial. Like Mur-
kowski, he called for Trump’s
resignation after the riots, say-
ing that would be the best way to
“get this person in the rearview
mirror for us.” Toomey had also
aggressively pushed back on
Trump’s false assertions that he
had won Pennsylvania and other
states in the election.
Three other GOP senators
have said they will not run again
in two years, potentially freeing
them up to vote against Trump
and anger base voters in the par-
ty — Ohio Sen. Rob Portman,
North Carolina Sen. Richard
Burr and Alabama Sen. Richard
Shelby. All three voted to dismiss
the trial, but Portman says he
still has an open mind about con-
viction.
Shelby said this week that the
impeachment managers had a
“strong point” that Trump could
have acted sooner to stop the vi-
olence, but maintained that the
trial is unconstitutional because
Trump is now out of office.
Wild card
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy,
who is up for re-election in 2022,
voted two weeks ago for a GOP
effort to dismiss the trial. But he
switched his vote this week, say-
ing Trump’s lawyers had done a
“terrible” job making the case
that the trial was unconstitution-
al.
Cassidy, who has been taking
extensive notes throughout the
trial, said Friday that the manag-
Senators and staff give a standing ovation to Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman before
voting to award him the Congressional Gold Medal for his actions during the Jan. 6 riot.
flashed on the screen. Some
passed notes. Connecticut Sen.
Richard Blumenthal threw up his
hands, apparently amused, when
his face appeared. Minnesota Sen.
Amy Klobuchar rolled her eyes.
Most Republicans watched intent-
ly.
During a break, some joked
about the videos and others said
they were a distraction or a “false
equivalence” with Trump’s behav-
ior.
“Well, we heard the word ‘fight’
a lot,” said Maine Sen. Angus King,
an independent who caucuses
with the Democrats.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet
said it felt like the lawyers were
“erecting straw men to then take
them down rather than deal with
the facts.”
“Show me any time that the re-
sult was that one of our supporters
pulled someone out of the crowd,
and then we said, ‘That’s great,
good for you,’ ” said Delaware Sen.
Kim Raff / Getty Images for MoveOn
ers had raised some “intriguing
questions” during their two days
of arguments. He said that he
hoped Trump’s lawyers would
answer them thoroughly and
that he is “trying to approach it
objectively.”
Thune takes heat
South Dakota Sen. John
Thune, the No. 2 Senate Repub-
lican, dismissed Trump’s at-
tempts to challenge the certifica-
tion of President Joe Biden’s
election victory. He predicted
the effort would “go down like a
shot dog” in the Senate.
That comment drew a furious
response from the former presi-
dent, who urged Gov. Kristi
Noem to run against Thune in a
GOP primary, an idea she imme-
diately rejected.
Still, Thune has voted twice to
dismiss the case. He said Friday
that he was keeping an open
mind and indicated he could be
open to a censure resolution if
Trump is acquitted.
“I know a couple of my col-
leagues who’ve seen a couple of
resolutions, at least, that I think
could attract some support,”
Thune said.
Senate Republican leader
Mitch McConnell has twice vot-
ed to dismiss the trial, indicating
he will ultimately vote to acquit.
But he has also said that Trump
“provoked” the mob, which was
“fed lies.”
Soon after the attack, McCon-
nell privately told associates he
was done with Trump and said
publicly he was undecided on
impeachment. He has told Re-
publicans the decision on
Trump’s guilt is a vote of con-
science.
Chris Coons.
Trump’s defenders told sena-
tors that Trump was entitled to dis-
pute the 2020 election results and
that his doing so did not amount to
inciting the violence. They sought
to turn the tables on prosecutors
by likening the Democrats’ ques-
tioning of the legitimacy of
Trump’s 2016 win to his challenge
of his election loss.
The defense team did not dis-
pute the horror of the violence,
painstakingly reconstructed by
impeachment managers earlier in
the week, but said it had been car-
ried out by people who had “hi-
jacked” what was supposed to be a
peaceful event and had planned vi-
olence before Trump had spoken.
“You can’t incite what was going
to happen,” he said.
Acknowledging the reality of
the January day is meant to blunt
the visceral impact of the House
Democrats’ case and pivot to what
Trump’s defenders see as the core
Trump’s defense talks
of free speech at trial
By Brian Slodysko
A SSO C I ATE D P R E S S
WASHINGTON — In a whirl-
wind defense, Donald Trump’s
impeachment attorneys aired a
long list of grievances Friday, ar-
guing that he former president
bore no responsibility for the
deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol
while accusing Democrats of “ha-
tred” and “hypocrisy.”
The defense team, which
wrapped up its arguments in just
over three hours, said Trump
was engaged in “constitutionally
protected speech” when he
spoke at a rally that immediately
preceded the violence on Jan. 6.
They called the impeachment
trial a “witch hunt” and accused
Democrats of elevating a destruc-
tive “cancel culture” to the halls
of Congress. They also suggested
Democrats were hypocrites for
impeaching Trump after some
had voiced support for racial jus-
tice marches last summer, some
of which turned violent.
“It has become very clear that
House Democrats hate Donald
Trump,” said Michael van der
Veen, a Philadelphia personal in-
jury attorney who is part of
Trump’s defense team. “Hatred
is at the heart.”
Here are some highlights from
Friday’s impeachment proceed-
ings:
First Amendment
Regardless of what occurred
after Trump’s Jan. 6 speech, the
former president was simply ex-
ercising his First Amendment
right to free speech and can’t be
found at fault, his attorneys ar-
gued.
“The Senate cannot ignore the
First Amendment,” van der Veen
said.
Nearly 150 constitutional
scholars disagree. In a letter
signed last week, they wrote that
“the First Amendment does not
apply in impeachment proceed-
ings, so it cannot provide a de-
fense for President Trump.”
The First Amendment has
long been invoked as a powerful
and compelling defense in court.
But impeachment proceedings
are an inherently political pro-
cess that exists outside the U.S.
court system.
Tempers flared during a ques-
tion-and-answer session as im-
peachment proceedings
stretched into the evening.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Ver-
mont independent who caucus-
Senate Television via Associated Press
— and more winnable — issue of the
trial: whether Trump actually in-
cited the riot. The argument is like-
ly to appeal to Republican senators
who want to be seen as condemn-
ing the violence but without con-
victing the president.
Anticipating defense efforts to
disentangle Trump’s rhetoric from
the rioters’ actions, the impeach-
ment managers spent days trying
to fuse them together through a re-
construction of never-been-seen
video footage alongside clips of the
president’s months of urging his
supporters to undo the election re-
sults.
‘Trump sent us’
On Thursday, they described in
stark, personal terms the terror
they faced that day — some of it in
the very Senate chamber where
senators now are sitting as jurors.
They used security video of rioters
searching menacingly for House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice
Senate Television / Associated Press
Michael van der Veen is an
attorney for former President
Donald Trump in his trial.
es with Democrats, tried to pres-
sure Trump’s attorneys to say
whether the former president
had lost the election, which
Trump has refused to acknowl-
edge.
“Are the prosecutors right
when they claim that Trump was
telling a big lie, or in your judg-
ment, did Trump actually win
the election?” Sanders asked in a
written inquiry.
Van der Veen bristled and in-
quired who had asked. Sanders
responded, “I did.” Van der Veen
retorted, “Irrelevant.”
“No, it isn’t!” Sanders angrily
shot back. He scoffed audibly
when van der Veen avoided an-
swering the question.
Insurrection or not?
The articles of impeachment
charge Trump with the “incite-
ment of an insurrection,” a word
that Webster’s Dictionary defines
as “an act or instance of revolting
against civil authority or an es-
tablished government.”
Trump’s lawyers say that’s not
technically correct.
“‘Insurrection’ is a term of
art,” said attorney Bruce Castor,
and it “involves taking over a
country” or “a shadow govern-
ment taking the TV stations over
and having some plan on what
you’re going to do when you fi-
nally take power.”
“Clearly this is not that,” he
added.
Trump’s speech, in which he
urged his supporters to “fight like
hell,” was a call for the “peaceful
exercise of every American’s
First Amendment rights to
peacefully assemble and petition
their government for redress of
grievances,” Castor said.
And he suggested that Trump
wasn’t literally calling on his sup-
porters to “fight,” but rather get
involved in the political process,
such as supporting primary chal-
lengers of elected officials they
did not like.
President Mike Pence, smashing
into the building and engaging in
bloody, hand-to-hand combat
with police.
Though defense lawyers sought
to boil down the case to a single
Trump speech, Democrats dis-
played the many public and explic-
it instructions he gave his support-
ers well before the White House
rally that unleashed the deadly
Capitol attack as Congress was cer-
tifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victo-
ry. And they used the rioters’ own
videos and words from Jan. 6 to try
to pin responsibility on Trump.
“We were invited here,” said one
Capitol invader. “Trump sent us,”
said another. “He’ll be happy.
We’re fighting for Trump.”
The prosecutors’ goal was to
cast Trump not as a bystander but
rather as the “inciter in chief” who
spread election falsehoods, then
encouraged supporters to come
challenge the results in Washing-
ton.
The Democrats also are de-
manding that he be barred from
holding future federal office.
Trump’s lawyers say that goal
only underscores the “hatred”
Democrats feel for Trump.
Throughout the trial, they showed
clips from Democrats questioning
the legitimacy of his presidency
and suggesting as early as 2017 that
he should be impeached.
“Hatred is at the heart of the
house managers’ fruitless at-
tempts to blame Donald Trump for
the criminal acts of the rioters —
based on double hearsay state-
ments of fringe right-wing groups,
based on no real evidence other
than rank speculation,” van der
Veen said.
Trump’s lawyers noted that in
the same Jan. 6 speech he encour-
aged the crowd to behave “peace-
fully,” and they contend that his re-
marks — and his general distrust of
the election results — are all pro-
tected under the First Amend-
ment. Democrats strenuously re-
sist that assertion, saying his
words weren’t political speech but
rather amounted to direct incite-
ment of violence.

FROM THE COVER
WATT
From page A1
Houston Texan.”
Watt’s departure is the lat-
est for a region that in the
last month has said goodbye
to the Astros’ George Spring-
er and the Rockets’ James
Harden. But losing stars is
nothing new for a city that
has had to say goodbye to
the likes of Nolan Ryan, Earl
Campbell and Hakeem Ola-
juwon over the years.
“I came here 10 years ago
as a kid from Wisconsin who
had never really been to Tex-
as before,” Watt said in an
emotional video released on
social media. “And now I
can’t imagine my life with-
out Texas in it.
“The way you guys have
treated me besides draft
night, I mean you guys
booed me on draft night, but
every day after that you
treated me like family and I
truly feel like you’re my fam-
ily. Since that day, I have
tried to do everything in my
power to work and earn
your respect and try to make
you proud on and off the
field. You guys have given
me everything I need and
more, and I can only hope
that you feel like I’ve given
you everything I have.”
Watt is one of three play-
ers to be named the NFL’s
Defensive Player of the Year
three times, and he was
named the league’s Walter
Payton Man of the Year after
his foundation raised over
$41 million for relief efforts
after Hurricane Harvey in
2017 and helped build more
than 1,100 new homes and
provide more than 239 mil-
lion meals.
“The city of Houston has
been unbelievable to me,”
Watt said. “It’s where I met
my wife (former Dash soccer
player Kealia Ohai). It’s
where I met my lifelong
friends and my teammates.
I’ve had incredible coaches
and training camp and
equipment staff and cafete-
ria workers and the weight
room staff and the front of-
fice people and people on
the streets and people in res-
taurants and people in gro-
cery stores and showing up
at my house — the connec-
tion is special, and I will nev-
er take that for granted be-
cause I know how rare it is.”
Watt’s separation from
the Texans, instead of a nas-
ty divorce, was an amicable,
respectful parting of the
ways. McNair said the Tex-
ans and Watt had several
conversations about his fu-
ture since the end of a frus-
trating 4-12 season. Because
the Texans granted his re-
quest in February, Watt now
has a head start on free agen-
cy and can sign with another
NFL team immediately.
DEATHS
From page A1
state wasn’t even collecting
the information necessary
to know where it was occur-
ring. In response, the A&M
System created the insti-
tute to perform the sort of
data collection and analysis
that Texas couldn’t — or
wasn’t — doing itself.
Its first report — a survey
of who died while in the le-
gal custody of law enforce-
ment or corrections offi-
cers, and how — was re-
leased this week. It’s not
the first, or even most de-
tailed, dissection of the
state’s custodial death
numbers. But del Carmen
said he expects it to be the
first of many the institute
will tackle, both retrospec-
tively as well as in real time
for legislators who could
use the data-crunching to
inform new laws and poli-
cies.
The Chronicle’s report-
ing focused on information
that police by law were sup-
posed to gather during traf-
fic stops but didn’t.
In 2017, state legislators
responding to the death of
Sandra Bland — a Black
woman who was arrested
following a traffic stop that
escalated into a confronta-
tion with a white trooper
and was found hanged days
later in the Waller County
jail, a death that was ruled a
suicide — passed a law re-
quiring police to collect da-
“His commitment to the community is unlike any player in NFL history.”
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt greets former Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush before a game
against the Oakland Raiders in 2013. As excellent as Watt was on the field, he was just as valuable off the field.
Since entering the NFL in
2011, Watt leads the league in
tackles for losses, quarter-
back hits and multisack
games and ranks second
during that span with 101
sacks. He’s the fourth-fastest
player in NFL history to hit
the century mark for sacks,
doing so in 120 career
games.
The Texans drafted Watt
with the 11th pick — a selec-
tion that was met with some
boos at the team’s draft par-
ty that night.
“J.J. was awfully good,
and we knew it,” said Wade
Phillips, who was the team’s
defensive coordinator at the
time. “Nobody knew him in
the draft. Everybody wanted
somebody else. He’s obvi-
ously a Hall of Fame player, a
great player and arguably
the best player in Texans his-
tory, and I think that legacy
will live on for a long time.”
At 6-foot-5 and 288
pounds, Watt played the
game with a rare aggressive-
ness, strength, leverage,
mobility and technique.
Whether it was his trade-
mark bull-rush, rip move,
swim move, spin move or
speed rush, Watt confound-
ed blockers with his superi-
ority as an athlete and a tac-
tician who used his mind as
much as his body to domi-
nate offenses.
After watching quarter-
back Tom Brady earn his
seventh Super Bowl at age
43 with Tampa Bay after
winning six titles with New
England, Watt is eager to
prove he still has a lot of fuel
left in his tank.
ta that would allow depart-
ments to analyze in depth
how their officers treated
minority and white motor-
ists. Such information is
crucial for administrators
and policymakers striving
for more equitable enforce-
ment. Studies across the
country have shown that
police stop, search, arrest,
use force on and kill Black
people in numbers dispro-
portionate to their popula-
tion representation.
On paper, the new law
identified important de-
tails such as why each stop
was made, whether the
driver was searched and
what if anything was found
— all separated out by the
race of the driver. But when
it came time to actually
gather the information, the
Texas Commission on Law
Enforcement neglected to
include the race part.
Patchwork of data
While some depart-
ments collected the race
data on their own, others
didn’t, leaving a patchwork
of often useless data points
among the state’s 2,000
law enforcement agencies
— “a crime against public
records requests,” accord-
ing to one racial-profiling
expert. Soon after, the
commission ordered polic-
ing agencies to include the
racial details starting next
year.
The Institute for Predic-
tive Analytics’ focus, how-
ever, extends beyond racial
Texans co-founder and senior chair Janice McNair
Texans co-founder Janice McNair embraces Watt
after a win over the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019.
Watt gets ready to hand out a box of relief supplies to people who were impacted by
Hurricane Harvey in 2017. His foundation raised over $41 million for relief efforts.
Protesters rally outside the Waller County Courthouse in July 2015 to protest the
death of Sandra Bland, a Black woman who was found dead in the county jail.
profiling, del Carmen said.
For its first project, the in-
stitute decided to tackle a
pile of numbers the state
had been collecting for
years but had not analyzed
in a meaningful way.
The inaugural project
produced a flurry of reveal-
ing bird’s-eye view infor-
mation about the state’s
custodial deaths. African-
American custodial deaths,
for example, occurred at a
rate more than double their
demographic representa-
tion.
Some of the data points
also hinted at individual
tragedies, raising disturb-
ing questions unanswered
by the report. The youngest
person to die in custody
was 11 years old, it found.
Del Carmen said other
statistics pointed toward
the need for even deeper,
more precise study. Just un-
der half of all the custodial
deaths occurred in a medi-
cal facility. But, he pointed
out, the men (fewer than 6
percent of all custodial fa-
talities were women) could
have sustained injuries or
been subjected to negligent
HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com |
Brett Coomer / Staff file photos
“I watched a lot of J.J.’s
game and he still looks like a
really good player,” Phillips
said. “Sometimes, a great
player moves on from an-
other team a la Tom Brady
and does pretty well.”
Despite enduring a pair of
back surgeries for a herniat-
ed disk in 2016, a gruesome
broken leg in 2017 and a torn
pectoral in 2019, Watt en-
dured the pain and kept
coming back strong. He re-
fused to relent when his fu-
ture was clouded by major
injuries and surgeries to re-
pair the significant damage
inflicted on his body on the
field.
“He’s one of the best play-
ers in NFL history,” McNair
Melissa Phillip / Staff file photo
medical care elsewhere be-
fore being moved to a hos-
pital to die.
Avoiding scrutiny
In a report last year, the
Texas Commission on Jail
Standards said it was aware
of several local jails that
had transferred mortally
injured or ill people out of
their facilities to a hospital,
where they died soon after-
ward. By doing so, jail ad-
ministrators can avoid the
scrutiny that comes with an
in-custody death.
The institute’s research-
A11
said. “He’s just meant so
much to us, it’s hard to put
into a sentence or two be-
cause he’s meant a lot to us
personally and the team and
the city and the people of
Houston, and he has a huge
legacy and it will carry on
here for many years. This is
bye for now, but not bye for
good.”
As excellent as Watt was
on the field, he was just as
valuable off the field. In ad-
dition to his foundation’s
work after Hurricane Har-
vey, it also has helped pro-
vide more than $6 million to
schools and organizations
across the nation that have
insufficient funding for ath-
letic programs and after-
school activities.
“His commitment to the
city is evident from Harvey
and not just raising money,”
Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
“Picking up the phone and
calling kids with cancer —
this is what he does and who
he is. It’s almost without
words to describe the im-
pact, not just as it relates to
the team, but as it relates to
the city.”
Watt built an extremely
strong bond with the McNair
family, who brought the NFL
back to Houston.
“Simply put, there has
been no person in the past
decade who has made a
greater impact on the Tex-
ans organization than J.J.
Watt,” Texans co-founder
and senior chair Janice S.
McNair said. “To me, what
best represents J.J.’s connec-
tion to Houston is his tradi-
tion of playing catch with
the fans before every home
game.
“The number of people
who wear No. 99 jerseys
with smiles on their faces to-
tally encapsulated J.J.’s pas-
sion for bonding with Tex-
ans fans at every possible
opportunity. His commit-
ment to the community is
unlike any player in NFL his-
tory. We are forever grateful
to J.J. and his family.”
Added Cal McNair: “Mom
is the biggest fan of the team
of course, the biggest fan of
J.J. It’s emotional. It’s emo-
tional for her.”
Wherever Watt goes, this
marks the end of his rich ten-
ure in Houston.
“I’m excited and looking
forward to a new opportuni-
ty and I’ve been working ex-
tremely hard, but at the
same time, it is always tough
to move on,” Watt said. “I
just want you guys to know
that I love you, I appreciate
you, I appreciate the McNair
family for drafting me and
giving me my first opportu-
nity in the NFL. Thank you,
Houston. I love you.”
aaron.wilson@chron.com
twitter.com/aaronwilson_nfl
ers also ran into the same
problems the Chronicle un-
covered in its analysis of ra-
cial profiling data — that no
matter legislators’ good in-
tent in requiring agencies
to compile numbers to
shed light on a problem,
the effort can be thwarted
by bad data collection.
For example, it conclud-
ed that 12 percent of custo-
dial deaths between 2005
and 2020 were homicides,
caused by police or guards,
a startling number, del Car-
men said. Yet Texas law en-
forcement agencies and
lockups had reported the
manner of death in only
one-third of all fatalities,
rendering any conclusions
incomplete at best.
The research group next
hopes to tackle the racial
profiling data that inspired
its founding. The Sandra
Bland Act mandates that
police report other granu-
lar traffic stop information,
as well, such as how many
stops result in arrests for
minor Class C violations, a
question criminal justice
reformers have already
started digging into.
The deadline for law en-
forcement agencies to re-
port last year’s numbers to
the state arrives in less than
a month.
Del Carmen said he’ll be
waiting.
“We’re incredibly excit-
ed,” he said.
eric.dexheimer@chron.com
twitter.com/dexinvestigates
A12 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
FROM THE COVER
WEATHER
From page A1
would shift all work and in-
struction online for those
days.
Metro is suspending all
transit services Monday
morning through Tuesday,
or whenever it is safe to re-
sume operations, at which
point the agency may gradu-
ally return to normal opera-
tions, officials announced.
Harris County Judge Lina
Hidalgo on Friday warned
the coming storm may be
the Houston region’s worst
winter weather event in 30
years and cautioned its ef-
fects — from closed roads to
downed power lines — could
resemble those of a Catego-
ry 5 hurricane.
“What you’re seeing is
not your typical hard
freeze,” Hidalgo said at a
Transtar briefing. “This is a
sustained cold spell that has
the potential of causing tre-
mendous destruction to our
region.”
Forecasters predict sub-
freezing temperatures be-
tween Sunday and Wednes-
day, as well as wintry precip-
itation.
“This is extreme for our
area,” county meteorologist
Jeff Lindner said. “It could
be sleet. It could be freezing
rain. It could be snow. It
could be all three.”
Officials are planning to
spray nearly100 bridges and
street overpasses with a
magnesium chloride anti-ic-
ing mixture Saturday morn-
ing, Houston Public Works
spokeswoman Erin Jones
said. Workers will wait to ap-
ply the substance until
roads dry, she said, because
the chemicals are ineffective
on wet pavement and can
be washed away by rain.
Light showers or drizzle
are expected in the Houston
area Saturday, along with
potential freezing rain north
of the city, according to Matt
Lanza of the Space City
Weather blog.
If rain continues longer
than expected, crews would
have to delay their de-icing
HH
Road crews treat portions of Interstate 69 near Beltway 8 on Friday ahead of an expected winter storm.
Forecasters predict subfreezing temperatures between Sunday and Wednesday, as well as wintry precipitation.
plans beyond Saturday
morning, Jones said.
The city handles de-icing
on bridges and street over-
passes at various spots in
north, southwest and south-
east Houston, such as where
TC Jester passes over Eureka
Yard and at the intersection
of Memorial and Shepherd.
The Harris County Toll Road
Authority is responsible for
toll roads, while the state
transportation department
typically handles highway
overpasses.
This time, in anticipation
of an “extensive icy winter
weather event,” state work-
ers are pre-treating all major
freeways in the Houston
area, including U.S. 290 and
interstates 10, 45 and 69,
said Emily Black, a spokes-
woman for TxDOT. The
agency is attempting to cov-
er all freeways in the area as
much as possible, Black
said, though it is prioritizing
outside lanes on wide free-
ways such as I-10, in case
crews are unable to cover
the entire roadway.
Their efforts are part of a
statewide storm response
ordered by Abbott, who
issued a disaster declaration
for all 254 Texas counties on
Tips for subfreezing weather
• Take precautions to keep
infants and elderly people
warm; both produce less
body heat.
• Bring pets inside. Texas
law requires it.
• Unhook all garden hoses
and drain lawn sprinkler
systems.
• Bring potted plants
inside and cover the ones
that must stay outside.
• Keep homes heated to
prevent pipes from
freezing.
• Open cabinet doors to
help keep your pipes warm
or use special insulating
wrap for pipes.
Friday and instructed the
Texas Highway Patrol and
Department of Public Safety
to deploy patrols to help
stranded motorists along
major travel corridors,
among other emergency
operations.
National Weather Service
officials said to expect snow,
sleet and freezing rain Sun-
day evening through early
afternoon Monday in the
Houston area, with the col-
dest front coming Tuesday
• Keep an extra water
supply in case pipes freeze.
• Follow fire safety
guidelines for space
heaters: Don’t plug them
into extension cords, and
don’t place them on top of
furniture or within 3 feet of
drapes and bedding.
• Wear three layers of
clothing when outdoors.
• Watch out for ice, both on
walkways and on
roadways.
• If you must drive, equip
your car with a flashlight,
jumper cables, sand or
kitty litter, a shovel, flares
and blankets.
morning when tempera-
tures are expected to dip in-
to the teens.
If the city roads ice over,
workers will de-ice them
with a sand mixture, Jones
said.
The storm presents a
unique challenge, Hidalgo
said, since the region has ex-
tensive experience prepar-
ing for hurricanes but rarely
experiences severe winter
weather. Southeast Texas
lacks the stockpiles of salt
RETAIL
From page A1
research firm Numerator
found only 48 percent of re-
spondents plan to buy gifts
this year, down from 68
percent last year.
Restaurants, too, will
feel the pain, according to
Numerator’s survey, which
found only 17 percent of re-
spondents planned to eat
out this year, down from 45
percent last year. Valen-
tine’s Day is normally one
of the biggest events of the
year for restaurants, but
this weekend they’ll be
forced to contend with 50
percent capacity restric-
tions in their dining rooms
while reeling from weath-
er-related cancellations.
“With everything the
hospitality industry has
been through, to have this
thrown on top of them is
disappointing,” said restau-
rant consultant David Litt-
witz, noting restaurants are
like hotels in that they need
to nearly fill their dining
rooms in order to make
money.
Weather-related cancel-
lations are already pouring
in, said Wafi Dinari, owner
of Ouisie’s Table in River
Oaks. By Thursday after-
noon, he had received 37
cancellations for Saturday
night but has so far been
able to replace them
through his wait list.
‘A significant hit’
Berg said his restaurant
group has been capitalizing
increasingly on takeout
packages, especially as
people are catching on to
booze to-go. This way, he
said, he did 20 percent
more in sales on Thanksgiv-
ing and New Year’s Eve
than he had last year. Still,
he said he expects sales to
be down between 10 per-
cent and 20 percent this
year, depending on how
bad the weather gets this
weekend.
Chris Williams, owner of
Lucille’s, said he expected
his Valentine’s Day busi-
ness will be down signifi-
Jon Shapley / Staff photographer
and snowplows that are
commonplace in northern
states; drivers do not switch
to snow tires in the winter.
Patches of ice had already
had begun to emerge Friday
morning north of Houston.
Harris County Sheriff’s Of-
fice deputies investigated a
crash at U.S. 290 and Bin-
ford Road near Hockley
where black ice was report-
ed. Ice also was reported
around 7:30 a.m. near U.S.
290 and Texas 99, according
to Houston TranStar.
Farther north, the Mag-
nolia Police Department re-
ported a 13-vehicle crash on
top of an overpass at FM
1488 and FM 1774, urging
people to be aware of icy
roads and drive carefully.
Mayor Sylvester Turner
acknowledged a blunt truth:
Houstonians do not know
how to drive on snow and
ice. He said residents should
be prepared to stay put for
several days and urged them
to bring pets inside and
wrap exposed pipes to pre-
vent them from freezing.
Some city workers will
stay home Monday and
Tuesday, the mayor said.
A further complicating
factor is the COVID-19 pan-
Stephen-Louis Ralston, a floral designer, works on
an arrangement Thursday at David Brown Flowers.
cantly.
“Because we lost the pa-
tio, we’re gonna take a sig-
nificant hit,” he said. “It
looks like we’ll do 30 per-
cent down of what we did
last year.”
Restaurateurs aren’t the
only ones taking a hit.
Rex Solomon, owner of
Houston Jewelry on West-
heimer, said he had hoped
more stimulus checks
would have gone out by
now. They haven’t, and
he’s planning on taking a
hit of between 20 percent
and 30 percent this week-
end compared with last
year.
The good news
While restaurants and
jewelry stores are more
likely to feel the pinch, the
outlook is rosier for those
peddling lower-priced gifts
such as flowers and candy.
Those retailers are also
more likely to weather the
pandemic well, as people
are still buying candy and
flowers as a way to cheer
each other up in dark, so-
cially distant times.
“There’s a lot of, ‘We’re
thinking of you, hope your
day is better,’ ” said David
Brown, owner of David
Brown Flowers. “People
are not only thinking of
themselves, they’re think-
ing of other people more
than ever before.”
Brown said he’s as busy
as he would expect to be
this week. In fact, he’ll like-
ly have to turn away orders,
demic. Houston will close its
vaccination sites on Monday
and Tuesday; Harris Coun-
ty’s will shut down from
Monday through Wednes-
day.
Turner said the city’s out-
reach team had begun con-
tacting homeless residents
in an effort to direct them to
a warming center that will
open 2 p.m. Sunday at the
George R. Brown Conven-
tion Center.
Fort Bend County offi-
cials were making similar
preparations Friday, with
road crews sanding bridges
and overpasses on tollways
and county roads in an at-
tempt to stave off icy condi-
tions.
Fort Bend County ISD an-
nounced campuses will be
closed Tuesday.
Alan Spears, Fort Bend
County’s deputy emergen-
cy management coordina-
tor, said the National Weath-
er Service had warned
county officials that harsh
conditions may persist for
three or four days. Spears al-
so said residents should pre-
pare for loss of power dur-
ing the storm.
In Montgomery County,
emergency officials and
commissioners were work-
ing on plans Friday and
“making sure that they have
the grit that they need for
the roads,” said Meghan Bal-
lard Arthur, a spokeswoman
for the county office of
homeland security and
emergency management.
People should stay home
if they can for the duration
of the frigid storm, Ballard
Arthur said.
“Only get out when nec-
essary,” she said. “Sunday
night through Tuesday
morning is going to be a
hard time on the roads. So, if
you can stay home and stay
put, that is what we are rec-
ommending.”
Anna Bauman, Alejandro
Serrano and Shelby Webb
contributed to this report.
jasper.scherer@chron.com
twitter.com/jaspscherer
zach.despart@chron.com
twitter.com/zachdespart
Jon Shapley / Staff photographer
he said, approaching his
saturation point Wednes-
day afternoon.
Elaine Nevarez, owner
Elaine’s Florist, said her
sales were looking slightly
lower than last year’s, at-
tributing that more to the
holiday landing on a Sun-
day than to the pandemic.
“In the floral industry,
when Valentine’s Day falls
on a Sunday it’s historically
slower than when it falls on
a weekday,” she said.
Sales to corporate ac-
counts have softened, she
said, as events are canceled
and people aren’t working
together in offices, but indi-
vidual sales have picked up
as people who can’t visit
each other send flowers in-
stead.
“We’ve had a little bit of a
renaissance in the floral
business because of the
pandemic,” she said.
The cold weather will
keep more people home
this weekend, softening in-
person sales, said Venky
Shankar, research director
for Texas A&M’s Center for
Retailing Studies. And even
though more people are or-
dering delivery during the
pandemic, Shankar ques-
tioned whether that would
help or hurt the romance of
gift-giving.
“Now if you just pick
your mobile phone up,” he
said, “it doesn’t look like
you’ve worked hard.”
amanda.drane@chron.com
twitter.com/amandadrane
 OPINION HOUSTON CHRONICLE  PAGE A13 HH

EDITORIAL

Thumbs up, down

Can a cute kitten overcome a week of racist
place names and outrage over the anthem?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Which is tomorrow, Feb. 14,
2021. We mention the year because if
you’re headed for a socially dis-
tanced picnic down at Negrohead
Lake in Baytown, you might think it’s
still the 1950s, or heck, even 1991,
which was the year that then-Texas
Sen. Rodney Ellis spearheaded a bill
that would strip the word “negro”
from 19 places around the state. The
measure passed; case solved, right?
Well, only one of the 19 names was
changed and that was in 2018. Appar-
EDITORIAL
ently renaming is up to the U.S.

Applause to Morath
Board on Geographic Names, which
tried to make the changes but was
overruled by local officials. Research-

for easing off STAAR

er Jennifer Runyon told NPR they
had reached out to the counties back Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press file photo

then and “a lot of them said, ‘No,
don’t change those names.’ ” At least
now the Baytown mayor and the
Harris County Commissioners Court
are on the same page, introducing
resolutions to do away with the of-
fensive name. Here’s to Valentine’s
Day 2022 at Baytown’s new, long
time in coming, Lake Henry Doyle.
It took almost 30 years to no-
tice that racist place names
were still a thing in Texas. It took a
little over a month to figure out the
Dallas Mavericks had stopped playing
the national anthem this season. It
took barely a day for Lt. Gov. Dan
Patrick to bravely wade into the fray
and declare the “Star Spangled Ban-
ner Protection Act” one of his leg-
islative priorities (glad nothing else is
going on). Team owner Mark Cuban
said his decision was made to reflect
“those who feel that the anthem does
not represent them.” If Cuban was
expecting a cogent discussion on the
matter, including the importance of
rituals and the unifying role an an-
them can play, he was disappointed.
Faster than you can scream “shot
clock!” the NBA declared all teams
would play the anthem. The NBA’s
decision has everything to do with
the Founding Fathers — mostly the
Benjamins — but Patrick clearly
needs a refresher course on Amer-
ican liberty and freedom.
From downbeat to up, let’s
change our tune and sing the
praises of a melody born out of Mar-
shall Project reporter Keri Blakin-
ger’s Twitter wish for a sea shanty
about Texas Attorney General Ken
Paxton. Her call found its response in
Grace Gilker’s amusing ditty, “Pax-
ton’s Privateers,” which features such
lines as “I investigate and prosecute
crimes, but to be honest I’m kind of
busy with mine,” “I filed a suit to
overturn the election, but I still
didn’t get that sweet legal protec-
tion,” and, of course, its catchy re-
frain: “I just thought these laws did
not apply to me, I’d gotten away with
everything.” The fact that Paxton —
who is awaiting trial on fraud charges
and is being investigated by the FBI —
is still AG may strike a sour note, but
Gilker’s ode is music to our ears.
No one’s written a song
about Harris County District
Attorney General Ken Paxton is the
subject of a new sea shanty, Grace
Gilker’s ditty, “Paxton’s Privateers.”
Attorney Kim Ogg (yet), but the DA
did inspire a Change.org petition.
Headlined “Remove Kim Ogg as a
Public Health Menace,” the appeal
was posted shortly after the New
York Times reported on Dr. Hasan
Gokal, the Harris County Public
Health physician who was charged
with stealing COVID vaccine doses.
While it looks like Gokal may have
violated vaccination protocol, his
version of events has him trying his
best to make sure that surplus vac-
cines did not go to waste. Gokal was
fired and Ogg is going ahead with
taking the case to a grand jury, even
after a judge blasted her office for
attempting to prosecute. The petition
had garnered a little more than 500
signatures as of Friday morning
(“Paxton’s Privateers” has over
10,000 views), so while Ogg
shouldn’t sweat it, maybe she should
reconsider.
The internet is not all about
trying to get people fired. A
GoFundeMe page started by a Hous-
ton teen, who used her college sav-
ings to keep her mother from being
evicted after she lost her job, had
more than $165,000 in donations
Friday. It’s the kind of news that is
both cheery and dreary, but we’ll
focus on the positive and wish YES
Prep East End senior Alondra Car-
mona, who has been accepted to
prestigious Barnard College, the
best.
Staying on the light side, a Tex-
as lawyer made international
news this week when an errant Zoom
filter left him facing a court hearing
as a cat. Presidio County attorney
Rod Ponton was surprised when a
cat’s face — which mirrored his own
mouth and eye movements —
appeared on screen. “I’m here live.
I’m not a cat,” he said. We never
thought we would hear such a pro-
found, existential cri de coeur on
Zoom. The hilarious video was cat-
nip to a pandemic-stricken world
and Ponton is feline fine about his
newfound fame. “If I can make ev-
erybody have a chuckle at my ex-
pense, I’ll take it,” he told the Chron-
icle. That’s one cool kitty.
By The Editorial Board
It happens so rarely that when state
officials actually hear common sense de-
mands from constituents, and act on those
concerns, we’re ready to shout hallelujah.
So all together now: Hallelujah!
On Thursday, Texas Education Commis-
sioner Mike Morath announced that stu-
dents whose parents have kept them
home as virtual learners during the pan-
demic needn’t take the STAAR exam after
all.
Last month, the TEA issued guidance
rebuffing demands from parents — and,
for that matter, this editorial board — to
cancel in-person STAAR exams for the
year. Our top concern had been the health
of the students and their families. After all,
these were thousands of children whose
parents had specifically kept them at
home, often out of concern that the chil-
dren’s exposure to the virus would put at
risk vulnerable individuals in the house-
hold. Sending them back to campus for a
test seemed foolhardy at best and danger-
ous at worse.
Thursday’s news that Morath had relent-
ed is cause for cheering. He said parents
whose children have been learning at
home may keep them at home during
testing days. The only consequence? That
LETTERS
Do the right thing, senators
Impeachment
Regarding “Senate agrees to hear case
against Trump,” (A1, Feb. 10): I would urge
the Republican senators to watch any of
several Western movies with the same
theme. It involves a corrupt land baron
who shoots the sheriff in the back. He goes
on trial, but the outcome is predetermined
as his handpicked minions in the jury will
absolve him of blame. The honest towns-
people watch in horror as they, all, know
he is guilty.
In the second act, though, the towns-
people rise up, overthrow him and run his
lackeys out of town.
Good, honest government triumphs in
the end.
The evidence for conviction of Donald
Trump is overwhelming. It’s not too late
for the Republican senators to do the right
thing. We can be rid of this evil man before
he causes more damage.
Orlando N. Campos, Houston
Regarding “Senate agrees to hear case
against Trump,” (A1, Feb. 10): The impeach-
ment trial in the Senate is very compelling.
I am hoping Sen. John Cornyn will vote to
convict the former president and dis-
qualify him from further office, and I ap-
pealed to him to do so to support truth
and our remarkable democracy. If he does
so, he will be instrumental in reshaping
the Republican Party after Donald Trump.
Though I cannot hope that Sen. Ted
Cruz would ever vote to convict, I sent the
following message to him: “Dear Sen.
Cruz, Please use your authority as senator
to convict the former president, and to bar
him from further federal office. And then
resign from the Senate in shame for your
part in promoting the insurrection. Sin-
the parents will miss out on whatever
value may come from getting the snapshot
of student performance that the tests
provide.
For many parents across the state, that’s
a trade-off they are happy to make. For
others, who want their children to take the
test, they will have the option to send
students to campus, or to whatever testing
center schools designate.
Morath had already made one conces-
sion, namely that this year the STAAR will
carry few of its usual high-stakes conse-
quences for those who do poorly. Neither
schools, nor districts, will be graded by
the results.
That was a wise step, given how much
pressure the pandemic has already
brought to the education system.
We’re less supportive of Morath’s refusal
to budge on the requirement that high
school students take end-of-course exams.
Graduating seniors in the class of 2021 will
be required to pass them to graduate. That
means they’ll have take the exam in per-
son, whether they’re still learning virtually
or not.
That sounds unnecessarily risky, and
Morath should reconsider that point, too.
But for now, let’s just call a win a win.
Responsive leadership deserves to be
applauded, whenever it appears.
Susan Walsh / Associated Press
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, talks with
reporters Tuesday after the first day
of the second impeachment trial.
cerely, Sylvia Szucs, Very Concerned Con-
stituent.”
The former president needs to be held
accountable for all his actions which cul-
minated in the insurrection, a very grave
assault on the Constitution and a strong
betrayal of his oath of office. We need to
convict and disqualify.
Sylvia Szucs, Houston
True patriotism
Regarding “Texans, we must speak up
now for our voting rights,” (A15, Feb. 10):
The need for term limits for our repre-
sentatives and senators has become neces-
sary. Re-election, political power and party
before national interests is very evident
behavior from our career politicians. What
is needed are citizens who will be willing
to show their patriotism by serving their
country, not as a career, but as a sacrifice,
taking time from their lives to do their
duty and then letting others take their
place. How can this be accomplished?
Fred Rummell, Houston

F o u n d e d 1 9 0 1 • A H e a r s t N e w s pa p e r

394th Judicial District Court

Presidio County attorney Rod Ponton accidentally used a cat filter during a John C. McKeon, Publisher | john.mckeon@chron.com
court hearing Tuesday. Jack Sweeney, Chairman | jack.sweeney@chron.com
Steve Riley, Executive Editor | steve.riley@chron.com
Maria Reeve, Managing Editor / Content | maria.reeve@chron.com
Mark Lorando, Managing Editor / Audience | mark.lorando@chron.com
Lisa Falkenberg, VP / Editor of Opinion | lisa.falkenberg@chron.com
BIBLE VERSE Michael Lindenberger, Deputy Opinion Editor | michael.lindenberger@chron.com
A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you Send letters to the editor:
Viewpoints c/o Houston Chronicle, P.O. Box 4260, Houston, Texas 77210 or viewpoints@chron.com.
hate. We welcome and encourage letters and emails from readers. Letters must include name, address and telephone
Proverbs 15:17 numbers for verification purposes only. All letters are subject to editing.
A14 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

itle,

license,

9 DOW: 31,458.40, up 27.70 (0.1%) |
Utilities aim to keep power on in bitter cold
PUC officials don’t
rule out the need for
rolling blackouts
By Marcy de Luna
STA F F WRIT E R
State regulators are gearing up
for potential power outages early
next week as a winter storm and
bitter cold strain electricity and
natural gas supplies.
Both wholesale power and nat-
ural gas prices are soaring as frig-
id weather moves into Texas and
the state’s grid manager projects
record power consumption dur-
ing the cold snap. Wholesale elec-
tricity prices were surging to
$1,000 per megawatt hour for
Monday and Tuesday, according
to S&P Global Platts, while spot
Hines and 2ML Real Estate Interests unveiled renderings of Levit Green, a 53-acre life science district near Holcombe and Texas
288 close to the Texas Medical Center. HOK designed the five-story, 270,000-square-foot Phase I building.
Life sciences development at TMC unveiled
By Katherine Feser
STA F F WRIT E R
Hines and 2ML Real Estate In-
terests unveiled renderings of
the initial building in Levit
Green, the 53-acre life sciences
district that will begin to take
shape near the Texas Medical
Center this year.
Architecture firm HOK de-
signed the five-story, 270,000-
square-foot Phase I building to
serve tenants with advanced lab-
oratory needs. JLL has been se-
lected as leasing representative
for the project.
“Houston is quickly emerging
as a top life science cluster city
and has been able to do so with-
out the purpose-built product es-
tablished in other locations,”
Hines Senior Managing Director
John Mooz said in an announce-
ment. “The Phase I project at
Levit Green has been thoughtful-
ly designed from the inside out to
include features that are re-
quired of a top-tier research envi-
ronment.”
The building will have 100 per-
cent redundant emergency pow-
Hofheinz House,
the birthplace of the
Astrodome, is for sale
By R.A. Schuetz
STA F F W RIT E R
The birthplace of the Astro-
dome is for sale.
Hofheinz House, where former
mayor and Astrodome developer
Roy Hofheinz made plans to build
the world’s first air-conditioned
domed stadium, has been listed
for $1.8 million, according to the
Houston Association of Realtors
website.
While Hofheinz’s most famous
home was the fantastical three-
story apartment he built behind
BUSINESS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE  SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021  SECTION B HH
9 S&P: 3,934.83, up 18.45 (0.5%) |
prices for natural gas hit $100 per
million British thermal units in
Texas markets.
Wholesale power prices aver-
aged $22 per megawatt hour last
year, according to the U.S. Energy
Department. Natural gas spot
prices were less than $3.50 per
million British thermal units at
the Henry Hub delivery location
in Louisiana early this week.
The Texas Railroad Commis-
sion on Friday night issued an
emergency order to manage the
potential shortages of natural gas
as residents crank up the heat to
stay warm and power plants
crank up generation to meet elec-
tricity demand. The commis-
sion’s order requires that gas is
first delivered to residences, hos-
pitals, schools, churches and oth-
er locations that meet human
The building will be situated on the first of several lakes
planned in the development.
the scoreboard of the Astrodome
(the home contained a putting
green, a shooting gallery and a
private terrace overlooking the
playing field), the house at 3900
Milam is where his imagination
put in the hard work. It was there,
where he kept his offices in the
1950s, that he conjured the Eighth
Wonder of the World — and with
it, a Major League Baseball team.
“He sweated all the details,
down to the condiments for the
hot dogs to color of the seats,” said
James Glassman, founder of the
Astrodome continues on B4
9 OIL: $59.47, up $1.23 (2.1%) | 9 NATURAL GAS: $2.91, up 4 cents (1.5%)
needs, then to power plants and
then to industrial users.
Temperatures Monday night
could dip to near single digits af-
ter a weekend with highs barely
breaking 40 degrees. Western
and northern areas of Texas have
already been coated by ice that
has taken out large swaths of pow-
er generating wind turbines as
power demand soars.
The grid manager, the Electric
Reliability Council of Texas, or
ERCOT, projects that demand will
peak at around 72,000 megawatt
hours during periods Monday
and Tuesday, according to S&P
Global Platts, well above the pre-
vious winter record of 65,915
megawatt hours set on Jan. 17,
2018. Nancy Holloway puts on a pair of gloves Friday provided by the
“It is going to be a really tight Star of Hope’s Love In Action van. The van makes trips to
Power continues on B5 provide the homeless with essentials during frigid weather.
Photos courtesy of Hines
er, enhanced mechanical sys-
tems and floors with 55,000
square feet or more to enable
teamwork and collaboration
among research and office
teams. It will be situated on the
first of several lakes planned in
the development.
Waterfront amenities will in-
clude a 5,800-square foot fitness
center and outdoor garden,
7,000-square-foot conference
center, 3,500 square feet of res-
taurant space and on-site park-
ing. The ground floor plan will
have more than 25,000 square
feet of lab incubator space
geared toward entrepreneurs
and early-stage life science com-
panies.
The project is being built near
Holcombe and Texas 288 on land
that formerly housed the Gro-
cers Supply Co., a longtime
Houston grocery wholesaler
founded by Joe Levit in 1923. 2ML
Real Estate Interests changed its
name from Grocers Supply Co.
after selling its wholesale busi-
ness and the name in 2014.
Levit Green’s first building is
TMC continues on B5
R.A. Schuetz / Staff
Hofheinz House — the storied home where former mayor and
Astrodome developer Roy Hofheinz dreamed up the world’s
original air-conditioned domed stadium — is on the market.
Brett Coomer / Staff photographer
Chemical
maker
says ’20
profit
doubled
Huntsman Corp.’s
fortunes rose despite
less annual revenue
By Marcy de Luna
STA F F W R I T E R
Huntsman Corp. said Friday
that its profit and revenue rose in
the fourth quarter as the industry
slowly recovers from the historic
oil crash caused by the coronavi-
rus pandemic.
The Woodlands chemical-mak-
er said it earned $343 million in
the fourth quarter, up 13 percent
from $303 million during the
same period a year earlier. Reve-
nue increased slightly to $1.67 bil-
lion from $1.66 billion in the
fourth quarter of 2019.
For the year, profits nearly
doubled, to $1.03 billion from
$562 million in 2019. Annual reve-
nue declined by 11 percent to
$6.02 billion from $6.8 billion in
2019.
“Together with our cost re-
alignment and business optimi-
zation plans, we target in excess
of $120 million of annualized ben-
efits by mid-2023. Our balance
sheet remains very strong,” CEO
Peter Huntsman said in a state-
ment. “While we are prepared for
macro uncertainties to continue
in 2021, we see steady improve-
ments over 2020 in most of our
core markets and we remain to-
tally committed to creating value
Huntsman continues on B4
How much
national
debt is
too much?
I fielded a question from a
friend recently that ought to be
on all our minds: “Does balloon-
ing national debt matter?”
My quick answer: It doesn’t
matter right now. It might, and
probably will, matter later.
The national
debt on the last
day of January
was either $21.6
trillion or $27.8
trillion.
The larger
amount includes
MICHAEL
TAYLOR debt owned by the
government,
which will be used
mostly to pay future Social Secu-
rity obligations.
I see the smaller “net debt” of
$21.6 trillion as the relevant
number, but you can choose
your own adventure.
If we call that $21.6 trillion
number “Biden’s inheritance,”
here is what other presidents
inherited, what debt they be-
queathed, and how much the
national debt grew (or shrank)
Debt continues on B4
B2 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
BUSINESS
BRIEFS
American
furloughs
possible
in Texas
American Airlines could tem-
porarily lay off 2,760 people in
Dallas-Fort Worth if more gov-
ernment aid doesn’t come
through for the ailing travel
industry.
American announced plans to
furlough as many as 13,000
people in late January, many of
whom were already furloughed
in October.
Fort Worth-based American
didn’t disclose how many em-
ployees would get the furlough
notices at each of its locations,
but it is required to send notice
to state employment authorities
detailing the layoffs.
A letter to the Texas Work-
force Commission notes 2,760
temporary layoffs of union work-
ers. An additional 488 employ-
ees would be “permanently
discharged,” it said.
American said the “furloughs
are expected to be temporary.”
DIGITAL CURRENCY
First approval for
bitcoin in N. America
Purpose Investments Inc. said
Canadian securities regulators
have cleared the launch of the
Purpose Bitcoin ETF, making it
the first to gain regulatory ap-
Airline
execs fight
testing for
domestic
flights
By Zeke Miller
and David Koenig
A S S O C I AT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Leaders of sev-
eral major U.S. airlines met online
Friday with White House officials
to press their case against requir-
ing coronavirus tests for passen-
gers on domestic flights, saying it
would undermine the already frag-
ile industry.
A person familiar with the dis-
cussions said that the Biden ad-
ministration is not currently plan-
ning to impose a requirement that
passengers on domestic flights
first pass a COVID-19 test. The air-
line CEOs talked with White House
coronavirus response coordinator
Jeff Zients, according to the per-
son, who spoke anonymously to
discuss a private meeting.
The CEOs of American, United,
Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue all
took part in the meeting. The
White House declined to com-
ment.
The meeting was arranged after
Transportation Secretary Pete But-
tigieg and officials with the Centers
for Disease Control and Preven-
tion said that a testing requirement
was under consideration.
“We had a very positive, con-
structive conversation focused on
our shared commitment to sci-
ence-based policies as we work to-
gether to end the pandemic, re-
store air travel and lead our nation
toward recovery,” Nick Calio, head
of the trade group Airlines for
America, said in a statement.
Airlines are strongly opposed to
requiring coronavirus testing be-
fore domestic flights, saying it
would further devastate air travel,
which has still not returned even to
half its pre-pandemic level. They
worry that the additional cost of a
test would discourage people from
flying.
The airlines argue that there
isn’t enough testing capacity to
test every passenger. More than 1
million people went through
checkpoints at U.S. airports on
Thursday, according to figures
from the Transportation Security
Administration.
They also say that requiring
people to take a coronavirus test
before flights would cause more
people to drive — merely shifting
the risk of spreading the virus from
planes to cars.
Airline unions have joined the
push against testing domestic pas-
sengers. On Friday, the Southwest
Airlines pilots’ union said a testing
mandate “would decimate domes-
tic air travel demand, put aviation
jobs at risk, and create serious un-
intended consequences.”
HH
American Airlines said in a letter to a Texas agency that it might
temporarily lay off 2,760 workers in Dallas-Fort Worth.
proval in North America.
While this is set to be the first
investment vehicle for bitcoin
that’s officially labeled an ex-
change-traded fund, Europe
boasts several “physically
backed” bitcoin exchange-traded
products that effectively func-
tion just like an ETF.
This isn’t the first time Canada
has beat the U.S. in regulatory
approval for ETFs. Canadians
launched the first ETF ever and
released marijuana-related funds
prior to their southern neigh-
bors. Industry participants say
this is a positive sign for compa-
nies hoping to offer their own
ETFs on a U.S. exchange.
BIG TECH
Companies are wary
of Nvidia-Arm deal
Some of the world’s largest
technology companies are com-
plaining to U.S. antitrust reg-
Court motions for Maria Bartiromo, from left, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro argue that they were
doing their job in covering allegations of voter fraud by former President Donald Trump.
3 Fox News hosts call for
dismissal of libel lawsuit
By Joshua Goodman
ASS OCIATED PR E SS
Three Fox News hosts — Maria
Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jea-
nine Pirro — are seeking the dis-
missal of claims against them
and their employer as part of a
$2.7 billion libel lawsuit brought
by voting technology company
Smartmatic.
The three, along with Rudolph
Giuliani and Sidney Powell, law-
yers for former President Donald
Trump, were sued this month for
the eye-popping amount by
Smartmatic, which accused
them of conspiring to spread
false claims that the company
was involved in an effort to steal
the presidential election from
Trump.
In its motions, lawyers from
Kirkland & Ellis, which is also de-
fending Fox, argue that Bartiro-
mo, Dobbs and Pirro were doing
their job in covering the biggest
story of the day: unprecedented
allegations by the president that
the integrity of the electoral pro-
cess was marred by fraud.
Smartmatic in its 285-page
complaint filed Feb. 4 in state
court in New York had cited at
least 13 reports on Fox News in
which guests or personalities
falsely stated or implied that the
company had somehow helped
steal the election through easily
tampered technology or in ca-
hoots with Venezuela’s socialist
government.
The complaint alleged that the
“disinformation campaign” con-
tinued even after then-Attorney
General William Barr said the
Justice Department could find no
evidence of widespread voter
fraud.
“Smartmatic is confident in its
case and looks forward to brief-
ing these issues for the court,”
Erik Connolly, attorney for
Smartmatic, wrote Friday in a
statement.
The lawsuit is being closely
watched as the rise of far-right
voices on social media and pro-
Scott Olson / Getty Images
ulators about Nvidia Corp.’s
acquisition of Arm Ltd. because
the deal will harm competition
in an area of the industry that is
vital to their businesses.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Micro-
soft Corp. and Qualcomm Inc.
are among companies worried
about the $40 billion deal and
are asking antitrust officials to
intervene, said people familiar
with the process who asked not
to be identified because they
weren’t authorized to speak
publicly. At least one of the com-
panies wants the deal killed.
The acquisition would give
Nvidia control over a critical
supplier that licenses essential
chip technology to the likes of
Apple Inc., Intel Corp., Samsung
Electronics Co., Amazon.com
Inc. and China’s Huawei Tech-
nologies Co.
U.K.-based Arm is known as
the Switzerland of the industry
because it licenses chip designs
Trump outlets such as Newsmax
and One America News chal-
lenge long-held assumptions
about the limits of free speech.
The filings by the Fox person-
alities note instances in which
they questioned Powell and Giu-
liani for evidence to back their
claims, as well as Smartmatic’s
own denial of the charges. It also
argues that Dobbs’ statements
appearing to validate the claims
of his guests were constitutional-
ly protected opinions, not state-
ments of fact.
“The First Amendment pro-
tects the press when it informs
the public about judicial pro-
ceedings regardless of the accu-
racy of the underlying allega-
tions,” according to the motion
filed on behalf of Dobbs.
On Dec. 18, all three hosts
aired a segment with an expert
debunking some of the claims
that had been made on networks
against Smartmatic and another
voting technology company, Do-
minion.
The Fox Business Network
dropped Dobbs’ show Feb. 5, a
day after the lawsuit was filed.
The network said the move was
part of a planned programming
shift and not related to the law-
suit.
Bartiromo in her motion sug-
gests an alternate motive for
what she calls Smartmatic’s
“headline-seeking” lawsuit: an
attempt by the company to fill its
coffers after reporting losses of
$17 million on $144 million in rev-
enue in 2019.
“This complaint is not just
meritless; it is a legal shakedown
designed to chill speech and
punish reporting on issues that
cut to the heart of our democra-
cy,” her lawyers argue.
Roy Gutterman, a media law
professor at Syracuse University,
said Fox in its motion made rea-
sonable arguments about First
Amendment rights and its duty
to fuel public discourse on im-
portant political issues.
“Whether the broadcaster is li-
and related software code to all
comers, rather than competing
against semiconductor compa-
nies. The concern is that if Nvi-
dia owns Arm, it could limit
rivals’ access to the technology
or raise the cost of access.
Nvidia has argued that the
purchase price alone means it
has no incentive to mess with
that neutrality, but some rivals
and customers are unconvinced.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Chocolate companies
accused in lawsuit
International Rights Advo-
cates, a human rights group, said
it filed a federal class-action
lawsuit Friday on behalf of eight
Malian citizens against chocolate
companies for alleged complici-
ty in trafficking and forced labor.
The plaintiffs were trafficked
as children and forced to harvest
cocoa in Ivory Coast, the biggest
exporter and producer, IRAd-
vocates said in a statement. The
case is based on a law that allows
victims to sue companies that
participate in a venture that
benefits from trafficking and
forced labor.
Nestle SA, Cargill Inc. and
Mars Inc. are among the compa-
nies named in the suit.
Multinational companies have
faced dozens of suits accusing
them of playing a role in human
rights violations, environmental
wrongdoing and labor abuses.
IRA has also filed a case on be-
half of six former child slaves
against Nestle and Cargill.
That case is pending and was
argued in the Supreme Court on
Dec. 1.
Associated Press
able for providing a forum for
speakers and what responsibility
they have for dealing with false
factual statements will be central
to the court’s decision,” he said.
Still, he said, if Fox succeeds in
persuading the court to dismiss
the case, the individual guests —
Giuliani and Powell — could still
be liable for potentially false and
damaging statements.
Smartmatic’s participation in
the presidential election was re-
stricted to a single district, Los
Angeles County, which votes
heavily Democratic.
That limited role notwith-
standing, the company and its
technology were widely and
baselessly blamed by Trump
supporters for somehow tilting
the race in favor of Joe Biden.
The effects of the negative pub-
licity were swift and included
death threats against an execu-
tive’s 14-year-old son, the loss of
business and an enduring stain
on its reputation, Smartmatic
claims.
The company fears its entire
business, once worth billions of
dollars as it expanded to coun-
tries around the world, from Bel-
gium to the Philippines, could
now be valued near zero.
Like many conspiracy theo-
ries, the alleged campaign
against Smartmatic was built on
a grain of truth. The company’s
founder and CEO is Venezuelan,
and Smartmatic’s initial success
is partly attributable to major
contracts from Hugo Chavez’s
government, an early devotee of
electronic voting.
Dobbs, in his motion to join
the Fox request for dismissal,
points out that he first covered
Smartmatic a decade earlier, in
2006, when employed by CNN.
At the time, the company was
facing scrutiny from U.S. law-
makers concerned about its pur-
chase of an American competi-
tor so shortly after it had helped
organize elections in Venezuela
that were marred by allegations
of fraud.
COURTS
Father, son want
extradition halted
BOSTON — An American fa-
ther and son accused of sneak-
ing former Nissan boss Carlos
Ghosn out of Japan in a box
asked the Supreme Court on
Friday to halt their extradition so
they have time to pursue an
appeal.
Michael and Peter Taylor have
fought for months to keep the
U.S. government from handing
them over to Japan, saying they
can’t legally be extradited and
will be treated unfairly in the
Japan. Their lawyers told the
court that the men would face
harsh treatment in the Japanese
criminal justice system.
“The issues raised by peti-
tioners merit full and careful
consideration, and the stakes are
enormous for them. The very
least the U.S. courts owe the
petitioners is a full chance to
litigate these issues, including
exercising their appellate rights,
before they are consigned to the
fate that awaits them at the
hands of the Japanese govern-
ment,” their attorneys wrote.
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Boston refused Thurs-
day to put the extradition on
hold.
The State Department agreed
in October to hand the pair over
to Japan, but a federal judge in
Boston put the extradition on
hold shortly after their lawyers
filed an emergency petition. The
judge rejected the petition last
month, clearing the way for the
extradition, before the lawyers
appealed to the 1st Circuit.
From wire reports
Importance
of stimulus
emphasized
by Yellen
in G-7 call
By Saleha Mohsin,
Yuko Takeo
and William Horobin
B L O O M B E RG
Treasury Secretary Janet Yel-
len stressed the need for the
Group of Seven countries to “go
big” with fiscal stimulus to sup-
port economic recovery from the
global pandemic.
In her first call with foreign
counterparts and central bank-
ers from the G-7, Yellen said that
“the time to go big is now” and
that the group should focus on
how to help the economy, the
Treasury Department said in a
statement after the virtual meet-
ing held Friday.
The online gathering of fi-
nance chiefs from the world’s top
industrial economies addressed
a proposed expansion in the In-
ternational Monetary Fund’s
lending firepower along with dig-
ital taxation and climate change.
The U.S. is leaning toward
backing an increase in the IMF’s
special drawing rights by as
much as $500 billion, Bloom-
berg News reported this month.
The fund has been lobbying for
more help to support developing
nations against the COVID-19 cri-
sis.
The G-7 discussed increasing
the IMF’s resources during Fri-
day’s call, and the group expects
a decision to be announced this
month on the back of a Group of
20 discussion, according to one
person familiar with the matter.
The finance ministers’ goal in
Friday’s talks was to build mo-
mentum around helping devel-
oping nations, the person said,
speaking on the condition of an-
onymity.
U.K. Chancellor of the Exche-
quer Rishi Sunak, who hosted
the virtual meeting, stressed the
importance of the G-7 “shaping
support for vulnerable coun-
tries,” according to a statement
from his office.
The U.S. has a de facto veto in
the IMF on the decision, and for-
mer Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin had previously blocked
the fund’s requests to boost its
special drawing rights.
Yellen highlighted in the call
that there’s a new tone out of
Washington. The U.S. “places a
high priority on deepening our
international engagement and
strengthening our alliances,” she
said, according to the depart-
ment’s statement.
On fiscal policy, the U.S. is
among the most aggressive, with
the Biden administration pursu-
ing a $1.9 trillion package in Con-
gress.
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | B3

MARKET SUMMARY
ENERGY FUTURES BLOOMBERG COMMODITY PRICE OUTLOOK ENERGY PRICES ETFs - $1,000 INVESTED IN EACH
Prices in U.S. dollars per unit for energy commodities for the contract closest to The median price of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg: Cash price in U.S. dollars paid at delivery for Performance of various index-based investment products:
delivery: various commodities:
2021 Forecast 2022 Forecast 2023 Forecast
ENERGY
Name C Date Open High Low Settle Chg Unit Name Last Price Pvs Day Unit $1K $1K $1K
Lt Sw Crude Mar 21 57.94 59.82 57.41 59.47 1.23 barrel Crude oil 51.40 55.25 56.50
Unleaded Gasoline - NY 1.71 1.67 gallon return return return
Natural Gas 2.75 2.73 2.77 Ticker Name 1mo 3mo 1yr
Natural gas Mar 21 2.87 2.99 2.83 2.91 0.04 MMBtu North Sea Brent 62.83 60.97 barrel XLE Energy Select Se 1,026 1,385 868
Gas blend Mar 21 1.64 1.70 1.63 1.69 0.04 gal W. Texas-Int. - Cushing 59.47 58.24 barrel XES SPDR Oil & Gas E 980 1,638 811
Heating oil Mar 21 1.74 1.78 1.72 1.77 0.03 gal Nat Gas - Henry Hub 6.01 6.92 MMBtu USO US Oil Fund 1,113 1,394 462
Ethanol Apr 21 - - - 1.73 0.00 gal
METALS
$1K $1K $1K
BLOOMBERG/CHRONICLE ENERGY INDEX return return return
Ticker Name 1mo 3mo 1yr
Top and bottom performers among Houston-based and other major energy companies: Performance of a basket of Houston-based and IAU iShares Gold T 982 970 1,160
Last Last other major energy companies over the past 12 57.06 SLV iShares Silver T 1,067 1,122 1,550
months:
Tick Name Price % Chg Volume Tick Name Price % Chg Volume
HDYNQ Hyperdynamics Corp 0.01 54.3 180,712 DOFSQ Diamond Offshore Drilling 0.24 -4.2 512,068 Aug. 2007=100 SOFT/LIVESTOCK/GRAIN
IO ION Geophysical Corp 4.43 43.4 23,219,505 FTK Flotek Industries Inc 2.43 -3.6 722,395 $1K $1K $1K
70 return return return
MCF Contango Oil & Gas Co 4.52 14.1 1,921,195 HLX HelixEnergySolutionsGroup 4.61 -1.5 1,379,801 Ticker Name 1mo 3mo 1yr
CDVIQ Cal Dive International 0.01 7.6 3,580,960 GEL Genesis Energy LP 6.85 -1.0 903,475 JO DJ-UBS Coffee 999 1,067 1,087
CNX CNX Resources Corp 13.32 6.5 883,135 OIS Oil States International 6.38 -0.9 615,590 CORN Teucrium Corn 995 1,201 1,157
EPM Evolution Petroleum Corp 3.65 5.8 118,111 LNG Cheniere Energy Inc 67.62 -0.7 598,044 50 CANE Teucrium Sugar 1,052 1,111 941
NBR Nabors Industries Ltd 85.32 4.8 58,015 AE Adams Resources & Energy 27.75 -0.1 3,773 CATL ETFS Live Cattle 1,056 1,034 903
COG Cabot Oil & Gas Corp 18.23 4.7 3,422,311 OII Oceaneering International 9.43 0.1 885,670 COW iPath DJ-UBS Liv 1,087 1,085 911
EGY VAALCO Energy Inc 3.04 4.1 288,346 VLO Valero Energy Corp 64.74 0.3 577,776 30
*Trades on London Stock Exchange
SWN Southwestern Energy Co 4.34 4.1 14,515,494 CKH SEACOR Holdings Inc 42.44 0.4 163,840 F M A M J J A S O N D J F

S&P 500 closes wobbly week at new high

By Ken Sweet, index to a record high for ton will come through on The S&P 500 rose 18.45 ment report on jobless of the U.S. economy. Demo--
Damian J. Troise the second day in a row. The trillions of more aid and en- points to 3,934.83, while the claims reaffirmed that em- crats have decided to use a
and Alex Veiga Nasdaq composite and the couraging company earn- Dow gained 27.70 points, or ployment remains a weak legislative process that doess
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS Dow Jones Industrial Aver- ings reports have helped 0.1 percent to 31,458.40. The spot in the economy, even not require Republican sup--
age also set new highs. stocks grind higher this Nasdaq added 69.70 points, as vaccine distribution port to pass the $1.9 trillion
n
Technology companies More companies report- month, along with hopes or 0.5 percent, to 14,095.47. ramps up in the hopes of package.
led a late-afternoon rally Fri- ed solid earnings, including that the coronavirus vaccine Traders also bid up eventually ending the pan- “We’re sort of awaiting g
day on Wall Street that manufacturer Mohawk In- rollout will set the stage for shares in smaller compa- demic. The University of catalysts,” said Jeffrey Klein--
capped a week of wobbly dustries and genetic testing stronger economic growth. nies. The Russell 2000 in- Michigan survey of consum- top, chief global investmentt
trading with the major stock company Illumina. Bond “The one thing that con- dex rose 4.04 points, or 0.2 er sentiment came in well strategist at Charles Schwab..
indexes hitting all-time yields rose, giving banks a tinues to be supportive for percent, to 2,289.36. below expectations as well. Most Asian markets were e
highs. boost. Bumble shares con- the market is just the fact Despite a week of mostly Investors do not expect closed to mark the Lunarr
The S&P 500 rose 0.5 per- tinued to climb after the that the risk-reward in the minor gains and losses for the market to move substan- New Year and European n
cent after spending most of company made a big splash U.S. equity market still the broader market, the S&P tially higher in the near term markets closed higher. U.S..
the day wavering between in its stock market debut the seems to be the best game in 500 notched its second until there’s more clarity on stock and bond markets are e
small gains and losses. The day before. town,“ said J.J. Kinahan, straight weekly gain. the future of government closed Monday for Washing--
gain nudged the benchmark Optimism that Washing- with TD Ameritrade. The latest U.S. govern- stimulus and the direction ton’s Birthday.

S&P 500 MOVERS MARKET INDEXES

Top and bottom performers based on one-day percentage change in stock price: Daily close of the Nasdaq Composite index and the S&P 500 over the past six months:
DAILY GAINERS DAILY LOSERS
Last 1-month Last 1-month NASDAQ 14,095.47 0.5% S&P 500 3,934.83 0.5%
Tick Name Price % Chg % Chg Volume Tick Name Price % Chg % Chg Volume
ILMN Illumina Inc 504.76 11.9 39.7 931,221 DVA DaVita Inc 104.99 -7.4 -15.2 338,220
MHK Mohawk Industries 169.28 6.0 12.2 297,267 NWL Newell Brands Inc 24.19 -7.1 -0.2 2,535,009 15,000 4,000
TER Teradyne Inc 142.41 5.5 3.9 943,509 DLR Digi Realty Trust 140.06 -3.3 6.5 560,688
MOS Mosaic Co/The 29.27 5.1 2.8 1,073,436 UAA Under Armour Inc 22.37 -2.7 18.5 1,515,960
TWTR Twitter Inc 71.90 4.9 52.8 4,639,932 RL Ralph Lauren Corp 110.70 -2.4 -3.3 214,007
DISCA Discovery Inc 47.80 4.9 35.4 1,556,214 ROST Ross Stores Inc 119.09 -2.3 -1.7 428,240
COG Cabot Oil & Gas 18.23 4.7 -1.9 1,031,764 EXPE Expedia Group Inc 146.51 -2.3 3.9 1,593,820
PYPL PayPal Inc 298.37 4.7 25.6 3,194,362 FMC FMC Corp 107.68 -2.3 -11.9 383,055
3,600
DISCK Discovery Inc 40.75 4.5 33.3 1,346,572 LB L Brands Inc 47.22 -2.1 -0.1 604,095
FRT FedRltyInvstTrst 102.33 4.4 20.7 377,703 PHM PulteGroup Inc 48.48 -2.1 13.6 503,372 12,000 3,500

BLOOMBERG HOUSTON CHRONICLE 150 3,400

11,000
The Bloomberg Houston 150 includes major companies based in Houston and significant employers in the area. 3,300
Last Chg % Chg 52W Div Last Chg % Chg 52W Div
Name Ticker Price Day YTD 52W Low High Yld Name Ticker Price Day YTD 52W Low High Yld
10,000 3,200
AcdmySprts ASO 25.47 0.11 22.9 12.05 26.70 - LyndllBsll LYB 96.14 1.32 4.9 33.71 99.86 4.37
AdmsRes & AE 27.75 -0.03 15.1 15.16 34.45 3.46 Macy's Inc M 14.88 -0.33 32.3 4.38 22.30 - A S O N D J F A S O N D J F
AllgncBncs ABTX 36.56 -0.09 7.1 20.88 38.76 1.31 MainStCap MAIN 34.44 0.15 6.8 14.11 45.10 7.14
Amazon.com AMZN 3277.71 15.58 0.6 1626.03 3552.25 - Marthn Oil MRO 8.97 0.22 34.5 3.02 11.97 1.34
AmerNatGrp ANAT 91.95 0.33 -4.3 63.93 113.92 3.57 MgnlOil & MGY 9.93 0.25 40.7 3.23 10.00 - U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL STOCK INDEXES
Apache APA 17.48 0.50 23.2 3.80 29.21 0.57 MRC Global MRC 8.65 -0.54 30.5 3.31 11.68 -
Archrock AROC 9.81 0.26 13.3 2.09 10.36 5.91 NatEnSvcsR NESR 12.30 0.28 23.9 4.04 12.36 - Daily close and change in value for selected stock indexes:
AT&T Inc T 28.80 0.11 0.1 26.08 38.68 7.22 NblMdstPrt NBLX 13.53 0.01 29.8 1.81 22.42 5.54
U.S. INDEXES
BHP Group BHP 70.38 0.66 7.7 29.78 74.41 3.13 Nbrs Indst NBR 85.32 3.89 46.5 9.79 119.25 -
Index Last Price Chg. % Chg YTD
Bk of Amer BAC 33.37 0.49 10.1 17.95 35.45 2.16 NewparkRes NR 2.86 -0.04 49.0 0.65 4.61 -
Dow Jones Ind. 31,458.40 27.70 0.1 2.8
BkrHghsCo BKR 22.70 0.17 8.9 9.12 24.04 3.17 NineEnSvc NINE 2.89 0.04 6.2 0.38 6.59 -
Nasdaq Composite 14,095.47 69.70 0.5 9.4
BlckStnMin BSM 9.71 -0.14 45.4 4.04 10.63 7.21 NOV Inc NOV 13.94 0.30 1.5 7.70 24.21 -
S&P 500 3,934.83 18.45 0.5 4.8
BncBlbVzcy BBVA 5.32 0.01 7.7 2.49 5.80 - NOW Inc DNOW 10.33 0.17 43.9 4.03 10.51 -
BBG Houston 150 613.15 3.71 0.6 6.2
BnchmrkElc BHE 27.84 -0.02 3.1 14.06 30.76 2.30 NRG Energy NRG 43.04 0.16 14.6 19.54 43.54 3.02
DJ US Total Stk 41,733.23 197.16 0.5 6.4
Boeing Co BA 210.98 0.32 -1.4 89.00 349.95 - NtrlResPrt NRP 17.79 0.48 29.3 8.50 19.75 10.12
Russell 2000 2,289.36 4.04 0.2 15.9
BP PLC BP 21.91 0.54 6.8 14.74 37.22 5.75 NxTrOlfldS NEX 3.97 0.17 15.4 1.00 5.81 -
BristowGrp VTOL 27.68 -0.32 5.2 10.50 35.91 - OccdntlPtr OXY 25.39 0.41 46.7 8.52 43.60 0.16
Cactus Inc WHD 28.71 -0.08 10.1 8.16 31.30 1.25 Ocnrng Int OII 9.43 0.01 18.6 2.01 13.87 - INTERNATIONAL INDEXES
Index Last Price Chg. % Chg YTD
CadenceBcp CADE 18.93 -0.24 15.3 4.63 21.50 3.17 OilSttsInt OIS 6.38 -0.06 27.1 1.52 11.43 -
FTSE 100 6,589.79 61.07 0.9 2.0
Cardtroncs CATM 38.83 0.01 10.0 15.71 45.66 - OrionGroup ORN 6.16 0.05 24.2 1.53 6.23 -
Hang Seng 30,173.57 134.85 0.4 10.8
Carrg Svcs CSV 36.58 0.01 16.8 13.54 36.81 1.09 OssMdstPrt OMP 16.75 0.20 42.8 2.80 17.24 12.90
Mexico IPC 44,202.52 142.43 0.3 0.3
CbtOil & G COG 18.23 0.82 12.0 13.06 22.67 2.19 ParPacific PARR 14.72 0.18 5.3 5.72 20.43 -
Nikkei 225 29,520.07 -42.86 -0.1 7.6
CenterPtEn CNP 21.38 0.13 -1.2 11.58 27.53 2.99 Penn VA PVAC 12.77 0.33 25.8 0.99 19.20 -
S&P/Toronto SE 18,460.21 67.22 0.4 5.9
ChampionX CHX 16.80 0.12 9.8 2.89 27.69 - Phillips66 PSX 77.23 -0.01 10.4 40.04 92.30 4.66
Chevron CVX 92.55 0.53 9.6 51.60 112.60 5.58 Phllps66Pr PSXP 25.72 0.55 -2.6 19.00 63.42 13.61
ChnrEnPrtn CQP 40.00 0.25 13.5 17.75 41.74 6.56 Plains GP PAGP 8.56 0.20 3.4 2.78 15.61 8.41
CllnPtrCo CPE 23.18 1.84 76.1 3.80 30.90 - PlnsAllAme PAA 8.43 0.18 2.3 3.00 16.53 8.54
CmdnPropTr CPT 106.54 0.54 6.6 62.48 120.73 3.12 PROS Inc PRO 44.82 1.54 -11.7 19.73 53.23 -
WHAT A U.S. DOLLAR IS WORTH IN . . .
CmfrtSysUS FIX 63.37 -0.69 20.3 27.54 66.27 0.69 PrsprtyBnc PB 71.33 0.60 2.8 42.02 75.22 2.75
Value of the U.S. dollar in selected currencies:
CntngOil & MCF 4.52 0.56 97.4 0.84 4.77 - Pttrsn-UTI PTEN 6.25 0.17 18.8 1.61 7.79 1.28
Comcast CMCSA 53.23 0.00 1.6 31.71 53.60 1.88 Pwll Indst POWL 29.15 -0.28 -1.2 15.62 37.80 3.57 Currency Last 1-Mo Ago 6-Mo Ago 1-Yr Ago
ConcPhllps COP 47.16 0.72 17.9 20.84 61.15 3.65 QnxBldngPr NX 24.83 0.48 12.0 7.90 26.59 1.29 Australian Dollar 1.29 1.29 1.40 1.48
Conn's Inc CONN 15.48 0.16 32.4 2.83 16.93 - QuantaSvcs PWR 77.87 0.86 8.1 23.77 79.86 0.31 Brazilian Real 5.38 5.32 5.43 4.35
CrstwdEqyP CEQP 22.31 0.60 17.5 2.65 28.56 11.21 RylDtchShl RDS/A 38.51 1.19 9.6 21.26 52.80 3.46 British Pound 0.72 0.73 0.77 0.77
CrwnCstlIn CCI 164.46 2.46 3.3 114.18 180.00 3.24 SchlmbrgrN SLB 26.77 0.40 22.6 11.87 35.38 1.87 Canadian Dollar 1.27 1.27 1.32 1.33
CVR Energy CVI 19.61 0.46 31.6 9.81 35.66 - ShllMdstPr SHLX 11.56 0.10 14.7 5.70 20.60 15.92 Chilean Peso 722.15 726.67 792.68 790.10
CVS Health CVS 74.21 0.61 8.7 52.04 77.23 2.70 SlctEnSvcs WTTR 5.82 0.15 42.0 2.22 7.48 - Chinese Ren (yuan) 6.46 6.48 6.96 6.98
Devon En DVN 19.98 0.68 26.4 4.60 23.30 2.20 SlrsOlfldI SOI 12.17 0.97 49.5 4.50 14.23 3.45 Colombian Peso 3,504.59 3,478.86 3,758.44 3,389.13
DPntdeNmrs DD 71.47 0.51 0.5 28.33 87.27 1.68 SnnvEnInt NOVA 50.97 -0.72 12.9 6.12 57.70 - Euro 0.83 0.82 0.85 0.92
DR Horton DHI 82.18 -1.27 19.2 25.51 84.41 0.97 Spark En SPKE 11.93 0.08 24.7 5.25 12.40 6.08 Indian Rupee 72.76 73.25 74.83 71.34
Dril-Quip DRQ 33.68 0.35 13.7 22.25 43.82 - SprtofTXBn STXB 19.32 -0.04 15.0 8.96 21.59 1.86 Japanese Yen 104.94 103.76 106.91 110.09
DXPEntrpr DXPE 27.15 0.36 22.1 10.44 35.73 - SthwstrnEn SWN 4.34 0.17 45.6 1.06 4.61 - Mexican Peso 19.94 19.79 22.35 18.62
EntrprsPro EPD 21.79 0.35 11.2 10.27 26.76 8.26 StrlngCnst STRL 21.59 -0.05 16.0 6.72 24.49 - Norwegian Krone 8.46 8.45 8.94 9.23
EOG Res EOG 61.02 1.38 22.4 27.00 77.67 2.46 StwrtInfoS STC 53.76 0.83 11.2 20.26 53.88 2.23 S. African Rand 14.55 15.23 17.47 14.85
Exterran EXTN 5.18 0.09 17.2 3.23 8.93 - Sunoco LP SUN 31.59 -0.21 9.8 10.46 33.00 10.45 S. Korean Won 1,102.97 1,099.98 1,185.17 1,179.48
ExxonMobil XOM 50.52 0.68 22.6 30.11 61.53 6.89 Svc Int/U SCI 54.12 0.00 10.2 33.93 54.67 1.55 Singapore Dollar 1.33 1.32 1.37 1.39
Fltk Indst FTK 2.43 -0.09 15.2 0.66 3.09 - SWArlnsCo LUV 51.34 -0.08 10.1 22.47 58.83 - Taiwan Dollar 28.00 28.02 29.44 30.09
Fluor Corp FLR 17.95 0.42 12.4 2.85 21.50 - Sysco Corp SYY 76.24 0.02 2.7 26.00 79.96 2.36
FrmEnTech FET 18.12 0.07 52.3 3.00 25.00 - Talos En TALO 9.16 0.16 11.2 5.00 19.06 -
Frprt-McMR FCX 31.23 0.24 20.0 4.82 33.97 - Targa Res TRGP 30.74 0.32 16.5 3.66 40.17 1.30 TREASURIES, INTEREST RATES
GenElctrCo GE 11.73 0.27 8.6 5.48 13.26 0.34 Target TGT 191.43 1.02 8.4 90.17 199.96 1.42
Genesis En GEL 6.85 -0.07 10.3 2.58 18.97 8.76 TC Energy TRP 44.53 1.13 9.4 32.37 57.92 5.70 Yields for the most recently issued securities:
Gespc Tech GEOS 9.25 0.31 8.1 4.61 14.53 - TC PipeLns TCP 30.89 0.76 4.9 18.00 42.25 8.42 TREASURIES
Godrch Ptr GDP 10.41 0.24 3.2 2.40 13.30 - Team Inc TISI 10.60 -0.37 -2.8 3.75 14.13 - Last Yld Pvs Yld 1Day Yld Wk Yld Mo Yld 3-Mo Yld Yr
Bill/Note Yld Day Clo Net Chg Ago Ago Ago Ago
Grp 1 Auto GPI 154.44 0.65 17.8 26.26 162.65 0.78 TechnipFMC FTI 10.31 -0.04 9.7 4.49 18.03 1.26
3-month t-bill 0.04 0.04 0.00 0.03 0.08 0.09 1.58
Hess Corp HES 60.00 2.08 13.7 26.06 64.98 1.67 TETRA Tech TTI 2.62 0.04 204.1 0.22 2.74 -
6 month t-bill 0.05 0.05 0.00 0.04 0.09 0.10 1.55
Hess Midst HESM 21.78 0.04 11.3 5.70 23.00 8.21 Tidewater TDW 11.85 0.61 37.2 4.09 17.06 -
2-year t note 0.11 0.11 0.00 0.10 0.15 0.18 1.44
Hllbrtn Co HAL 20.17 0.74 6.7 4.25 22.58 0.89 TOTAL SE TOT 42.77 0.63 2.1 22.13 49.97 7.49
5-year t note 0.49 0.46 0.03 0.46 0.50 0.39 1.45
HlxEnSolGr HLX 4.61 -0.07 9.8 0.99 9.11 - Transocean RIG 3.54 0.08 53.2 0.65 4.82 -
10-year t note 1.17 1.17 0.04 1.17 1.13 0.88 1.63
Howrd Hghs HHC 102.08 1.08 29.3 35.10 129.74 - Untd Arlns UAL 43.94 0.50 1.6 17.80 82.60 -
30-year t bond 2.01 1.95 0.06 1.97 1.87 1.64 2.09
HstnWire & HWCC 4.13 0.09 48.0 1.67 4.75 - UntdPrclSv UPS 163.39 1.02 -3.0 82.00 178.01 2.50
Huntsman HUN 28.52 0.26 13.4 12.23 29.41 2.28 US Silica SLCA 9.78 0.57 39.3 0.79 9.94 -
HwlttPckrd HPE 14.38 0.19 21.4 7.43 15.18 3.34 Valero En VLO 64.74 0.19 14.4 31.00 86.79 6.05 PRIME, FED FUNDS
IES Inc IESC 46.85 -0.97 1.8 13.73 51.09 - Verzn Comm VZ 54.20 -0.40 -7.7 48.84 61.95 4.63 Rate 6-month change 1-year change
Bloomberg Prime Rate 3.25 0.00 -31.58
Insperity NSP 80.89 -8.42 -0.7 22.59 95.78 1.98 W&T Offsh WTI 2.88 0.06 32.7 1.07 4.10 -
Fed Funds Target 0.25 0.00 -85.71
IONGeophys IO 4.43 1.34 82.3 1.13 5.35 - Walmart WMT 144.47 0.45 0.2 102.00 153.66 1.49
JcbsEngGrp J 114.90 -0.10 5.5 59.29 116.73 0.73 Wast Cnnct WCN 99.36 1.03 -3.1 70.87 111.04 0.83
JPMrgnChs JPM 141.25 1.98 11.2 76.91 142.75 2.55 Waste Mgmt WM 113.25 0.03 -4.0 85.34 126.79 1.92 COMMODITY PRICES
KBR Inc KBR 31.92 -0.38 3.2 12.00 32.44 1.25 WhtstnREIT WSR 8.85 -0.09 11.0 4.71 13.74 4.86
Closing values for the most active contract of various commodities:
Kindr Mrgn KMI 14.84 0.15 8.6 9.42 22.58 7.08 WlgrnsBtsA WBA 50.38 0.26 26.3 33.36 55.49 3.71
Kirby Corp KEX 60.54 0.44 16.8 32.76 76.19 - WllsFrg & WFC 33.53 0.81 11.1 20.76 48.49 1.19 METALS
Kraton KRA 37.59 1.87 35.3 4.45 37.73 - WngrtnRlty WRI 25.46 0.64 17.5 12.01 30.61 2.83 Name C Date Last Price Pvs Close Day % Chg YTD % Chg Unit
Kroger Co KR 33.95 0.55 6.9 27.06 42.99 2.12 Wstlk Chem WLK 87.08 0.60 6.7 28.99 91.83 1.24 Copper Mar 21 3.79 3.77 0.7 7.9 usd/pd
LGI Homes LGIH 120.82 -2.55 14.1 33.00 132.98 - WstlkChemP WLKP 23.59 -0.30 -1.0 10.31 24.64 7.99 Gold Apr 21 1,823.20 1,826.80 -0.2 -4.1 usd/oz
Luby's Inc LUB 3.25 -0.03 14.4 0.46 3.43 - WstrnMdstP WES 16.52 -0.35 19.5 2.90 17.15 7.53 Palladium Mar 21 2,382.60 2,347.00 1.7 -2.7 usd/oz
Platinum Apr 21 1,259.00 1,247.00 1.0 16.7 usd/oz
BLOOMBERG HOUSTON CHRONICLE 150 MOVERS Silver Mar 21 27.33 27.05 1.3 3.8 usd/oz
Daily Gainers Daily Losers
Last 1-day 1-month Last 1-day 1-month AGRICULTURE
Tick Name Price % Chg %Chg Volume Tick Name Price % Chg %Chg Volume
IO ION Geophysical Corp 4.43 43.4 42.4 23,219,505 NSP Insperity Inc 80.89 -9.4 -6.7 568,342 Name C Date Last Price Pvs Close Day % Chg YTD % Chg Unit
MCF Contango Oil & Gas Co 4.52 14.1 57.5 1,921,195 MRC MRC Global Inc 8.65 -5.9 10.2 823,588 Live Cattle Apr 21 1.25 1.23 1.6 4.9 usd/pd
SOI Solaris Oilfld Infrstrctr 12.17 8.7 22.3 412,139 FTK Flotek Industries Inc 2.43 -3.6 30.6 722,395 Coffee May 21 1.23 1.23 0.0 -5.5 usd/pd
CPE Callon Petroleum Co 23.18 8.6 46.0 2,995,049 TISI Team Inc 10.60 -3.4 -7.8 62,984 Corn May 21 5.37 5.40 -0.5 11.2 usd/bu
SLCA US Silica Holdings Inc 9.78 6.2 10.5 779,609 M Macy's Inc 14.88 -2.2 14.7 9,982,443 Cotton May 21 0.89 0.88 0.9 12.7 usd/pd
TDW Tidewater Inc 11.85 5.4 0.9 218,817 LGIH LGI Homes Inc 120.82 -2.1 22.9 148,735 Lumber Mar 21 982.10 979.00 0.3 37.0 usd/bd ft
KRA Kraton Corp 37.59 5.2 5.7 383,919 WES WesternMidstreamPartners 16.52 -2.1 -0.5 2,410,215 Orange Juice Mar 21 1.13 1.12 0.7 -10.0 usd/pd
NBR Nabors Industries Ltd 85.32 4.8 27.3 177,552 IESC IES Holdings Inc 46.85 -2.0 -3.9 20,541 Soybean May 21 13.71 13.67 0.3 4.9 usd/bu
COG Cabot Oil & Gas Corp 18.23 4.7 -1.9 3,422,311 HLX HelixEnergySolutionsGroup 4.61 -1.5 -7.8 1,379,801 Wheat May 21 6.41 6.39 0.6 0.5 usd/bu
NEX NexTierOilfieldSolutions 3.97 4.5 -3.6 1,049,659 DHI DR Horton Inc 82.18 -1.5 20.1 1,778,203
B4 | Saturday, February 13, 2021 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

BUSINESS

DEBT ing us over a barrel right

From page B1
on their watch.
Donald Trump: $14.4
trillion, which grew to
$21.6 trillion, a 51 percent
rise.
Barack Obama: $6.3
trillion, grew to $14.4 tril-
lion, a 128 percent rise.
George W. Bush: $3.4
trillion, grew to $6.3 tril-
lion, an 86 percent rise.
Bill Clinton: $4.2 tril-
lion, fell to $3.4 trillion, a
19 percent drop.
George H.W. Bush:
$2.7 trillion, grew to $4.2
trillion, a 56 percent rise.
Ronald Reagan: $934
billion grew to $2.7 tril-
lion, a 189 percent rise.
Reagan, the darling of
small-government conser-
vatives, was the deficit-
exploding equivalent of a
day-trader on Reddit.
Clinton, loathed for his
outsize appetites, was a
thrifty shrinker of govern-
ment debt. .
Today’s national debt is
far bigger than ever. But is
it too big? That depends
on a few factors. The big-
gest are interest rates,
cooperation, currency
denomination and confi-
dence.
How do we determine
what’s too big?
A reasonable starting
point is to compare the
size of the national debt to
the size of the economy.
The debt at the start of
2021 was approximately
100 percent of this year’s
projected gross domestic
product. It was roughly 74
percent at the start of
Trump’s presidency, 44
percent at the start of
Obama’s first term and 32
percent for George W.
Bush.
Back in the 1990s when
I sold emerging market
bonds for a living, we
worried about weak coun-
The national debt is exploding, but the U.S. has at least one saving grace — low interest rates.
tries entering financial
death spirals when their
debt-to-GDP ratios rose
above 70 percent.
That’s obviously worri-
some for the United
States.
We also can compare
the cost of debt interest to
the size of the economy.
Here, we find a much
more optimistic story. For
now.
The cost of interest on
our national debt is about
1.7 percent of the size of
the economy. That com-
pares to 2.3 percent at the
beginning of Trump’s
presidency, 2.7 percent for
Obama, 3.4 for George W.
Bush, and 4.3 percent for
both Clinton and George
H.W. Bush.
So how does this odd
miracle happen?
Interest rates.
As of Jan. 31, the U.S.
government paid an aver-
age interest rate of 1.7
percent on all its interest-
bearing debt, down from
2.4 percent just a year ago.
About 20 years ago, the
government paid an aver-
age 6.6 percent on its
measly $3.4 trillion of
debt.
That explains why we’re
good for now. If inflation
picks up in the future, or if
confidence drops in our
ability to repay bond in-
vestors, the debt could
become unaffordable. If
interest rates revert to
historically normal rates of
4 to 6 percent, we’d be in
a world of hurt.
The other major factors
that determine debt sus-
tainability are the atti-
tudes of our debtholders
and the currency in which
our debt is denominated.
The vast majority of
government debtholders
are neutral. Just pay them
their interest and principal
as agreed, and all is well.
They are not our friends,
but they are not our ene-
mies. They are banks,
pension funds, insurance
companies, money market
funds, mutual funds and
sovereign wealth funds.
But sometimes they are
rival nations or quasi-
national financial institu-
tions, such as the Central
Bank of China or a con-
glomerate of Japanese
banks. About one-third of
U.S. debt is owned by
New York Times file photo
investors outside the coun-
try. The largest foreign
holders of U.S. debt are in
Japan and China. They
account for 18 percent and
15 percent, respectively, of
debt held by foreigners.
Could relations with our
foreign or domestic debt
holders become antago-
nistic?
A cold war, or a hot war,
with a major foreign debt
holder would be problem-
atic. Chinese-based in-
stitutions own less than 5
percent of all U.S. debt.
We could imagine interest
rates rising or the govern-
ment having trouble roll-
ing over debt maturities if
relations with China be-
came nasty. Still, it’s a bit
far-fetched to worry about
foreign debtholders hold-
now.
What probably matters
more is the currency our
debt is denominated in.
Ours is in dollars. This is
incredibly important.
No less a sovereign debt
genius than Trump made
this clear when he de-
clared during his 2016
presidential campaign,
“I’ve borrowed knowing
that you can pay back with
discounts. I’d borrow (as
president) knowing that if
the economy crashed, you
could make a deal.”
A few days later, he
added: “First of all, you
never have to default be-
cause you print the mon-
ey. I hate to tell you, OK,
so there’s never a default.”
And in his weird, only-
Trump-would-say-this-out-
loud way, he was right.
The fact that we borrow in
dollars and owe money in
dollars means we don’t
have to default on our
debts.
But we might have to
inflate away the value of
the currency to avoid
default. This has always
been the fear about heavy
government borrowing —
that it runs up inflation in
its own currency to get out
from under a heavy debt
burden.
The fact that interest
rates are currently ex-
tremely low, however,
indicates that bond mar-
kets believe broad-based
inflation is not a real
threat. That can always
change. And if it does
change, then the conse-
quences of having sex-
tupled our national debt in
the past 20 years become
far worse.
Michael Taylor is author of
“The Financial Rules for
New College Graduates.”
michael@michaelthesmart
money.com
|twitter.com/michael_taylor

HUNTSMAN lower margins and compo-

nent prices in China, but
From page B1 that has yet to be seen,”
Huntsman said. “If the vol-
for our shareholders.” ume is there and the pric-
During an earnings call ing is there, we will take ad-
Friday morning, Huntsman vantage of it.”
said fourth-quarter reve- Huntsman, built from
Houston Gateway Academy seeks competitive sealed proposals from qualified
nue in the company’s poly- the company that in 1974
General Constructors to complete unfinished construction of a 174,938 sq. ft. urethanes segment rose 5 created the clamshell con-
Pre-K – 12 facility that is approx. 40% constructed. Proposals must be delivered
electronically to riverstonebids@hgaschools.org and received by 2:00 PM CST percent year-over-year to tainer for McDonald’s Big
on March 25, 2021. Proposals will be opened at 3:00 PM CST on March 25, 2021 $1.03 billion from $980 mil- Mac, also produces dyes
via video conference. A pre-bid conference is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2021 at
2:00 PM CST. For inquiries and to sign up for the conference, contact Shaun lion. and water repellents for
Garibaldi at garibaldis@hgaschools.org. To view the bid package, visit
www.hgaschools.org/apps/pages/riverstone-bid “While we understand textiles, epoxy and acrylics
that volatility still exists used in the construction of
within the component end autos and planes, and coat-
of our business, the major- ings and amines used in in-
HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE: Anyone knowing the ity of our polyurethanes dustrial manufacturing and
whereabouts of Lisa
Ann Campbell A/K/A
segment is in our down- electronics.
Vehicles that TEXAS TRANSPORTATION CODE
Chapter 683 defines as “abandoned in storage lots” Lisa Ann Campbell-Rome, stream businesses that con- In January, Huntsman
are auctioned by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. call Gary Johsnon, Esq,
Information on the time, date, and location of these 504.393.9111 tinue to not only benefit completed the fourth-quar-
auctions, along with number of vehicles being sold, from stable margins but al- Elizabeth Conley / Staff photographer ter $250 million, all-cash
may be obtained by dialing: 713-368-AUTO or
our website HARRISCOUNTYSO.ORG, (Under the so demonstrate the most Huntsman Corp. headquarters in The Woodlands. acquisition of Gabriel Per-
GET INVOLVED TAB for the PUBLIC VEHICLE growth,” Huntsman said. formance Products, a
AUCTION LIST AND a listing of the description of HOUSTON INDEPEND-
abandoned vehicles will also be available, at the ENT SCHOOL DISTRICT The company’s polyure- stronger in the second luster 2020 caused by the North American chemical
OFFICE OF THE VEHICULAR CRIMES DIVISION,
which is located at 3204 Ennis, Houston, Texas
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS thanes business produces quarter than in the first, pandemic, Huntsman said. manufacturer of additives
The Houston Independent
77004 Monday thru Friday, from 9:00 A.M.-4:00
P.M.
School District located in foam products for bedding, Fermium Research analyst “It looks like we are and epoxy curing agents,
the Hattie Mae White Ed-
ucational Support Center insulation, material used in Frank Mitsch said. heading into the second from a private equity firm.
at 4400 West 18th Street vehicles, rubber used in Now halfway through the quarter with some really Huntsman shares closed
Houston, Texas 77092 will
BUS RFP: accept proposals, until shoes and adhesives. first quarter, the sector strong momentum. We Friday up less than 1 per-
INVITATION TO BID the stated date and time The sector is typically could rebound from a lack- think there will be a little bit cent at $28.52
Sealed bids and proposals will be received by IDEA deadlines, in the Board
Public Schools at 2115 W Pike Blvd., Weslaco, TX Services Office, Level C1
78596 on or before 5 PM on February 19th, 2021 for • Project 16-10-53-D –
the following goods: School Buses. Bids received RFP / College and Career
after this time will not be accepted. Response forms Readiness – with a dead-
and specifications for the above may be obtained at line of 10:00 a.m. on
2115 W Pike Blvd., Weslaco, TX 78596 or can be March 24, 2021. The Pre-
ASTRODOME
viewed at https://ideapublicschools.org/our-story/ -Proposal Conference for From page B1
finance-budget/. Bids will be opened February 22nd, this project will be via Mi-
2021 at 3 PM. crosoft Teams on Wed-
nesday, February 24,
2021, at 2:00 p.m. history group Houstorian.
The solicitation for bids is
available on the HISD “It’s a bona fide landmark.”
web-site at www.houston When Hofheinz moved
isd.org. To access, go to

Notice To Directory, Purchasing his offices out of the home

Services, Solicitation of and into the Astrodome, his
Bids. The District
reserves the right to re- foundation worked with

Creditors
ject any or all proposals,
or, to accept the proposal the county to turn it into a
that is most advanta-
geous to the District.
shelter that provided emer-
gency housing and counsel-

Ad HOUSTON INDEPEND-
ENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
ing for 250 to 300 young
adults a year. Later, it be-
came the home of the pub-

$74.00*
NOTICE TO PROPOSERS
The Houston Independent lic-access cable television
School District located in
the Hattie Mae White Ed- company Houston Medi-
ucational Support Center aSource.
at 4400 West 18th Street
Call the Legals Team Houston, Texas 77092 will Now the house, which
accept proposals, until
713-224-6868 the stated date and time lies on the eastern edge of
Ext. 6435 or 4204 deadlines, in the Board Montrose in a historic dis-
Services Office, Level C1
• Project 21-01-05 trict called First Montrose
*$74.00 includes first 36 lines In/After School Commun-
Commons, is owned by
ity Outreach Program–
and 1 Affidavit of Publication with a deadline of 10:00 Lance and Barbara
a.m. on March 9, 2021.
*$1.92 per line over 36 lines The Pre-Proposal Confer- McKnight. Staff file photo
ence for this project will Barbara McKnight, chef County officials Kyle Chapman and Philip Sayers, Judge Roy Hofheinz, National
be virtual at the above
stated address on Febru- and founder of catering League’s Warren Giles and astronaut Alan Shepard at the Astrodome in 1964.
ary 24, 2021 at 10:00
a.m. company Culinaire, ran her
The Houston Planning Commission has received an
The solicitation for bids is
available on the HISD
company out of Hofheinz demic, leading Culinaire to that many cool historic bathrooms and four half-
application to allow the replat of Villas at Almeda web-site at www.houston House starting in 2006, downsize. properties at the end of the baths, according to its list-
Springs Subdivision, a subdivision in Harris County, isd.org. To access, go to
Texas, according to the map or plat thereof recorded Directory, Purchasing while the couple lived up- The listing has so far day.” ing. The McKnights’ reno-
in Film Code No. 614239 of the Map Records of Har- Services, Solicitation of
ris County, Texas, for the purpose of Creating 38 res- Bids. The District stairs, according to Mark gathered the attention of Because of the home’s vation of the home includ-
idential lots. The new subdivision name is: ALMEDA reserves the right to re-
SPRINGS SUBDIVISION REPLAT No 1 The Houston
Davis of Davis Commercial, several businesses, includ- historic protections, a po- ed the installation of an in-
ject any or all proposals,
Planning Commission will hold a virtual meeting and or, to accept the proposal the listing agent for the ing a video and music pro- tential buyer will need to be dustrial kitchen. “So when
public hearing on thisreplat on Thursday, March 4, that is most advanta-
2021 at 2:30 PM via Microsoft Teams. The video con- geous to the District. property. Culinaire not on- duction company, multiple satisfied with the current anybody buys it, they’ll be
ference will allow for a two-way video/ audio com- ly catered, but also hosted attorneys offices and a fi- building, he explained. set up to entertain pretty
munication with the HoustonPlanning
Commission.For information on how to join the meet- events, including wedding nancial services firm, ac- “Even though the site is big, darn well,” Davis said.
ing or submit comments as a speaker, visit receptions and wine tast- cording to Davis. you can’t buy it to build
ourwebsite: http://www.houstonplanning.com or Call:
832-393-6624. Contact the applicant at713-480- ings, inside the home.But “They run the gamut,” he mid-rises.” rebecca.schuetz
4075 or the City of Houston Planning Department at
(832)393-6600 for anyadditional information the catering industry has said. “It’s a great property Hofheinz House features @chron.com
been hard hit by the pan- because there just aren’t five bedrooms, five full twitter.com/raschuetz
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | B5
BUSINESS

POWER from the wind turbines. That is the

From page B1
weekend. It is going to be particu-
larly tight on Monday and Tues-
day,” Public Utility Commission
Chairman DeAnn Walker said at a
Friday meeting. “My understand-
ing is, the wind turbines are all fro-
zen. I encourage everyone to keep
all that in mind. We are working al-
ready to try and ensure we have
enough power but it’s taken a lot of
coordination.”
ERCOT, which manages the state
power grid and the flow of power
to more than 26 million Texas cus-
tomers, is working with generators
to “make sure they can supply
power during the coldest periods,”
said communications manager
Leslie Sopko.
“We’ve had a significant number
of wind facilities that had to be tak-
en out of service due to icing. That
is certainly something that we are
having to work around during this
time,” she said.
The wind turbines that have
been coated in ice will need time
and warmer temperatures before
they can function again, says Ra-
manan Krishnamoorti, chief ener-
gy officer at the University of Hous-
ton.
“When ice forms on a turbine, it
weighs it down and can break it,”
Krishnamoorti said. “There is sig-
nificant load on the electricity and
gas markets, and we could lose a
big source of electricity generation
conundrum we are facing.”
Wind generates about 20 per-
cent of electricity in Texas. But the
rest of the state’s power system
isn’t immune to the extended cold
period and precipitation.
The sustained period of colder
than normal temperatures will put
pressure on demand as people try
to keep their homes warm.
“With a cold snap, which Texans
are fairly accustomed to, the tem-
perature drops below freezing for
about a day,” said Andrew Barlow,
director of external affairs at the
Public Utilities Commission. “But
what we are looking at is sustained
temperatures below freezing for a
couple of days.”
Krishnamoorti is not ruling out
the possibility of blackouts with
the incoming storm.
“It could very well happen, ab-
solutely, because of the two factor
effect,” he said. “If it just gets cold,
it might not be so bad. If it gets cold
and it is wet, that really causes a
problem.”
Downed power lines caused by
icing could keep some customers
in the cold and dark for an extend-
ed time.
“That kind of restoration isn’t a
matter of simply flipping a switch.
You have to send out a crew,” Bar-
low said.
CenterPoint Energy, the regulat-
ed utility that delivers electricity to
Houston-area homes and that pro-
vides natural gas service, is prepar-
ing for the storm and monitoring
A shopper carries insulation tubing and pool noodles for
makeshift pipe preparations Thursday during a rush in Houston.
weather conditions, spokeswom-
an Alejandra Diaz said.
“We have completed a readiness
assessment for inclement weather
operations,” Diaz said. “We are al-
so planning to pause planned out-
ages scheduled for Monday and
Tuesday, unless needed for emer-
gency purposes.”
CenterPoint’s crews are ready to
work long hours throughout the
storm in an effort to restore power
when necessary, she said, adding
that the company’s natural gas sys-
tem is ready for the added de-
mand.
“Our natural gas systems and
TMC
From page B1
expected to break ground
in the second quarter and
be ready for tenants in the
fourth quarter 2022. The
initial building is one of
nine planned projects that
could contain up to 4 mil-
lion square feet of lab-cen-
tric mixed-use space.
katherine.feser@chron.com
twitter.com/kfeser
Jason Fochtman / Staff photographer
equipment are tested regularly and
are prepared to function properly
during lower temperatures and in-
creased energy usage,” Diaz said.
Houston last saw a storm of this
magnitude in February 2011, when
rolling blackouts left residents in
the cold and dark. The outages left
thousands of area children in dark,
cold classrooms as about 30 of the
300 HISD schools lost power for as
long as a couple of hours. At Hobby
Airport, four partial blackouts tem-
porarily dimmed some terminals
but didn’t interfere with security
or prevent flights from taking off or
landing.

Gage, Charles Massoud, Massimo Nations, Christopher

Gerard, Anna
CHRISTOPHER LEE GARCIA NATIONS
1987-2021
Christopher Lee Garcia
Nations, age 33, a resident of
Houston, Texas, passed away
unexpectedly on Tuesday, the
9th of February 2021. Born
in Cuernavaca, Mexico, he
moved to Houston as a baby
and then grew up in Austin
from the age of 2 to 16.
From there he and his family
moved back to Mexico. After
a short time in Morelos, they
moved to Acapulco, which
came to hold a very special
place in his heart.
Chris finished high school
in Acapulco, having to
quickly learn the Spanish
language. He made many
friends from all walks of life,
young and old. He had a
huge heart, a beautiful smile,
and was kind to everyone.
After holding a few odd jobs,
he partnered with his father
to start a business. Together
they created the Acapulco
Bikini Team, which was hired
for events, and created and
published a calendar to show
off the most beautiful places
in and around Acapulco.
Chris loved photography and
videography. He was able to
learn a lot and get hands on
experience in their business,
even more so, in their next
endeavor, Punta Bruja Films,
which was a full produc-
tion company for movies,
commercials, series, and
documentaries. Chris loved
all of the behind-the-scenes
work, operating the cameras,
setting up the scenes, work-
ing with the director, and the
constant search for new ideas
for shows. He was very close
to his family and enjoyed
anything from huge family
gatherings to just watching
ERNEST MENDOZA
1943-2021
Ernest “Ernie” Mendoza,
OCDS, 77, of Houston, Texas,
went to be with the Lord
on Wednesday, February 3,
2021. He was surrounded by
family.
Ernest was born to Refugio
and Anastacia Mendoza,
June 29, 1943, in Austin,
Texas. He graduated from St.
Edwards High School in 1961
and received his Vocational
Industrial Teachers Cer-
tificate in 1982. He married
Anita on February 9, 1963,
and they lived together in
Houston, Texas. Together
they raised 4 children.
Ernest was preceded in
death by Refugio and Anasta-
cia Mendoza (Parents) Fiden-
cio R. Mendoza (Brother),
Earl “Joe” Mendoza (Brother)
and James Dylan Conner
(great grandson).
He is survived by his loving
wife of nearly 58 years, Anita
Mendoza, beloved daughters
Claudia Conner, Theresa
Mendoza, Elizabeth Moudry
(Curtis) and son, John
Anthony Mendoza (Yara).
He also leaves to cherish his
memory 14 grandchildren,
25 great grandchildren, and
many other family members.
Ernest worked as an Iron-
worker and was a member of
Ironworkers Local #84, hav-
ing received his 55 year pin
in December 2020. Ernest
helped build the Houston
a movie with his parents and
sister. He raised and trained
several family dogs - pit bulls
and rottweilers – his two
favorite breeds. He enjoyed
watching sunsets, swimming
in the pool, going to the
beach, spending time with
friends, videogames, movies,
fast cars, soccer, listening to
music, going to clubs, and
barbecuing on the grill with
his Dad. At the age of 28, he
left Acapulco and returned
to Houston, where he began
a new life on his own. Chris
loved to travel and always
dreamed of traveling all over
the world and exploring new
places. Though he visited
Canada, Jamaica, California,
Florida, Las Vegas, and
Oaxaca, Mexico, he longed
for much more.
In Houston, he fell in
love with a beautiful girl
from Colombia. They were
married and on the 20th of
May 2019, their angelic baby
girl was born. Chris was
overjoyed and loved being a
father, both to his child and
to his stepchildren. He loved
to take care of them, play
with them, teach them, and
to show them new experi-
ences. The birth of his child
was overshadowed by the
death of his father in Mexico
4 days before, but he did the
best he could to cope. Chris
loved to cook all kinds of
food, had dreams of becom-
ing a chef and owning his
own restaurant someday, but
his absolute favorite thing
was barbecue. Having grown
up barbecuing with his Dad,
he already knew the basics
and was always learning
more by watching every
skyline having worked on
numerous buildings includ-
ing the Astrodome, Minute
Maid Park, and the George R.
Brown Convention Center to
name a few.
He enjoyed traveling and
fishing; was an avid reader
and kept up with current
events. Ernest also enjoyed
spending time with his family
whether it was playing cards,
Lotteria or just talking; and
if there was a church bazaar –
you would see him there!
Ernest was a devout
Catholic who practiced his
faith daily. His first love was
God. If you had the good
fortune to meet him, he
would always bring up his
faith, or fundraising efforts
for the Carmelite Sisters.
He was a professed Secular
Carmelite for 43 years, which
he cherished. The relation-
ships formed in Carmel, the
spiritual guidance he received
and the spiritual advice he
shared with others were
priceless. His devotion to Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel has been
shared with many.
He was a member of St.
Gregory the Great Catholic
Church for many years. He
had the honor of being elect-
ed as the first Grand Knight
of the first parish Knights of
Columbus Council #6826.
He participated in the many
functions of the Knights of
Columbus and achieved the
Mendoza, Ernest
show and video he could
find. Chris started his own
business, Chris’s Barbecue,
and was doing very well. He
was a perfectionist and would
work on new recipes for days
or weeks until they were
just right. His next step was
going to be the purchase of a
food truck.
Christopher is pre-
deceased by his father, Luis
Antonio Garcia, his grand-
mother Lois Booher, his
grandmother Rosalia Garcia,
and his grandfather Cesar
Garcia. He is survived by his
wife, Andrea Mendoza; his
baby daughter, Maya Lynn
Garcia; his stepsons, Felipe
and Santiago; his mother,
Cindy Nations; his sister,
Marisa Lynn Garcia and her
unborn child, Aitana Lynn;
his grandfather, Howard Na-
tions; his step-grandfather,
Charles Booher, and count-
less family and close friends
across Texas and Mexico.
Chris firmly believed that
everything happens for a
reason. Although it’s hard to
imagine why this tragedy had
to happen, we hope and pray
that his soul is now in peace.
Friends are invited to a
rank of 4th Degree Knight.
In the latter part of his life he
was a member of Holy Name
Catholic Church, where
he had married Anita. He
celebrated his 25th and 50th
wedding anniversaries there.
He transferred from Knights
of Columbus Council #803 to
Holy Name’s Council #8247.
Ernest was loved by all and
will be truly missed by family
and friends.
A visitation will be held
Monday, February 15, 2021
from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
with a rosary service at 7:00
pm at Forest Park Lawndale
Funeral Home. Funeral ser-
vice will occur Tuesday, Feb-
ruary 16, 2021 from 10:00
am to 11:00 am at Holy
Name Catholic Church, 1920
Marion Street, Houston, TX
77009. A committal service
will occur Tuesday, Febru-
ary 16, 2021 from 12:00 pm
to 12:30 pm at Forest Park
visitation with the family
from ten o’clock in the morn-
ing until noon on Sunday, the
14th of February, in the Jasek
Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis &
Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in
Houston.
The funeral service,
complete with mariachis,
will immediately follow the
visitation at noon also in
the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H.
Lewis & Sons. Guests may
also view the service via an
internet livestream and the
link may be found on his
online memorial tribute page
at GeoHLewis.com and click-
ing “Join Livestream.” There,
guests may also share memo-
ries and words of comfort
and condolence electronically
for his family.
Following the service, all
are invited to greet the family
during a reception and join in
the celebration of Chris’s life
in the adjacent grand foyer.
Lawndale. Reverend Anil
Thomas, S.V.D. will offici-
ate the ceremonies. Ernest
requested donations be made
to the Carmelite Sisters at
9600 Deer Trail Houston,
TX 77038, in lieu of flowers.
The family would also like
to thank everyone for their
prayers and support during
this time.
Eternal rest grant unto
them, O Lord, and let per-
petual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faith-
ful departed, through the
mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
CHARLES HOWARD
GAGE, SR.
1931-2021
Charles Howard Gage, Sr.
was called home by his Father
on Sunday, February 7, 2021.
He was a loving father, grand-
father, great grandfather and
friend. Born, September 20,
1931, in Houston, Texas.
Charles loved spending
time among family and his
many friends, and he never
met a stranger. His greatest and Mary Gage; brother,
past time was fishing all over Bill Gage; and, sister, Ruth
the Gulf Coast – he was one Dupree.
of the best. In later years, Charles is survived by
most of his time was spent his sister, Mary Ann Lewis.
reading the Bible and loving Children: Charles H. Gage,
his family. Jr., Cindy Gage, Becky Knape
Charles “The Worm” Gage and husband Allan, Bobbie
worked on the docks at the Gourley and husband Chuck
Port of Houston – dedicating and Lynette Gage and Kevin
51 years of service to Local Lanterman. Grandchildren:
1273 and the I.L.A. Retirees Trevor, Carly, Kellie, Chip,
Association. He served as Jimmy, Casey, Jeff, Wes and
President and continued as Wade. And 13 great grand-
President Emeritus to the children.
I.L.A. Retirees Association A visitation will be held
for 25 years. He was a de- Wednesday, February 17, 2021
voted leader – both loved and from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. with a
admired by many colleagues funeral service to follow at 2
and their families. Charles p.m. in the chapel of Forest
was very involved within his Park East Funeral Home.
community. He served as Interment will follow at For-
President of the Brookside est Park East Cemetery.
Village Lions Club and as
Fire Marshall of the Brook-
side Village Volunteer Fire
Department.
Charles is preceded in
death by Peggy, his wife for
45 years; parents, Howard
MASSIMO MASSOUD
2002-2009
June 18, 2002 -
Feb. 13, 2009
You are forever
in our hearts.
We miss you so very much!
We love you!
Mama, Papa, Brother,
Nonna, Nono, & Godfather.
“ANGELS LIVE
FOREVER!”
ANNA BELLE GERARD
1947-2021
“God’s garden must be
beautiful, He always takes
the best. Peacefully our
mother, Anna departed this
life on February 4th. We will
celebrate her life in the Rose
Chapel of Mabrie Memorial
Mortuary, Saturday, February
13th at 10 AM. Fellowship
begins at 9 AM. Cherishing
the many fond memories are
her son, Jeffrey and daughter,
Shawn. Livestream access
:wwwmabriemortuary.com/
AnnaGerard
B6 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
BUSINESS
Maryland adopts country’s first tax on big tech’s ads
By David McCabe
N EW YORK T IME S
State politicians, struggling
with yawning budget gaps from
the pandemic, have made no se-
cret about their interest in getting
a bigger piece of the tech indus-
try’s riches.
Now, Maryland’s lawmakers
are taking a new slice, with the na-
tion’s first tax on the revenue
from digital advertisements sold
by companies like Facebook,
Google and Amazon.
The state Senate voted Friday
to override the governor’s veto of
the measure, following in the
footsteps of the state’s House of
Delegates, which gave its approv-
al Thursday. The tax will generate
as much as an estimated $250 mil-
lion in the first year after enact-
ment, with the money going to
schools.
The approval signals the arrival
in the United States of a policy pi-
oneered by European countries,
and it is likely to set off a fierce le-
gal fight over how far communi-
ties can go to tax the tech compa-
nies.
Other states are pursuing simi-
lar efforts. Lawmakers in Con-
necticut and Indiana, for exam-
ple, have already introduced bills
to tax the social media giants. Sev-
eral other states, like West Virgin-
ia and New York, fell short of pass-
ing new taxes on the tech giants
last year, but their proponents
may renew their push after Mary-
land’s success.
The moves are part of an esca-
lating debate about the economic
power of the tech giants as the
companies have grown, become
gatekeepers for communication
and culture and started to collect
reams of data from their users. In
the United States, law enforce-
ment agencies brought multiple
antitrust cases against Google
and Facebook last year. Members
of Congress have proposed laws
to check their market power, en-
courage them to moderate
speech more carefully and pro-
tect their users’ privacy.
Maryland’s tax also reflects the
collision of two economic trends
during the pandemic: The largest
tech companies have had mile-
HH
cent tax. Facebook’s and Google’s
global revenues far exceed $15 bil-
lion.
Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore
Democrat who is president of the
state Senate, was a main driver
behind the bill. He said he was in-
spired by an op-ed essay from
economist Paul Romer proposing
taxing targeted ads to encourage
the companies to change their
business models.
“This idea that one outsider
can exploit and use the personal
data of another area and pay
nothing for its use, that doesn’t
work in the long run,” Ferguson
said.
Maryland’s Democratic-con-
trolled Legislature passed the tax
with veto-proof majorities in
March. But Hogan, a moderate
Republican, vetoed the measure
in May.
“With our state in the midst of a
global pandemic and economic
crash, and just beginning on our
road to recovery, it would be un-
conscionable to raise taxes and
fees now,” Hogan said in a letter
explaining his reasoning.
Late last year, industry groups
helped to form a lobbying organi-
zation to try to stop the Legisla-
ture from overriding Hogan’s ve-
to.
Andrew Mangum / New York Times For months, the organization,
Bill Ferguson, president of the Maryland Senate, is the primary Marylanders for Tax Fairness,
champion of a law that will tax tech giants’ advertising revenue. backed by some of Silicon Valley’s
top lobbying groups, has warned
stone financial performances as aide to Gov. Larry Hogan who Maryland lawmakers in spots on
social distancing moved work, now leads a coalition backed by cable news and local radio that a
play and commerce further on- industry opponents of the tax, proposed tax on digital advertise-
line. But cities and states saw said at a news conference last ments is a “bad idea” at a “bad
their tax revenues plummet as week that the law’s supporters time.”
the need for their social services were “using this bill to take a The coalition has highlighted
grew. swing at out-of-state, faceless big the stories of small businesses
“They’re really getting corporations.” that it says will ultimately pay the
squeezed,” said Ruth Mason, a “But they’re swinging and cost of the new tax when they buy
professor at the University of Vir- missing and hitting their own online ads.
ginia’s law school. “And this is a constituents in the mouth,” he “A new $250 million tax during
huge way to target a tax to the said. a pandemic,” said the deep-
winners of the pandemic.” The Maryland tax, which ap- voiced narrator of one ad over a
Lobbying groups for Silicon plies to revenue from digital ads video of a bar in Annapolis. “Tell
Valley companies like Google and that are displayed inside the your legislator: Stop the digital ad
Facebook joined other oppo- state, is based on the ad sales a tax.”
nents of the law — including Mary- company generates. A company While some states apply a sales
land Republicans, telecom com- that makes at least $100 million a tax to some digital goods and ser-
panies and local media outlets — year in global revenue but no vices when they are bought by
in arguing that the cost of the tax more than $1 billion a year will customers, the Maryland tax is
would be passed along to small face a 2.5 percent tax on its ads. the first to be applied solely to the
businesses that buy ads and their Companies that make more than revenue a company got from digi-
customers. Doug Mayer, a former $15 billion a year will pay a 10 per- tal advertising in the United
States, experts said. The state’s
lawmakers are expected to ap-
prove a second bill in the coming
days making clear that the tax
does not apply to media compa-
nies and that the cost cannot be
directly passed along to business-
es that buy ads, although critics
say the tax will still lead to higher
prices for ads.
European policymakers have
turned to digital taxes in recent
years as part of a larger regulatory
push against the U.S. tech giants.
France has imposed a 3 percent
tax on some digital revenue. Aus-
tria taxes income from digital ad-
vertising at 5 percent. The Euro-
pean efforts were condemned by
the Trump administration, which
threatened to impose tariffs on
French goods over the issue.
“I don’t think the issue’s any
different in Maryland than it is in
California, India, France or
Spain,” said state Sen. James Ro-
sapepe, a Democrat who is the
vice chair of the taxation commit-
tee. “Given that they’re so profit-
able, they ought to be paying tax-
es.”
Maryland’s tax is likely to face
court challenges.
Opponents may argue that be-
cause the largest tech companies
are not based in Maryland, the
law will tax activity that originat-
ed outside the state, violating the
Constitution. They may also ar-
gue that the law runs afoul of a
federal law that says taxes on digi-
tal goods or services must also ap-
ply to equivalent physical prod-
ucts.
“It’s tax discrimination,” said
Dave Grimaldi, executive vice
president for public policy at IAB,
an online advertising trade
group. “There will be all manner
of challenges as soon as it is en-
acted.”
But the law’s backers said they
believed they were on solid
ground to start taxing the giants.
“We anticipate that, even in
overriding, it is likely that the in-
dustry will file a lawsuit,” Fergu-
son said.
He said lawmakers had asked
the state attorney general’s office
if it felt it could defend the law.
“And they did,” he said. “They
signed off.”

BUSINESS
U.S. salaries recover even though jobs haven’t
By Christopher
Rugaber
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — In a
stark sign of the economic
inequality that has marked
the pandemic recession
and recovery, Americans
as a whole are now earning
the same amount in wages
and salaries that they did
before the virus struck —
even with nearly 9 million
fewer people working.
The turnaround in total
wages underscores how
disproportionately Ameri-
ca’s job losses have afflict-
ed workers in lower-in-
come occupations rather
than in higher-paying in-
dustries, where employees
have actually gained jobs
as well as income since ear-
ly last year.
In February 2020, Amer-
icans earned $9.66 trillion
in wages and salaries, at a
seasonally adjusted annual
rate, according to Com-
merce Department data.
By April, after the virus had
flattened the U.S. econo-
my, that figure had shrunk
by 10 percent. It then grad-
ually recovered before
reaching $9.67 trillion in
December, the latest peri-
od for which data is avail-
able.
Those dollar figures in-
clude only wages and sala-
ries that people earned
from jobs. They don’t in-
clude money that tens of
millions of Americans have
received from unemploy-
ment benefits or the Social
Security and other aid that
goes to many other house-
holds. The figures also
don’t include investment
income.
A separate measure
tracked by the Labor De-
partment shows the same
result: Total labor income,
excluding government
workers, was 0.6 percent
higher in January than it
was a year earlier.
That is “pretty remark-
able,“ given the sharp drop
ICS AND COLLECTIBLES PILATES STUDIO OIL CHANGE MEDICAL SPA BREWERY FAVORITE MORNING RADIO SHOW
in employment, said Mi-
chael Feroli, an economist
at JPMorgan Chase.
The figures document
that the vanished earnings
from 8.9 million Ameri-
cans who have lost jobs to
the pandemic remain less
than the combined salaries
of new hires and the pay
raises that the 150 million
Americans who have kept
their jobs have received.
The job cuts resulting
from the pandemic reces-
sion have fallen heavily on
lower-income workers
across the service sector —
from restaurants and ho-
tels to retail stores and en-
tertainment venues. By
contrast, tens of millions of
higher-income Americans,
especially those able to
work from home, have
managed to keep or ac-
quire jobs and continue to
receive pay increases.
Service industry hit
“We’ve never seen any-
thing like that before,” said
Richard Deitz, a senior
economist at the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York,
referring to the concentra-
tion of job losses. “It’s a to-
tally different kind of
downturn than we’ve ex-
perienced in modern
times.”
Of the nearly 10 million
jobs that have been elimi-
nated by the pandemic, 40
percent have been in res-
taurants, bars, hotels, arts
and entertainment. Retail-
ers have lost nearly
400,000 jobs and many
low-paying health care
workers, such as nursing
home attendants and
home health care aides,
have also been laid off.
On average, restaurant
workers make just below
$13 an hour, according to
Labor Department data.
Retail cashier pay is about
the same. That’s less than
half the economy-wide
average of nearly $30 an
hour.
“It tells the story of an
Americans as a whole are now earning the same as before the pandemic, even
with nearly 9 million fewer people at work.
economy that has really
tanked for the most vulner-
able,” said Elise Gould, an
economist at the liberal
Economic Policy Institute.
“It’s shocking how small a
dent that has made in the
aggregate.”
The figures also under-
score the unusually accel-
erated nature of this reces-
sion. As a whole, both the
job losses that struck early
last spring and the initial
rebound in hiring that fol-
lowed have happened
much faster than they did
in previous recessions and
recoveries. After the Great
Recession, for example, it
took nearly 2½ years for
wages and salaries to re-
gain their pre-recession
levels.
“This is one of the worst
recessions we’ve ever had
— compressed into one-
tenth of the time that a nor-
mal recession would take,”
said Ernie Tedeschi, policy
economist at the invest-
ment bank Evercore ISI.
“Hopefully, the recovery
will continue to be com-
pressed as well. That’s
where the fears are and
where the debate is.”
Part-time workers
One reason why the job
losses have had relatively
little impact on the nation’s
total pay is that so many of
the affected employees
worked part time. The
average workweek in the
industry that includes ho-
tels, restaurants and bars is
just below 26 hours. That’s
the shortest such figure
among 13 major industries
tracked by the govern-
ment. The next shortest is
retail, at about 31 hours.
The average for all indus-
tries is nearly 35 hours.
The recovery in wages
and salaries helps explain
why some states haven’t
suffered as sharp a drop in
tax revenue as many had
feared. That is especially
true for states that rely on
progressive taxes that fall
more heavily on the rich.
California, for example,
said last month that it has a
$15 billion budget surplus.
HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com |
Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press
Yet many cities are still
struggling, and local transit
agencies, such as New York
City’s subway, have been
hammered by the pandem-
ic.
The wage and salary da-
ta also helps explain the
steady gains in the stock
market, which have been
led by high-tech compa-
nies whose products are
being heavily purchased
and used by higher-income
Americans, such as Apple
iPads, Peloton bikes, or
Amazon’s online shopping.
This week, the New York
Fed released research that
underscored how focused
the job losses have been.
For people making less
than $30,000 a year, em-
ployment has fallen 14 per-
cent as of December. For
those earning more than
$85,000, it has actually ris-
en slightly. For those in-be-
tween, employment has
fallen 4 percent.
By contrast, job losses
were much more wide-
spread in the Great Reces-
sion of 2008-2009. Rela-
B7
tively higher-paying blue
collar jobs in manufactur-
ing and construction were
hit worst: Construction lost
20 percent of its jobs, man-
ufacturing 15 percent. Even
a decade later, neither sec-
tor had fully recovered
those jobs by the time the
pandemic hit. Financial
services lost 6 percent of its
jobs in the previous reces-
sion, compared with 1 per-
cent this time.
Some companies have
cut wages in this recession,
but on the whole the many
millions of Americans for-
tunate enough to keep
their jobs have generally
received pay raises at large-
ly pre-recession rates.
Some of those income
gains likely reflect cost-of-
living raises; the Com-
merce Department’s wage
and salary data isn’t adjust-
ed for inflation.
‘Sticky wages’
Tedeschi calculates that
the typical — or median —
hourly pay for employed
workers has risen about 3.5
percent in the past year,
roughly the same pace as
before the pandemic.
That’s a sign of what some
economists refer to as the
“sticky wages” concept:
Some employers prefer to
lay off workers while leav-
ing pay largely unchanged
for their remaining em-
ployees.
Truman Bewley, a re-
tired Yale University econ-
omist who wrote a book
about the concept of sticky
wages, said that most com-
panies have a key core of
workers they rely on
through hard times and are
reluctant to cut pay for
them.
And there’s another rea-
son, Bewley said, why
many companies cut jobs
instead of pay. While re-
searching his book, he said
a factory manager told him
why his company did so:
“It gets the misery out the
door.”
ENTER
TO
OLLEGE
HAI
ARKET
WINE
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AL/
•
•
-
B8 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

WEATHER

HOUSTON’S SEVEN-DAY FORECAST COASTAL FORECAST

GALVESTON BAY: Wind from
42 44 28 36 36 40 51 the north-northeast at 12-25
34 26 14 30 30 24 35 knots today. Seas 1-3 feet.
Visibility less than 3 miles at
TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY times in rain; otherwise, clear.
Cloudy and breezy Cold; a bit of morning A.M. icy mix; windy and Quite cold with clouds Rain possible; some Cold with clouds and Sunny Tonight: Wind from the north-
rain very cold and sun ice early sun northeast at 10-20 knots. Seas
2 feet or less. Cloudy with a bit
of rain.
METRO AREA NORTH AMERICA TODAY INTERNATIONAL
MATAGORDA SHIP
OUTLOOK Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. Today Sun.
CHANNEL TO HIGH ISLAND
TODAY: Cloudy and breezy. 110s Vancouver Saskatoon Africa
Cairo 71/50/s 72/51/s OUT 20 TO 50 MILES: Wind
High 39 to 44. Winds north 10- 100s Calgary
from the north-northeast at
20 mph. TONIGHT: Chilly with Seattle Regina Winnipeg Cape Town 83/64/s 74/61/r
90s Casablanca 63/50/s 66/50/s 12-25 knots today. Seas 1-3 feet.
occasional rain. Low 31 to 36. Thunder Bay
80s Portland Montreal
Dakar 74/64/s 75/65/s Visibility less than 4 miles at
Winds north 7-14 mph. Johannesburg 79/63/pc 80/63/t times in rain. Tonight: Wind
70s Ottawa Lagos 93/79/pc 93/79/t from the north-northeast at 10-
60s
Minneapolis Toronto Asia/Pacific 20 knots. Seas 1-3 feet. Cloudy
50s Boston Beijing 49/29/c 40/17/c with a shower late.
40s Detroit Ho Chi Minh City 88/71/pc 87/71/pc
AIR QUALITY 30s Salt Lake City
New York Hong Kong 71/62/pc 72/64/s
Today’s forecast for the entire Chicago Islamabad 76/50/c 77/50/s
20s Jakarta 85/75/t 85/75/r
metro area by the TCEQ: San Francisco Washington
10s Denver Karachi 87/58/s 85/59/s GALVESTON TIDES
0s
Kuala Lumpur 89/74/sh 91/73/sh Highs Feet Lows Feet
Manila 86/77/pc 86/76/pc
-0s New Delhi 78/54/pc 80/54/pc 3:44 a.m. 0.9 11:15 a.m. -0.3
Ozone watch -10s Seoul 55/33/s 55/37/c 6:43 p.m. 0.8 11:28 p.m. 0.6
Los Angeles Little Rock Shanghai 62/49/pc 67/50/pc
Good Unhealthy Phoenix Atlanta Singapore 88/78/pc 87/76/sh
T-storms
Sydney 73/67/sh 75/67/pc
RIVERS, CREEKS AND
Moderate Very unhealthy Rain Dallas
Unhealthy Hazardous Showers
El Paso Taipei 74/61/r 73/59/sh BAYOUS
Tokyo 58/46/pc 61/54/pc Flood Latest 24-hr.
for sensitive Snow Hermosillo New Orleans
Canada Location stage stage chg.
groups Calgary -5/-19/pc 1/-12/c
Flurries Houston
Chihuahua Edmonton -8/-20/s 0/-10/c Brays Bayou South Main 54 19.44 +2.74
Ice Brazos River Bryan 43 7.85 -0.01
POLLEN AND MOLD Jet stream
Miami Montreal
Toronto
10/6/c
17/10/sn
20/11/pc
25/17/pc Hempstead 50 10.88 -0.04
Yesterday’s readings by the Monterrey Vancouver 34/29/sn 37/34/sn Richmond 48 9.74 +0.15
Houston Health Department: Havana Winnipeg -13/-32/c -11/-22/s Buffalo Bayou Piney Point 50 29.13 +0.90
Countpercubicmeterofair Europe Shepherd Dr. 23 2.73 +1.55
Cancún Amsterdam 27/19/s 35/31/s
Tree pollen Medium 32
Guadalajara Athens 55/47/r 48/38/r
Clear Creek Friendswood 12 -0.17 -0.64
Mérida
Weed pollen None 0 Anchorage Berlin 29/14/pc 28/10/pc Colorado R. Austin 29 11.76 +0.28
Grass pollen None 0 Mexico City Veracruz Copenhagen 33/26/s 34/24/s Bastrop 25 2.57 +0.01
Mold spores Low 1091 Villahermosa Forecasts and
Dublin 41/39/sn 53/44/r La Grange 32 2.66 -0.01
Honolulu Belmopan Frankfurt 31/16/s 34/22/s Columbus 34 9.61 +0.04
Acapulco graphics provided by Geneva 32/21/pc 38/27/pc
Low Heavy Cold Warm Stationary
AccuWeather, Inc. Istanbul 38/33/s 37/34/sn Wharton 39 8.86 +0.46
front front front
Medium Extremely heavy ©2021 London 33/32/c 41/39/c Bay City 44 2.69 -0.10
Madrid 59/34/pc 60/39/pc Greens Bayou Eastex Fwy. 61 41.32 +2.31
Note: No measurements on weekends; Moscow 11/6/sn 12/-5/sn
charts in Sunday and Monday papers reflect
Guadalupe R. Hunt 12 7.80 -0.03
forecast ratings from the previous Friday. FOR THE RECORD TEXAS NATIONAL cont. Paris
Prague
32/23/pc
23/7/pc
39/34/pc
25/3/c
Comfort 26 3.44 +0.03
George Bush Intercontinental Today Sun. Today Sun. Rome 47/29/r 47/31/s Spring Branch 36 2.11 +0.03
Airport through 3 p.m. yest. Abilene 23/15/c 16/3/sn Cleveland 27/16/sn 24/17/c Stockholm 26/19/c 29/4/pc New Braunfels 13 9.62 +0.03
COMFORT INDEX Amarillo 19/2/c 5/-11/sn Columbus 29/17/sf 27/19/c Vienna 30/20/pc 33/18/c Gonzales 31 11.03 -1.30
The comfort index takes into
Temperature Degrees F Austin 38/28/c 38/14/r Denver 11/-5/c 3/-9/sn Warsaw 31/20/sf 30/18/sf Cuero 20 7.57 -0.12
account how the weather will High 38 Beaumont 46/36/c 44/30/r Des Moines 2/-8/sn -5/-16/c Zurich 29/13/s 36/18/s
Low 35 Brownsville 48/40/r 54/33/c Detroit 23/10/sn 24/10/pc Victoria 21 5.45 -0.27
feel based on a combination of Latin America
Bryan/College St. 40/32/c 38/20/r Duluth -8/-23/pc -9/-23/c Dupont 20 9.33 +0.46
factors. A rating of 10 feels very Normal high 66 Bogota 67/49/c 67/49/t
comfortable while a rating of 0
Corpus Christi 45/36/r 50/25/c Fairbanks 6/-11/s 9/-13/pc Buenos Aires 77/69/c 79/68/pc Little River Little River 30 1.56 +0.11
Normal low 46 Dallas/Ft. Worth 30/21/c 25/8/sn Great Falls -9/-28/pc -3/-10/c Cameron 30 1.44 none
feels very uncomfortable. Caracas 81/77/sh 82/76/c
Record high 86 in 2017 El Paso 64/46/s 48/17/r Hartford 29/22/c 32/25/sn Havana 85/69/s 86/66/sh Navasota R. Easterly 19 4.30 +0.09
Today Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Record low 6 in 1899 Galveston 49/41/r 49/33/r Honolulu 83/68/pc 82/69/r Kingston 85/76/pc 86/77/sh
Kingsville 46/34/r 48/28/c Indianapolis 25/9/sf 19/11/s Neches River Evadale 19 8.76 -0.26
0 0 0 0 0 0 Precipitation Inches Lima 78/69/s 77/68/pc
Pine Island B. Sour Lake 25 14.26 +0.78
Laredo 44/35/c 49/24/pc Jackson, MS 41/31/c 41/24/c Rio de Janeiro 81/74/t 85/75/sh
24 hours through 3 p.m. yest. 0.48 Longview 36/28/c 29/20/i Juneau 27/14/s 26/21/s San Juan 84/73/pc 84/73/s Sabine River Bon Wier 30 14.37 -0.94
UV TODAY Month to date 0.74 Lubbock 21/10/c 10/-3/sn Kansas City 8/-2/sn 1/-9/sn San Salvador 83/63/s 85/63/s Deweyville 24 19.13 +0.15
McAllen 47/38/r 52/28/pc Las Vegas 64/47/c 61/40/s
Values indicate the exposure to Normal month to date 1.32 Midland/Odessa 28/15/i 18/2/sn Little Rock 34/20/c 25/14/sn
Santiago 80/57/pc 80/56/s Orange 4 1.01 -0.93
the sun’s Ultraviolet rays. Sao Paulo 79/68/t 81/68/t Burkeville 43 14.35 +2.10
Year to date 3.25 San Angelo 29/19/i 24/5/sn Los Angeles 67/54/c 69/49/pc St. Thomas 83/75/pc 84/75/s
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. Normal year to date 4.70 San Antonio 39/30/sh 39/15/c Memphis 31/20/i 26/16/c San Bernard R. E. Bernard 17 7.08 +0.18
Texarkana 37/29/c 32/20/sn Miami 82/74/pc 84/74/pc Mexico E. San. Jac. R. Cleveland 19 4.68 +0.02
0 1 1 1 0 0 Other readings Acapulco 81/64/s 81/63/s
Victoria 43/33/c 45/25/c Milwaukee 13/-5/sn 6/-4/c W. San. Jac. R. Conroe 116 94.20 +0.03
Waco 35/25/c 31/13/i Minneapolis -1/-17/pc -6/-22/pc Cancun 84/74/t 85/73/t
0-2, Low 8-10, Very high Top wind speed 21 mph Guadalajara 74/39/s 76/39/s San Jacinto R. Sheldon 10 -0.85 -1.53
Nashville 37/27/c 35/26/c
3-5, Moderate 11+, Extreme High barometer 30.18 in. Guanajuato 69/36/s 73/36/s Sims Bayou Telephone Rd. 30 1.14 +0.02
Low barometer 30.06 in. NATIONAL New Orleans
New York City
54/44/sh
28/26/sn
54/45/sh
32/30/sn Mazatlan 75/58/s 76/57/s Trinity River Goodrich 36 4.71 -0.09
6-7, High Today Sun. Merida 84/68/t 87/70/sh
High dewpoint 35° Oklahoma City 21/6/c 9/-4/sn
Mexico City 66/41/s 70/40/s Liberty 26 6.98 -0.43
Low dewpoint 33° Albany, NY 20/15/c 29/15/sn Orlando 82/68/t 81/67/t
Puerto Vallarta 73/60/c 73/58/pc Village Creek Kountze 20 5.19 +0.03
SUN AND MOON Average dewpoint 34°
Albuquerque 56/24/pc 27/9/sn Philadelphia 30/28/sn 37/32/i
Tampico 67/55/sh 66/54/r White Oak B. Heights Blvd. 48 9.75 +1.93
Anchorage 21/16/s 23/17/s Phoenix 72/52/pc 68/45/pc
First Full Last New Veracruz 74/69/c 74/66/t
quarter moon quarter moon High humidity 92% Atlanta 46/43/r 50/45/r Pittsburgh 30/22/sn 31/21/c
Low humidity 85% Baltimore 32/29/sn 39/34/c Portland, OR 35/30/sn 36/33/sh Middle East TEXAS LAKES
Billings -9/-25/pc -6/-11/pc Sacramento 64/42/c 60/49/pc Baghdad 75/49/s 77/50/s
Birmingham 46/37/r 48/39/r St. Louis 15/1/c 7/-1/sn Beirut 67/55/pc 68/55/s Full Latest Release
Boise 36/17/sn 34/28/c Salt Lake City 42/25/sh 34/26/c Dubai 77/63/s 78/60/pc pool level cfs
Feb 19 Feb 27 Mar 5 Mar 13 KEY TO CONDITIONS Boston 27/25/pc 33/29/sn San Diego 63/52/c 64/50/pc Jerusalem 58/43/s 61/46/s Canyon Dam 909 903.47 61
s-sunny r-rain Buffalo 20/15/sn 25/17/c San Francisco 60/48/sh 59/53/c Kabul 65/34/s 66/32/s Conroe 201 201.05 0
Sunset tonight 6:09 p.m. pc-partly cloudy sf-snow flurries Charleston, SC 50/44/r 49/46/sh Santa Fe 52/19/pc 21/1/sn Mecca 89/67/pc 93/71/s
Sunrise Sunday 7:02 a.m. c-cloudy sn-snow Charlotte 41/37/r 46/40/r Seattle 35/30/sn 39/34/sh Riyadh 80/55/c 84/56/s Houston 41.73 42.26 N.A.
Moonrise today 8:29 a.m. sh-showers i-ice Chicago 13/-5/sn 6/-2/pc Tucson 71/49/pc 62/38/pc Tehran 64/44/pc 64/46/s Lake Travis 681 658.94 N.A.
Moonset today 8:08 p.m. t-thunderstorms Cincinnati 30/17/sf 26/17/pc Washington, DC 31/30/sn 39/36/c Tel Aviv 67/50/s 66/54/s Livingston 131 131.19 N.A.
 SPORTS
HOUSTON CHRONICLE  SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021  SECTION C HH

Staff file photo

J.J. Watt's face during a home game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 29, 2013, is an iconic memory that tells the story of his career in Houston.

ALL OUT
When the Texans drafted a relatively unknown defensive lineman from Wisconsin in 2011, there
were boos in the crowd. But as Texans fans soon learned, Justin James Watt was something special.
He bled for his team and his city. No. 99 gave the region a decade defined by old-fashioned football
and down-to-earth charity and good works. He was everything right about this franchise and
sports and this town and now he is gone, given a chance to chase his Super Bowl dream elsewhere.
A LASTING LEGACY. A1  SMITH: IT WAS TIME TO GO. C2  SOLOMON: BIG BREAK IN FOUNDATION. C2  MCCLAIN: WHAT’S NEXT? C3

1 Walter Payton Man

of the Year award. 3 Defensive Player of the Year (2012,
2014, 2015), tied for most all-time.
5 All-Pro selections (2012,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2018). 101 Sacks in 10-year career with
Texans, ranking 31st all-time. 172 Tackles for loss, the third
most in NFL history.
C2 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
J.J. Watt will be remembered for his ferocious play as one of the league’s best defensive ends and for his charitable good works for the city of Houston.
TIME TO WALK AWAY
No. 99 gave his all on and off field, but in the end, he was too good for floundering franchise
All those J.J. Watt jerseys you
see everywhere will never look
the same.
They’ll still be proudly worn
and displayed. But future glimps-
es of super-famous No. 99 in red
and blue will never feel the same.
And the moment that Watt
broke his own news Friday
morning we all knew the Texans
would never be the same.
“I have sat down with the
McNair family and I have asked
them for my release,” Watt told
Texans fans in a Twitter video
posted at 8:49 a.m. “We have
mutually agreed to part ways at
this time.”
Watt asked the McNairs to
release him from the Texans.
The Texans responded by
cutting Watt.
Two days after longtime presi-
dent Jamey Rootes resigned from
the organization. At the same
time that Deshaun Watson’s
trade request shadows every-
thing inside and around NRG
Stadium.
Dang, dang, dang.
By 3:30 p.m., the two-minute
video — Watt wearing Wisconsin
red, looking directly into a cam-
era lens — had been viewed 5
million times and had more than
236,000 likes.
NO BULL: ORGANIZATION A MESS
JEROME SOLOMON
Commentary
Et tu, J.J.?
Who, or what, is next?
Toro?
Will Deep Steel Blue, Battle
Red and Liberty White ask to be
freed from this horribly run
franchise?
I’m surprised that the retract-
able roof at NRG Stadium hasn’t
asked to be let out of its contract
with the Texans.
Among the most dedicated of
all Texans. J.J. Watt has had
enough. So much for his being
able to be one of the NFL greats
who plied his trade for just one
franchise.
If it was going to happen, this
should have been the player and
HH
BRIAN T. SMITH
Commentary
It was time for Watt to leave
the Texans.
We knew something like this
was coming, and I’d been setting
up Watt’s departure for a year in
this column.
But the official announcement
was still stunning: Houston Tex-
ans and DE J.J. Watt Mutually
Agree To Part Ways.
The battered Texans —
shouldn’t they have received at
least a third-round pick for the
in-demand defender? — also
moved one step closer to decon-
struction as an era officially
ended on Kirby Drive.
It wasn’t a golden era. Despite
everything Watt accomplished
inside and outside the lines, the
Texans are still dreaming of
reaching their first AFC Champi-
onship game.
I remember Watt being carried
out of the Texans’ stadium in an
the franchise.
He can still play, and the team
can still use him. But this team
doesn’t deserve him.
Watt has been more than just a
great player — a three-time defen-
sive player of the year — he has
been a great citizen. A sterling
representative of Houston, who
has hardly ever made a misstep.
The day after the Texans chose
him in the 2011 NFL draft, I asked
people who knew him what type
of player and person he was.
You expect to hear positives,
that is the standard in such situa-
tions, but this was different.
They spoke of Watt in ways that
immediately convinced me that
he would not only be a star play-
er, but a championship person.
“Straight from central casting,
Watt, who turned 21 last month,
sounds almost too good to be
true. He is smart, rugged, big. Big
hands. Big feet. Big heart,” I
wrote.
He proved to be better than I
could have predicted.
Off the field, there has been no
J.J. WATT
END OF AN ERA
ambulance. A heroic figure hon-
estly admitting that he had con-
sidered retiring during another
long rehab.
I also remember all the bone-
crushing sacks, pick-six celebra-
tions, fumble recoveries that
became sprinting touchdowns
and a four-year span from 2012-15
that is cemented as one of the
greatest defensive runs in NFL
history.
The charity softball tourna-
ments. The cool Rockets and
Oilers gear. Taking batting prac-
tice inside the Astros’ Minute
Maid Park.
My personal favorite: Watt, a
receiver, lined up 1-on-1 on the
outside against a Browns defend-
er, then brilliantly diving and
catching a corner touchdown
pass during the first quarter in
Ryan Mallett’s first Texans start at
Cleveland in 2014.
It was the Watt era.
It still felt like he could do
anything and maybe, at some
point, the Texans would follow
his inspiring lead.
Watt was drafted by the Tex-
ans (tip of the cap to Wade Phil-
lips). The self-made No. 99 was
developed by the Texans. And
for 10 seasons, The Kid From
Pewaukee was often the best
For the past 10 seasons, defensive end J.J. Watt was the Texans’
foundation on and off the field.
match for him in Houston.
“You have to give back to the
community, because the commu-
nity makes us who we are as
players,” Watt said the day after
he became a Texan.
Now, 10 years later, pending
NFL paperwork, his last day as a
thing about the Texans.
Heck, sometimes Watt was the
only star worth watching when
an elite defense carried an ab-
surd quarterback carousel.
Now, No. 99 is gone. Just like
DeAndre Hopkins. Jadeveon
Clowney. Andre Johnson.
Watt’s instant departure is the
biggest blow to date inside shaky
NRG Stadium. Especially when
you remember that Watson
wants out and the Texans are
publicly playing chicken with
their 25-year-old franchise QB.
The numbers and honors for
Watt say it all: 101 sacks, 531 com-
bined tackles, 25 forced fumbles,
16 fumble recoveries, 282 quar-
terback hits, three-time Defen-
sive Player of the Year, five All-
Pro selections.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame
should eventually call his name
on the first ballot.
But Watt’s greatest contribu-
tion in this big city will always be
attached to 2017. Hurricane Har-
vey hammered Houston. Watt
stepped up and turned an im-
promptu internet fundraising
effort into more than $41 million
that helped residents rebuild.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of
the Year award followed.
Friday’s decision was more
Brett Coomer / Staff photographer
Texan, we are left with owner Cal
McNair claiming the franchise
“will build upon the foundation
that J.J. created here and forge
ahead …”
Huh?
You don’t build on a founda-
tion by tearing everything down,
Karen Warren / Staff photographer
than a year in the making. The
Texans were a horrible 4-12 last
season and Watt, more than
Watson, captured the weekly
frustration.
“I hope (Texans fans) know
how I feel about them and how
thankful I am,” Watt said Jan. 3
after the Texans fell 41-38 to Ten-
nessee inside NRG in a last-sec-
ond heartbreaker. “I’ve tried to
do everything I possibly can and
give everything I possibly have.”
You could tell, Zoom after
Zoom, that the Texans were
wearing on the veteran defender.
After watching three years cut
down by major injuries, Watt
knew that his best shot at finally
reaching the Super Bowl was as a
member of one of the NFL’s 31
other teams.
The red and blue jerseys will
remain. The memories will fade
but Watt, obviously, will never be
forgotten. When he retires and
returns to NRG, the roar will be
heroic.
But Watt is better off on anoth-
er team in 2021.
In the end, No. 99 was too
good for the Texans.
brian.smith@chron.com
twitter.com/chronbriansmith
including said foundation.
McNair and Jack Easterby have
ripped to shreds all the goodwill
and good business that Bob
McNair built.
Yeah, the football product has
been up and down, but the Tex-
ans as an organization have al-
ways been first-class. Now they
are in kindergarten class … and
failing.
Watt might appreciate the
sentiment that Cal McNair ex-
pressed in saying Watt will al-
ways be a Texan, but he isn’t
interested in being associated
with the mess that they are right
now and possibly could be for
the near future.
Deshaun Watson has asked
out. J.J. Watt has been let out.
Be careful driving down Kirby
Drive.
The three bulls in the “Spirit of
the Bulls” sculpture outside NRG
Stadium are subject to make a
run for it any day now.
jerome.solomon@chron.com
twitter.com/jerome_solomon

After being released by the Texans, defensive end J.J. Watt (99) has many options in front of him as he looks to sign with a new
team in the twilight of his career. The Ravens, with popular defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, are a potential landing spot.
WATT’S NEXT MOVE?
Family ties, coaching relationships could pull in veteran defensive end
Since the Tex-
ans have granted
J.J. Watt’s request
to be released and
he is free to sign
with any team at
JOHN any time, he
McCLAIN should have a lot
On the Texans
of options, in-
cluding in the AFC
South.
Watt turns 32 in March and will
be playing in his 11th season.
Releasing him clears $17.5 million
in salary cap space for the Tex-
ans.
It’s no secret Watt wants to
play for a Super Bowl contender
before he retires. With the Tex-
ans, he played on six AFC South-
winning teams that won four wild
card playoff games but never
advanced beyond the divisional
round.
Last season wasn’t fun for Watt
or any of his teammates or coach-
es. The Texans plunged from a
10-6 division winner that won a
wild card game in 2019 to a 4-12
disaster that’s become a team in
constant controversy, beginning
with Deshaun Watson’s trade
demand.
Under new general manager
Nick Caserio and coach David
Culley, the Texans won’t be a
Super Bowl contender, of course.
They’re more likely to compete
for the first pick in the 2022 draft
than a playoff berth. Watt didn’t
want to spend the last few years
of his career in a rebuilding
mode.
When analyzing NFL teams
and where Watt could end up, a
lot of teams seem like good possi-
bilities. Keep in mind that issues
like a team’s scheme, coaches,
needs on defense and the salary
cap should be taken into consid-
eration.
I don’t believe money will rule
Watt’s decision. He made more
than $100 million with the Tex-
ans, and he’s cashed in on en-
dorsements, too. Money always is
important to any player, but I
don’t expect to see Watt sign with
a bad team just because it’s got
enough cap room to offer him a
monster contract.
We know Watt would like foot-
ball to be fun again. Where could
he have more fun than Pitts-
burgh, where his younger broth-
ers, T.J. and Derek, play for the
Watson’s future with team still up in the air
By Aaron Wilson
STA F F WRIT E R
As defensive end J.J. Watt leaves
the Texans in an emotional good-
bye Friday, the future of disgrun-
tled quarterback Deshaun Watson
remains unresolved.
Frustrated with the state of the
franchise and not being given the
input into the hiring process of
general manager Nick Caserio and
Watt, left, was a three-time winner of the NFL Defensive Player
of the Year award, tied for the most in league history.
Steelers?
Coach Mike Tomlin already has
an outstanding defense. He’s not
looking for a starter up front, and
the Steelers have a huge salary
cap problem. Still, where there’s
a will, there can be a way.
Watt has never tried to hide his
respect for two of his former
coaches, Mike Vrabel and Antho-
ny Weaver. Vrabel is Tennessee’s
coach, and the Titans are desper-
ate to boost a pass rush that re-
corded only 19 sacks. Watt could
step in and contribute immedi-
ately for the defending AFC South
champions — not to mention
playing two times a year against
the Texans.
Weaver left the Texans for
Baltimore in January. The Ravens
are a Super Bowl contender that
has a veteran defensive coordina-
tor in Wink Martindale, whose
players love to play for him.
Watt grew up in Wisconsin and
owns a home there. He was a
die-hard Packers fan. Perhaps
coach Matt LaFleur would like to
add Watt to his defense after
losing the NFC Championship
Game in each of the last two
seasons.
When Tom Brady played for
New England, veteran players
flocked to the Patriots because
they knew they’d play for a Super
Bowl contender. Brady just won
his seventh Super Bowl ring for
Tampa Bay. The Bucs could lose
defensive end Shaq Barrett, who
said this week he hopes to break
the bank on a new contract if he’s
not franchised again.
Playing with Brady and for
coach David Culley that he had
been assured of by chairman and
chief operating officer Cal McNair,
Watson has officially requested a
trade.
As dug in as Watson remains on
his stance of wanting out, accord-
ing to multiple league sources not
authorized to speak publicly, the
Texans haven’t wavered on their
position and have remained stead-
fast that they have no desire to
J.J. WATT
END OF AN ERA
Brett Coomer / Staff photographer
Bruce Arians, a players’ coach, in
Tampa, Fla., might be enticing for
Watt. Perhaps he could buy a
yacht to sail around Tampa Bay.
Don’t rule out the Bears. Watt’s
wife, Kealia, plays for the Chicago
Red Stars of the National Wom-
en’s Soccer League. He’s spent a
lot of time in Chicago since she
was traded by the Dash.
If Watt wants to play with an-
other great quarterback like
Watson, he should consider Kan-
sas City. Patrick Mahomes has led
the Chiefs to the last two Super
Bowls. Andy Reid needs to bolster
his defense, including his pass
rush.
Perhaps Watt would consider
Buffalo if the Bills are interested.
They’re a legitimate Super Bowl
contender that should be nipping
at the Chiefs’ heels next season.
If they’re interested in Watt, I
wouldn’t rule out his signing with
Indianapolis, Miami, San Francis-
co or Cleveland. Imagine Watt
lining up every week opposite
Browns’ defensive end Myles
Garrett.
Decisions, decisions.
Watt will have to make a lot of
them as he crosses teams off his
list before he decides where he
wants to finish his career.
What will a new team be get-
ting in Watt?
Watt was the Texans’ best
defensive player last season. He
started 16 games and had a ca-
reer-low five sacks because he
had no help on the pass rush.
After Jadeveon Clowney was
traded to Seattle by Bill O’Brien
after the 2018 season, the Texans
trade him despite multiple NFL
teams contacting them to gauge
their potential interest.
“They’re totally different situa-
tions,” McNair said when asked
about Watson and Watt. “Today,
the focus is on J.J. Deshaun is a Tex-
an, and he’s going to be a Texan.”
Watson signed a $156 million
contract extension in September
that includes $111 million in guaran-
teed money. It was important for
HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com |
Karen Warren / Staff photographer
were unable to generate a pass
rush on the opposite side to take
some pressure off Watt.
Watt can play in a 3-4 or 4-3
scheme. He’s best on the outside
as an edge rusher. In passing
situations, he also can slide inside
to tackle and get an inside push.
Teams that are interested know
they don’t have to worry about
Watt’s character or work ethic.
Both are legendary.
No matter what happens to the
Texans next season or any season
after that, they’ll never be the
same without Watt, a three-time
winner of the NFL Defensive
Player of the Year Award, tying
Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Don-
ald for the most in NFL history.
Cal McNair, the chairman and
CEO, was asked Friday why they
didn’t trade Watt for a draft
choice rather than granting his
outright release?
“We did evaluate all the op-
tions and thought this was the
right decision for J.J. and the
Texans,” he said. “It’s one that
was mutually agreed on, and we
felt doing the right thing by J.J.
was important.
“Not every decision is easy,
and they’re not always easily
understood. We want to do
what’s right by our players and
our fans, and the focus is on
bringing a championship to Hous-
ton.”
In 2011, his first season as the
Texans’ defensive coordinator,
Wade Phillips wanted to draft
outside linebacker Aldon Smith.
When the 49ers traded up to get
Smith, Phillips lobbied for Watt.
General manager Rick Smith
selected him, and Watt became
the most popular player in fran-
chise history. Watt and Oilers
running back Earl Campbell are
the most popular players in Hous-
ton football history.
“I’ll always remember what
Coach Phillips said when asked if
he thought J.J. would be a bust,”
McNair said. “He said, ‘Yeah, a
bust in the Hall of Fame.’ ”
Phillips was a football version
of Nostradamus, because five
years after Watt retires, he should
be getting a bust in Canton, Ohio,
as a first-ballot selection for the
Pro Football Hall of Fame.
john.mcclain@chron.com
twitter.com/mcclain_on_nfl
Watson to have contract language
in that deal that includes an annu-
al no-trade clause that requires
him to give written approval for
any trade. That essentially allows
him to pick his own destination
and veto any unwanted franchise
from trading for him.
Watson is open to the possibil-
ity of several teams, including the
Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos
and San Francisco 49ers, accord-
C3
Texans
pay
tribute
to star
By Aaron Wilson
STA F F W R I T E R
Lining up alongside his team-
mates for a decade, J.J. Watt built
a reputation for his relentless
grit, skill and a sense of humor.
As much as Watt became de-
fined by his toughness and game-
changing moments for the Tex-
ans, his teammates grew quickly
to appreciate how relatable he
was in the locker room and away
from work. That included sharing
plenty of meals together and
laughter.
As the three-time NFL Defen-
sive Player of the Year and future
Hall of Fame selection leaves the
Texans as his request to be re-
leased was granted, his former
teammates paid tribute to Watt
privately and on social media.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson,
whose trade request has been
denied by the team, displayed his
deep respect for Watt, whom he
rehabbed alongside after tearing
his anterior cruciate ligament as a
rookie.
“Salute to one of the Greatest
of All Time,” Watson wrote. “I
appreciate you for the work you
put in and more importantly the
person you are. Any team in the
league will be better the day you
(put) on their jersey! 1OVE my
brother. MORE GLORY.”
Watt ranks first in franchise
history with 101 sacks after being
drafted in the first round out of
Wisconsin in 2011.
“Legend,” Texans long snapper
Jon Weeks wrote.
Only three players have earned
three NFL Defensive Player of the
Year crowns: Watt, Aaron Donald
and Lawrence Taylor.
“Honored to have played with
one of the greatest,” wrote Tex-
ans outside linebacker Whitney
Mercilus, who ranks second in
franchise history behind Watt
with 54 career sacks.
Offensive tackle Tytus Howard
is entering his third NFL season.
The former first-round draft pick
from Alabama State has gained a
lot of knowledge plying his trade
against Watt.
“Thank you J.J. Watt for help-
ing me getting better as a player
each and every day,” Howard
wrote. “Don’t know many guys
that work as hard as you do. The
proof is in the pudding and that’s
why you are a future hall of
famer. Wish you best brodie.”
When Howard was a rookie, he
learned a tough, valuable lesson
from Watt about the kind of tem-
po required at the NFL level
against a player of Watt’s caliber.
“Funny story about J.J., it was
my first week and some of the
other vets were like Tytus chill
out we don’t have on pads yet,”
Howard wrote. “So I chill out and
go to block J.J. all lazy and got
bulled all the way into Deshaun.
So I’m looking all dumb and
embarrassed and turn around
and look at some of the other
lineman and they were laughing.
I quickly learned you can’t take
no plays off on J.J. So we compet-
ed every day and he got me bet-
ter.”
Charles Omenihu, a potential
replacement for Watt on the
defensive line, saluted Watt.
“I can’t thank you enough for
the talks we’ve had the time
you’ve taken to help me in the
little things for my game all of it,”
Omenihu wrote. “Houston appre-
ciates you bro and all you’ve
done for the city. Continue to be
you and a great leader for your
next team, the HOF awaits love
bro.”
Aaron.wilson@chron.com
twitter.com/aaronwilson_nfl
ing to league sources. Although of-
ten linked to the New York Jets,
that’s not expected to be where
Watson winds up should the Tex-
ans change their stance of not
wanting to trade him.
The Carolina Panthers are re-
garded as another potential suitor
for Watson.
aaron.wilson@chron.com
twitter.com/aaronwilson_nfl
C4 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
A timeline of some key
events during the Texans
career of J.J. Watt.
2011
April 28 — With the 11th
pick in the NFL draft, the
Texans take defensive end
J.J. Watt from Wisconsin
(after starting his college
career at Central Michi-
gan). The pick was met
with some boos at the
Texans’ draft party. Years
later, Texans general man-
ager Rick Smith said he
actually had a trade in
place with the 49ers to
move up to No. 7 to take
LSU cornerback Patrick
Peterson. But the Cardinals
took Peterson fifth, with
the Texans standing pat
and drafting Watt, whom
new defensive coordinator
Wade Phillips had lobbied
for.
Sept. 25 — A starter since
Day 1, Watt records his first
career sack in his third
game, taking down Saints
quarterback Drew Brees in
a 40-33 loss at New Orle-
ans. Watt finishes his first
regular season with 5½
sacks, 13 tackles for loss
and two fumble recoveries.
He makes the All-Rookie
team and finishes tied for
third in the Defensive Rook-
ie of the Year voting behind
winner Von Miller of the
Broncos and the 49ers’
Aldon Smith.
2012
Jan. 7 — In his break-
through moment on the
national stage during an
AFC wild-card game, Watt
returns an interception 29
yards for a touchdown
before halftime to spark
the Texans to a 31-10 rout
of the Bengals in the first
playoff game in franchise
history. The Texans’ season
ends the following week
with a loss at Baltimore in
the divisional round.
Dec. 30 — Watt follows up
his solid rookie season with
a monster sophomore
campaign, recording 20½,
including a pair of three-
sack games, as the Texans
go 12-4 for the best record
in franchise history. He also
sets a NFL record for de-
fensive linemen with 16
passes defensed en route
to earning first team All-
Pro honors.
2013
Feb. 2 — Watt is a runaway
winner of the NFL’s Defen-
sive Player of the Year
award, taking 49 of the 50
votes (the other went to
the Broncos’ Von Miller).
Dec. 29 — Watt leads the
Texans with 10½ sacks but
the team loses its final 14
games after a 2-0 start,
leading to the firing of
coach Gary Kubiak and his
staff and ushering in the
Bill O’Brien era.
2014
Sept. 2 — A couple weeks
after expressing his frustra-
tion over the inability to
finalize a contract exten-
sion, Watt and the Texans
agree to a six-year, $100
million deal that will keep
him under contract through
the 2021 season. Watt tears
up at the news conference
to announce the deal.
Sept. 14 — Watt, formerly a
tight end at Central Michi-
gan, catches his first NFL
touchdown in the Texans’
30-14 win at Oakland.
Sept. 28 — Watt records
his first career interception
and returns it 80 yards for
a touchdown during the
Texans’ 23-17 home win
over the Bills. It’s a busy
day, as he also records nine
quarterback hits, five tack-
les and a pass defensed.
Nov. 16 — In a dominant
performance, Watt records
a sack, forces and recovers
a fumble and also catches
a touchdown pass during
the Texans’ 23-7 win at
Cleveland. He repeated the
feat two weeks later
against the Titans, this
time with two sacks.
Dec. 28 — While the Tex-
ans miss the playoffs, Watt
finishes with three sacks in
the season finale against
Jacksonville to become the
HH
After mising most of the past two seasons with injuries, J.J. Watt celebrates one of his three sacks of New
York Giants quarterback Eli Manning on Sept. 23, 2018. Watt finished the season with 16 sacks.
J.J. WATT THROUGH THE YEARS
YEAR G INT.
2011 16
2012 16
2013 16
2014 16
2015 16
2016 3 0
2017 5 0
2018 16
2019 8 0
2020 16
Career 128
All-Pro Pro Bowl Bold: led league
first player to record two
20-season sacks, finishing
with 20½. He’s voted first
team All-Pro for the third
consecutive year .
2015
Jan. 31 — Watt wins his
second NFL Defensive
Player of the Year award in
three seasons, becoming
the first unanimous selec-
tion for the award. Watt
also finishes second to
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers
for the NFL MVP award,
receiving 13 votes.
Sept. 20 — With a sack
during a loss at Carolina,
Watt records the 60th of
his career in his 66th game,
becoming the second-
fastest to accomplish the
feat behind Hall of Famer
Reggie White (47 games).
Nov. 1 — Watt dials up one
of his greatest games in a
20-6 home win over Ten-
nessee with 2½ sacks, 10
QB hits and a forced fum-
ble.
2016
Jan. 3 — Watt ends the
regular season with a dom-
inant performance, record-
ing a season-high three
sacks, three tackles for
loss, four QB hits, a forced
fumble and fumble recov-
ery in a 30-6 rout of the
Jaguars. He finishes with an
NFL-best 17½ sacks and for
the fourth consecutive year
is voted a first team All-Pro
selection and to the Pro
J.J. WATT
END OF AN ERA
FF FR
0 0 2 5.5
0 4 2 20.5
0 4 2 10.5
1 4 5 20.5
0 3 1 17.5
0 1
0 0
0 7 0 16.0
1 2
1 2 1 5.0
2 25 16
Bowl.
Jan. 9 — An embarrassing
wild-card round loss to the
Chiefs sees Bill O’Brien
make one of his most in-
famous moves as Texans
coach, deploying Watt and
fellow defensive lineman
Vince Wilfork in the offen-
sive backfield in a goal-line
formation derided as the
“Wattcat.” On a direct
snap, Watt is stopped for a
1-yard loss as the Texans
are blasted 30-0 at home.
Feb. 6 — Watt wins his
third NFL Defensive Player
of the Year award in four
seasons, joining Giants Hall
of Fame linebacker Law-
rence Taylor as the only
three-time winners of the
award.
March 31 — It’s revealed
Watt played with five par-
tially or fully torn muscles
in his core area at the end
of the 2015 season. Watt
had partially torn left and
right abdominals, a partial-
ly torn right adductor lon-
gus, a fully torn left adduc-
tor longus and a fully torn
left adductor pectineus.
May 25 — In a nod to his
growing off-the-field pro-
file and social media reach,
Watt is named a co-host
for the CMT Music Awards
alongside Fox’s Erin An-
drews.
Sept. 28 — After just three
games, Watt is lost for the
rest of the season with an
injury to his back that had
SACKS TACKLES TACKLES FOR LOSS
56
81
80
78
76
1.5 8 1
0 15
61
4.0 24
52
101 531
undergone offseason sur-
gery. That ends his streak
of 83 consecutive starts
since entering the NFL. He
later undergoes his second
back surgery in three
months.
Aug. 27 — As Hurricane
Harvey devastates the
Houston area with 51 inch-
es of rain, Watt posts an
emotional video to social
media asking for fundrais-
ing assistance to help
victims of the storm. Watt’s
relief fund eventually raises
$41.6 million.
Sept. 10 — Watt makes his
return to the field in the
Texans’ opener against the
Jaguars, drawing the loud-
est cheers in the pregame
introductions.
Oct. 8 — For the second
consecutive year, Watt’s
season ends abruptly. This
time, it’s a tibial plateau
fracture of his left leg,
breaking the top of the shin
bone within the knee joint.
Oct. 27 — Taking the field
on crutches as he’s weeks
removed from surgery,
Watt throws out the cere-
monial first pitch before
Game 3 of the World Series
at Minute Maid Park.
Dec 4 — Sports Illustrated
names Watt and Astros
second baseman Jose
Altuve, the American
League MVP fresh off help-
ing his team win the World
Series, its Sportspersons of
the Year for 2017 during an
Brett Coomer / Staff photographer
QB HITS
13 19
39 43
22 46
29 51
29 50
5 Texans, that’s in the best
3 5
18 25
4 21
14 17
172 282
episode of “The Tonight
Show with Jimmy Fallon.”
2018
Feb 3 — After his fundrais-
ing efforts to help victims
of Hurricane Harvey, Watt
is presented the NFL’s
highest off-field honor, the
Walter Payton Man of the
Year award.
Sept. 23 — After missing
most of the past two sea-
sons with injuries, Watt
records his first three-sack
game since 2015 in the
Texans’ home-opener loss
to the Giants. He finishes
the season with 16 sacks to
earn first team All-Pro
honors for the fifth time in
his career. It’s his fourth
15-sack season, the sec-
ond-most in NFL history
behind Reggie White’s five.
2019
Oct. 27 — Eight games into
the season, Watt is injured
for the third time in four
years, suffering a torn
pectoral during a home win
over the Raiders. The injury
is expected to end his
season.
2020
Jan. 4 — Watt is cleared to
return for the Texans’ play-
off opener against the Bills
and his third-quarter sack
helps spark a comeback
from a double-digit deficit
as the Texans win 22-19 in
overtime. The season ends
in infamous fashion the
next week as the Texans
blow a 24-0 lead in losing
at Kansas City.
Feb. 15 — In the Bahamas,
Watt marries former Hous-
ton Dash star Kealia Ohai
after four years of dating.
Ohai is the sister of former
Texans teammate Brian
Cushing’s wife Megan.
Sept. 10 — In the first NFL
game after the country’s
racial reckoning following
the killing of former Hous-
ton resident George Floyd
in police custody, Texans
and Chiefs players line up
for a show of unity at mid-
field to boos from the
limited-capacity crowd in
Kansas City. That left Watt
bewildered. “I mean, the
booing during that moment
was unfortunate,” he said.
“I don’t fully understand
that. There was no flag
involved. There was noth-
ing involved other than two
teams coming together to
show unity.”
Sept. 20 — After team-
mate Ross Blacklock is
ejected during a home loss
to the Ravens, Watt calls
out the rookie, who’d
grown up in the Houston
area and watched Watt.
“It’s stupid,” Watt said. “It’s
selfish. It was a stupid play.
I’ve spoken to Ross before
and so it pisses me off. It’s
very dumb to hurt your
team in that type of setting
for no reason.”
Oct. 7 — The final weeks of
Bill O’Brien’s tenure as
Texans coach included a
frustrated O’Brien getting
into a heated argument
with Watt and coordinator
Anthony Weaver. Watt later
said he didn’t have any ill
will toward O’Brien, saying,
“I’m not going to talk about
what happened at practice
or what conversations were
had or whatever that might
be.”
Nov. 4 — As the Texans’
season goes down the
tubes, Watt acknowledges
he doesn’t have interest in
being part of a lengthy
rebuilding project. “I don’t
think it’s any secret that I
don’t have 10 years left in
this league,” Watt said. “I
personally believe that I do
have a few more great ones
left in me, but I’m not look-
ing to rebuild. I’m looking to
go after a championship,
and that’s what I want to
do. Whatever is in the best
interest of the Houston
interest of myself. I’m in-
terested in winning a
championship in this
league. That’s every play-
er’s goal.”
Nov. 8 — Watt records his
100th career sack in the
Texans’ victory at Jackson-
ville, becoming the fifth-
fastest NFL player to reach
the milestone, doing it in
his 120th career game. The
only ones to get to 100
sacks sooner were Reggie
White (96 games), Law-
rence Taylor (106), DeMar-
cus Ware (113) and Bruce
Smith (115).
Dec. 27 — After a desultory
Texans loss to a Bengals
team without its top quar-
terback, running back and
wide receiver, Watt un-
leashes an epic rant that,
while not calling out any
individual teammates,
seemed to question the
team’s work ethic and
professionalism. He added
in sympathy for the fans
who’ve endured such a
trying season.
2021
Jan. 2 — Watt plays what
will be his final game in a
Texans uniform, a 41-38
home loss to the Titans. As
he and quarterback Desh-
aun Watson walk off the
field, NFL Films cameras
record Watt telling him,
“I’m sorry; we wasted one
of your years. We should
have 11 wins.”
Feb. 12 — Watt posts a
video on social media
informing fans he’s re-
quested his release from
the Texans and the McNair
family will accommodate
him, ending his tenure in
Houston after 10 seasons.
Greg Rajan
 HHHH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | C5
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ROCKETS

3s not falling despite open looks

Amid four-game skid and injuries,
Silas wants to see team attack rim
By Jonathan Feigen the Rockets had taken an
STA F F WRIT E R average of 19.4 wide-open
3-pointers per game. They
The Rockets could con- made 40.3 percent.
sider tweaks, adjustments As much as they would
or improvements to their like to turn around an of-
offense that could turn fense that has ranked last
things around. But there is in the NBA over the past
something that could help four games, it will be diffi-
even more. cult to get better shots than
When shooting wide- the ones they are missing
open 3-pointers, they need or to get more of them.
more of them to go in. That could be even more
As elementary as that difficult in the new two
seems, that is not always games against the Knicks
the solution teams should and 76ers, two of the other
seek. There often are rea- teams ranked in the top
sons opponents leave five defensively. The
shooters open. Knicks allow 43.5 percent
That has not, however, shooting and 32.2 percent
been the case with the 3-point shooting, the best
Rockets in their four-game field goal percentage de-
losing streak with the same fense in the NBA.
shooters shooting the “I don’t worry,” Brown
same shots as when they said. “We’re getting great
were winning. shots, we’re getting wide-
Actually, there might be open looks. We’re just
one difference in the sort missing them. Can’t ask for
of shots the Rockets have anything better than that.
been taking. We got to keep doing what
“They’ve probably been we’re doing. We’re going
better,” guard Sterling to start making them.
Brown said. “We just We’re not worried about
haven’t been knocking that.”
them down. That’s all we That will be further
got to do. We’re missing complicated by the injury
them lately. I’ve been miss- to guard Victor Oladipo,
ing way too many. That’s who has struggled with his
going to change. Just got to shot, making just 27.6 per-
stick with it.” cent of his 3-pointers in his
The difference, besides past five games but who
that they are now missing can score off the dribble
those shots, is that since and create for others.
the Rockets began their With center Christian
slide, they are getting more Wood out throughout the
of the shots they want most four-game losing streak,
and attempting more of the Rockets have gotten lit-
those shots than any team tle going to the rim, averag-
in the NBA. ing 42.5 points in the paint
In the Rockets’ four- per game. They had been
game losing streak, they averaging 47.8. Without
have attempted a league- the scoring inside, the
high average of 24.5 wide- Rockets have been taking
open 3-pointers per game. more 3s than any team in
They have made just 28.6 the league since Wood has
percent of those shots with been out.
the closest defender six or “If you’re getting open
more feet away. 3s, those are pretty good,”
Before the losing streak, Rockets coach Stephen Si-
Victor Oladipo (7) takes a shot while being defended by Derrick Jones Jr. During
their four-game skid, the Rockets have made just 28.6 percent of wide-open 3s.
las said. “The fact that
we’re creating those 3s for
our teammates makes it
even better. The adjust-
ment would be to attack to
finish.
Yi-Chin Lee / Staff photographer
“Teams are helping
against us and forcing us to
kick to shooters. We did a
good job of driving, kick-
ing and as they’re closing
out, driving the closeout.
Any time you can force a
closeout situation is good
for our offense. Attacking
those closeouts instead of
shooting, maybe we get an
even better shot.”
That’s the general idea
but without the rim-run-
ning the Rockets had been
getting from Wood (along
with his 42.1 percent 3-
point shooting,) they want
more ball movement. The
goal to turn defense to of-
fense, a key to their six-
game winning streak, re-
mains and should be possi-
ble even with their short-
handed lineup.
“We want to do our best
to get the ball from side-to-
side,” Silas said. “What I
was showing the team (Fri-
day) is when we’re playing
with better pace and get-
ting the ball up the floor
quickly, we don’t necessar-
ily need play calls. We
don’t need kind of actions
to get ball from side-to-
side. If we get it up the
floor quickly, then we can
flow into our pace offense
which would be pass
ahead, get into our drive-
and-kicks, get the ball mov-
ing quickly, get to the next
action.”
“We shot a ton of 3s
(Thursday) night. We shot
50 3s and only made 15 of
them. But watching the
film last night, I was pretty
happy with most of the 3s
we shot. There were a few
we forced.”
The Rockets made 30
percent of their 3-pointers
against the Heat. They
made 30.4 percent when
open or wide open.
A few more easy shots
wouldn’t hurt. But eventu-
ally, they need to make the
easy shots they are already
getting.
jonathan.feigen@chron.com
twitter.com/jonathan_feigen

ROCKETS REPORT

Injury issues continue with Oladipo sitting

The Rockets’ injury
issues with their starting
lineup moved back to the
backcourt on Friday with
guard Victor Oladipo out
with a sore right foot and
ankle. Rockets coach Ste-
phen Silas said he was
unsure if Oladipo was
going on the Rockets’
three-game road trip or
how long he might be out.
“I guess they are doing
some tests and whatnot
on his foot,” Silas said.
Eric Gordon, who has
averaged 22.8 points on
46 percent shooting in
eight games as a starter
this season, will return to
the starting lineup, Silas
said. The Rockets will
change starting lineups for
a seventh consecutive
game, having used no
lineup for more than four
games, none for more
than three games since
James Harden was traded.
Oladipo went out of
Thursday’s game after
returning late to the court
for the start of the second
half, playing four minutes
and then going back out.
He did not attempt a shot
or get a rebound or an
assist in those four min-
utes while struggling with
the injury. Oladipo had
come away limping after
he tried to stop Heat
guard Max Strus on a fast
break.
Oladipo has struggled
in recent games, averaging
14 points on 34.6 percent
shooting, 27.6 percent
3-point shooting in his
past five games played.
The Rockets have gone 1-4
in those games. He had
averaged 22 points in his
first six games with the
Rockets.
Silas said that Rockets
center Christian Wood,
who has missed the Rock-
ets past four games with a
sprained right ankle, is
still limping and still has
Rockets vs. Knicks dric Thomas to sign Spal- good enough. I could have
When/where: 7 p.m. today; Madison Square Garden, New York. ding to one of their two been a lot more aggressive
two-way contracts, the on the glass and finish out
TV/radio: ATTSW; 740 AM, 790 AM, 1010 AM (Spanish).
individual said. those two, or made one
So far: Rockets 11-14; Knicks 12-15. Spalding, 23, has aver- rebound we needed to get
Lately: The Rockets have a season-long four-game losing streak after falling to the Heat aged 18 points and 13 re- to give ourselves a chance
on Thursday at the Toyota Center. The Knicks had lost consecutive games against the bounds for the Rio Grande to win or tie it up. I didn’t
Heat before blowing out the Wizards on Friday. Valley Vipers in the first get it done. It’s something
two games of the season. we have to take pride in
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS SCOUTING THE KNICKS He had been in training and lock in and go out and
camp with the Rockets finish the play.”
The Rockets’ loss in Madison The Knicks, coming off a blowout
before last season for The Rockets rank 27th
Square Garden last season win in Washington on Friday, are
eight days after playing 14 in the NBA in defensive
snapped a nine-game winning 2-4 in the second half of back-to-
games with the Suns and rebounding percentage,
streak against the Knicks in New backs. … The Knicks’ average of
Mavericks in 2018-19. allowing 12.9 second-
York. … The Rockets have ranked 102.7 points per game after Friday’s
A 6-9 center out of chance points, 17th most
last in the NBA in offensive rating game against the Wizards were the
Louisville, Spalding has in the league. This espe-
in their four-game losing streak, fewest in the NBA. They take and
averaged 14.9 points and cially could be a problem
averaging 100.3 points per 100 make the second-fewest 3-point-
nine rebounds in 67 G with the Rockets using
possessions, and in scoring, ers and are ranked 24th in offen-
League games with the more small lineups since
averaging 98.8 points per game. NUMBER sive rating. … The Knicks were fifth
Texas Legends, Greens- the injury to center Chris-
They have made just 41.1 percent TO NOTE in defensive rating going into Fri-
boro Swarm and Vipers in tian Wood.
of their shots and 29.8 percent of day’s game. They allow 43.5 per-
their 3-pointers in the past four
games. … Guard John Wall has
266 cent shooting and 32.2 percent
3-point shooting, the best field
the past three seasons. Butler had twice put in
mid-range jumpers before
made 59.3 percent of his free Games goal percentage defense in the Rebounding woes Rockets coach Stephen
Silas switched to a small
throws in his past four games. He played by NBA. … Forward Julius Randle is back at bad time lineup to allow the Rock-
had made 81 percent in his first 12 P.J. Tucker averaging a career-best 22.3 points
As much trouble as the ets to switch on him after
games played. … Forward Jae- since he per game, making a career-high
Rockets have had all sea- screens.
’Sean Tate has scored in double returned to 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers … RJ
son on the defensive “We got to get the ball,”
figures in six of the past eight the NBA in Barrett averaged 24 points on 51.4
boards, for 47½ minutes Silas said. “In film (Friday)
games after scoring at least 10 2012-13, 24 percent shooting against the Rock-
on Thursday, they rarely I showed the last clip
points just five times in his first 17 more than ets last season. … Knicks centers
allowed the Heat to get a where there was 50 sec-
games. … Guard Eric Gordon has any other Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens
second shot. The Heat had onds on the clock, we
made 40.7 percent of his 3-point- player. Tuck- Noel are the only pair of team-
missed 43 shots. They got were down three and we
ers in his past 10 games. … Center er is ques- mates in the top 10 in blocked
the rebound on six of needed a stop. We did a
DeMarcus Cousins is average 13.1 tionable for shots. … Guard Immanuel Quickley
them. good job on Butler. Butler
points and 11.9 rebounds in his Saturday’s is fifth in the NBA in scoring among
In the final half minute, drove to his right. Shot
eight games as a starter. game. rookies, averaging 11.8 points per
with the Rockets down fake. Jae’Sean Tate went
game.
three and needing a pos- for the shot fake. John
INJURY/STATUS REPORT: session to try to tie the Wall went to help, con-
Rockets: Guard Victor Oladipo (right foot strain), center Christian Wood (sprained right game and complete a tested the shot. Shot goes
ankle), guard Dante Exum (right calf strain), guard Kevin Porter Jr. (assigned to G comeback from a 15-point up, and we didn’t get the
League) and forward K.J. Martin (assigned to G League) are out. Forward P.J. Tucker deficit, they twice gave up rebound. Then then get
(bruised left thigh) is questionable. Guard John Wall (sprained right ankle) is probable. defensive boards with the second shot, and we
Andre Iguodala coming didn’t get that rebound
Knicks: Center Mitchell Robinson (fractured right hand), Ignas Brazdeikis (assigned to
from behind Rockets either.
the G League), Jared Harper (transferred to the G League) and Frank Ntilikina (health
guard Sterling Brown to “When we’re small, it’s
and safety protocols) are out.
back-tap the rebound. very important that we’re
Jonathan Feigen
That forced the Rockets to physical, to box out, to
foul Jimmy Butler to stop have everybody partici-
the clock with Butler icing pate in the rebounding
swelling. the most games in the frontcourt with center the win. game because that was
Forward P.J. Tucker NBA since returning to the Christian Wood out, the “We got to crash,” two huge ones we needed.
did not practice Friday league in the 2012-13 sea- Rockets will sign center Brown said. “We got to When we’re small it’s
and is questionable to son. Ray Spalding off their G take on that challenge, throughout the game we
play Saturday with a League affiliate’s roster to box out, finish the play. have to really concentrate
bruised thigh. He has Center will sign a two-way contract, a Me in particular, the last on being physical and
never missed a game in person with knowledge of two possessions, they got going to get the ball with
his four seasons with the two-way contract the move said. The Rock- rebounds and tip-outs all five guys.”
Rockets and has played Needing help in the ets will waive guard Bro- because I didn’t box out Jonathan Feigen
C6 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HHHH

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NBA RICE WOMEN 64, WESTERN KENTUCKY 55

Doncic gets 46 in win

DALLAS — Luka Doncic
scored a career-high 46
points, Kristaps Porzingis
added 36 and the Dallas
Mavericks overcame Zion
Williamson’s career-best
36 points in a 143-130 victo-
ry over the New Orleans
Pelicans on Friday night.
Williamson set a New
Orleans franchise record
by making all 10 of his
shots in the first halfand
finished 14 of 15.

SPURS 125, HAWKS 114

DeMar DeRozan scored
23 points and San Antonio
beat Atlanta on the road.
Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
BLAZERS 129, CAVS 110 Mavericks guard Luka Doncic scored a career-high
Gary Trent Jr. had 26 46 points and added 12 assists and eight rebounds.
points and hosting Port-
land handed Cleveland NBA AT A GLANCE
their sixth straight loss.

LAKERS 115, GRIZZLIES 105 WESTERN CONFERENCE Photos by Brett Coomer / Staff photographer
W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away Conf
Anthony Davis scored Center Nancy Mulkey, left, had 22 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks in a win
Utah 21 5 .808 _ 9-1 W-6 11-2 10-3 10-3
35 points, Lebron James to help her team improve to 7-0 in Conference USA and 11-1 overall.
L.A. Lakers 21 6 .778 1
⁄2 8-2 W-7 9-4 12-2 14-4
added 28 points and 9

Mulkey, Owls survive

L.A. Clippers 19 8 .704 2 1⁄2 6-4 W-2 8-4 11-4 12-5
rebounds, and Los Angeles
Phoenix 15 9 .625 5 7-3 W-4 8-4 7-5 9-7
defeated visting Memphis.
Portland 15 10 .600 5 1⁄2 6-4 W-3 8-5 7-5 6-6
San Antonio 15 11 .577 6 7-3 W-1 7-8 8-3 11-11

Hilltoppers in return
JAZZ 129, BUCKS 115
Denver 14 11 .560 6 1⁄2 6-4 W-2 7-6 7-5 10-9
Rudy Gobert had 27 Golden State 14 12 .538 7 6-4 W-2 9-5 5-7 9-7
points and 12 rebounds, Dallas 13 14 .481 8 1⁄2 5-5 W-4 6-7 7-7 7-9
and Utah beat Milwaukee Sacramento 12 13 .480 8 1⁄2 7-3 L-2 7-8 5-5 6-9
at home for its sixth
straight victory.
Memphis 10 11 .476 8 1⁄2 5-5 L-1 4-7 6-4 4-6 Langley ‘so proud’ of team’s ‘grit’ in 1st game in 27 days
New Orleans 11 14 .440 9 1⁄2 6-4 L-2 7-5 4-9 6-10
Houston 11 14 .440 9 1⁄2 5-5 L-4 5-6 6-8 8-10 By Ryan Herrera
MAGIC 123, KINGS 112
Oklahoma City 10 15 .400 10 1⁄2 4-6 L-3 3-8 7-7 5-12 STA F F W R I T ER
Nikola Vucevic scored Minnesota 6 20 .231 15 2-8 L-4 4-8 2-12 4-13
42 points and matched his No matter who you are, a
EASTERN CONFERENCE
career high of six 3-point- 27-day layoff between
W L Pct GB L10 Str Home Away Conf
ers as visitng Orlando beat games is going to bring
Philadelphia 18 8 .692 _ 7-3 L-1 11-2 7-6 15-4
Sacramento. some rust.
Milwaukee 16 10 .615 2 6-4 L-2 9-2 7-8 12-5
Brooklyn 15 12 .556 3 1⁄2 6-4 W-1 11-5 4-7 10-9 Heading into Friday, Rice
NUGGETS 97, THUNDER 95
Boston 13 12 .520 4 1⁄2 4-6 L-1 6-4 7-8 10-7 women’s basketball sat at
Nikola Jokic finished an Indiana 13 13 .500 5 4-6 W-1 7-8 6-5 8-7 the top of the Conference
assist shy of a triple-dou- Charlotte 13 14 .481 5 1⁄2 6-4 W-1 8-7 5-7 9-9 USA West division with a 6-0
ble, scoring 22 points and Toronto 12 14 .462 6 5-5 L-1 6-5 6-9 9-7 conference record. Western
grabbing 13 rebounds to New York 12 15 .444 6 1⁄2 4-6 W-1 5-6 7-9 9-9 Kentucky found itself in
help Denver rally for a win Miami 11 14 .440 6 1⁄2 5-5 W-4 7-7 4-7 7-11 fourth in the East, holding a
over host Oklahoma City. Atlanta 11 14 .440 6 1⁄2 3-7 L-2 6-8 5-6 7-7 5-5 record in conference
Chicago 10 15 .400 7 1⁄2 3-7 L-1 4-9 6-6 5-7 play.
PISTONS 108, CELTICS 102
Orlando 10 17 .370 8 1⁄2 3-7 W-1 5-8 5-9 7-10 On paper, the Owls (11-1,
Saddiq Bey scored 30 Cleveland 10 17 .370 8 1⁄2 2-8 L-6 7-7 3-10 8-9 7-0 C-USA) shouldn’t have
points, hitting his seventh Detroit 7 19 .269 11 4-6 W-1 5-8 2-11 5-11 had much trouble taking a
3-pointer with 39 seconds Washington 6 17 .261 10 1⁄2 3-7 L-2 2-9 4-8 4-13 very winnable home game.
to play after Boston cut a But the Hilltoppers (6-11, 5-6)
13-point fourth-quarter Results/schedule
gave them fits, not allowing
lead to three, and visting Thursday’s results Saturday’s games Rice to build a double-digit
Detroit beat the Celtics. Boston 120, Toronto 106 Philadelphia at Phoenix, 2 p.m. lead for the first 30 minutes Guard Destiny Jackson (5) grabs one of Rice’s 11 total
Miami 101, Houston 94 Indiana at Atlanta, 6:30 p.m. steals during the second half at Tudor Field House.
Indiana 111, Detroit 95 Houston at New York, 7 p.m.
of the game.
CLIPPERS 125, BULLS 106
Golden State 111, Orlando 105 Brooklyn at Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Still, the Owls showed
Kawhi Leonard scored Portland 118, Philadelphia 114 Miami at Utah, 8 p.m. why they continued to get deep) and in the paint. from the other team (as
33 points, Lou Williams Friday’s results Sunday’s games The Associated Press poll She had 22 points in the well),” Langley said, “so can
and Marcus Morris came Charlotte 120, Minnesota 114 Boston at Washington, Noon votes during the extended first 20 minutes, including you continue to build on
up big in the fourth quar- New York 109, Washington 91 Minnesota at Toronto, 6 p.m. absence, picking up a 64-55 three different stretches those moments. I thought
ter, and Los Angeles beat San Antonio 125, Atlanta 114 New Orleans at Detroit, 6 p.m.
Dallas 143, New Orleans 130 San Antonio at Charlotte, 6 p.m. win in their return to the with six-straight Hilltopper we did a good job of that in
Chicago on the road. L.A. Clippers 125, Chicago 106 Portland at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. court. points as Western Kentucky the second half.”
Detroit 108, Boston 102 Milwaukee at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. “Western Kentucky is a took a 35-34 lead at half- From there, the defense
HORNETS 120 Denver 97, Oklahoma City 95 Memphis at Sacramento, 8 p.m.
TIMBERWOLVES 114 Utah 129, Milwaukee 115 Orlando at Phoenix, 8 p.m.
great team. I thought they time. put the clamps on the Hill-
Terry Rozier scored 41 Orlando 123, Sacramento 112 Cleveland at L.A. Clippers, 9 p.m. came out prepared and real- Once Elgedawy went qui- toppers.
points, and rookie LaMelo
Portland 129, Cleveland 110 L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9 p.m. ly played well today,” coach et in the third quarter, After Smith’s assist to
L.A. Lakers 115, Memphis 105
Ball had 20 points and 11 Tina Langley said. “I think it though, Rice began to take Mulkey, Western Kentucky
rebounds to help host took us a little bit to get our advantage. never got the lead under
Charlotte beat Minnesota.
KNICKS 109, WIZARDS 91 points and 18 rebounds as rhythm going and find our Mulkey came out of the three points again. Rice
Julius Randle had 24 New York cruised past way, and I thought we did a gate with four quick points pushed the lead to eight by
host Washington. nice job of making a few ad- to take back the lead. Then, the end of the third, and the
justments and honestly just with Rice up by just one at Owls outscored the Hilltop-
getting comfortable being the 7:20 mark in the third, pers 12-11 in the fourth to
NBA BOX SCORES back out there again.” Jasmine Smith stole the ball close out the win.
Nancy Mulkey, who was near the top of the key, split “It’s been a long time
Knicks 109, Wizards 91 3-point goals: New Orleans 17-37 (Bledsoe 4-4, 0-0 2. Totals 42-92 19-27 115. recently named a semifinal- two defenders and found a since we’ve been on the
New York: Bullock 2-7 0-0 6, Randle 8-15 6-7 24,
M.Robinson 5-6 0-4 10, Barrett 3-13 2-2 8, Payton
Ingram 4-9, Ball 4-10, Redick 3-5, Lewis Jr. 1-2,
Hart 1-5), Dallas 25-45 (Porzingis 8-13, Doncic 5-8,
Utah: Bogdanovic 3-10 2-2 9, O’Neale 0-4 0-0 0,
Gobert 9-12 9-13 27, Ingles 8-11 4-4 27, Mitchell 6-
ist for the Becky Hammon wide-open Mulkey below court, and what a joy to be
6-12 0-0 12, Knox II 0-1 0-0 0, Noel 2-5 0-1 4, Pinson Finney-Smith 4-5, Brunson 2-2, Kleber 2-5, Harda- 20 13-14 26, Favors 5-5 0-0 10, Niang 2-2 0-0 5, Oni Mid-Major Player of the Year the basket for the easy back,” Langley said. “…
0-0 0-0 0, Toppin 4-5 0-0 8, Gibson 2-5 2-2 6, Burks way Jr. 2-6, Burke 1-2, Richardson 1-3). Re- 0-0 0-0 0, Clarkson 10-18 1-1 25. Totals 43-82 29-34
0-3 0-0 0, Quickley 5-15 4-4 16, Rivers 0-0 1-2 1, bounds: New Orleans 38 (Hernangomez 9), Dallas 129. Award, nearly put up a trou- score. These young women have
37 (Doncic 8). Assists: New Orleans 31 (Ball 7),
Rose 7-11 0-0 14. Totals 44-98 15-22 109.
Washington: Bertans 2-6 3-4 9, Hachimura 4-11 2-2 Dallas 30 (Doncic 12).
Milwaukee
Utah
31 21 30 33 — 115
35 34 27 33 — 129
ble-double with 22 points, That play, which put the been through a lot this sea-
10, Len 4-7 0-0 8, Mathews 4-13 2-2 14, Westbrook Clippers 125, Bulls 106 3-point goals: Milwaukee 12-33 (Lopez 3-9, Craig 10 rebounds and eight Owls up 40-37, was one of son, and I’m just so proud of
10-22 3-6 23, Avdija 3-9 1-2 8, Brown Jr. 3-7 2-2 10,
Wagner 0-0 0-0 0, Lopez 2-6 1-2 5, Neto 2-5 0-0 4,
L.A. Clippers: Batum 2-4 2-2 7, Leonard 14-21 4-5
33, Ibaka 4-9 0-0 9, Beverley 2-4 1-2 6, Jackson 5-11
2-2, Middleton 2-4, G.Antetokounmpo 1-2, Augus-
tin 1-4, DiVincenzo 1-4, Forbes 1-4, Portis 1-4),
blocks. the few that showcased how their resiliency, they’re grit
Smith 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 34-89 14-20 91.
New York 30 23 26 30 — 109
0-0 11, Mann 3-4 1-1 7, Morris Sr. 6-10 2-2 20, Ka- Utah 14-38 (Ingles 7-9, Clarkson 4-11, Bogdanovic Raneem Elgedawy (6-4) good this team can be when and focus and determina-
bengele 0-1 0-0 0, Zubac 5-6 2-3 12, Kennard 1-3 1-5, Mitchell 1-9, O’Neale 0-3). Rebounds: Mil-
Washington 23 19 22 27 — 91 0-0 3, L.Williams 8-13 0-0 17. Totals 50-86 12-15 waukee 33 (G.Antetokounmpo 15), Utah 46 (Gob- looked undeterred by Mul- the offense is firing on all tion to stay the course.”
ert 12). Assists: Milwaukee 19 (G.Antetokounmpo
3-point goals: New York 6-24 (Randle 2-3, Bull-
ock 2-5, Quickley 2-7, Burks 0-2, Gibson 0-2),
125.
Chicago: P.Williams 1-5 1-2 3, Temple 4-8 0-0 10, 6), Utah 22 (Mitchell 8). key’s 6-foot-9 frame cylinders. Both teams will meet
Washington 9-34 (Mathews 4-10, Brown Jr. 2-5, Gafford 0-1 2-2 2, LaVine 11-21 0-0 26, White 7-14
Magic 123, Kings 112 throughout the first half, “I think that big moments again at Tudor Fieldhouse
Bertans 2-6, Avdija 1-5, Hachimura 0-2, Westbrook 0-0 17, Young 6-11 2-2 14, Felicio 0-0 0-0 0, Kornet
0-4). Rebounds: New York 65 (Randle 18), Wash- 3-6 0-0 7, Arcidiacono 0-2 0-0 0, Mokoka 0-0 0-0 0,
Orlando: Clark 2-4 0-0 6, Ennis III 3-5 4-5 10, Vucevic
17-22 2-3 42, Bacon 3-8 4-4 11, Carter-Williams 7-
knocking down shots from come in games, but big mo- at 4 p.m. Saturday to close
Satoransky 5-8 7-7 17, Valentine 3-9 2-2 10. Totals
ington 46 (Westbrook 9). Assists: New York 22
(Rose 6), Washington 20 (Westbrook 10). 40-85 14-15 106.
16 6-8 21, Okeke 1-4 0-0 2, Ross 7-20 0-0 18, Bamba both outside (2-for-4 from ments are going to come out the back-to-back.
2-6 0-0 5, Birch 4-6 0-0 8. Totals 46-91 16-20 123.
L.A. Clippers 30 28 32 35 — 125
Hornets 120, Timberwolves 114 Chicago 25 29 24 28 — 106
Sacramento: Barnes 4-9 3-4 13, Robinson III 1-5 0-0
Minnesota: Edwards 9-21 1-1 21, Okogie 2-4 2-2 6, 3, Holmes 4-8 2-2 10, Haliburton 6-12 0-0 14, Hield
Towns 9-18 2-2 25, Beasley 12-21 0-0 31, Rubio 2-8 3-point goals: L.A. Clippers 13-30 (Morris Sr. 6-8, 7-15 0-0 19, Bjelica 5-8 4-5 15, James 0-0 0-0 0,
1-1 5, Jad.McDaniels 3-7 1-2 9, Reid 3-7 1-2 7, Van- Kennard 1-2, Batum 1-3, Ibaka 1-3, Jackson 1-3,
L.Williams 1-3, Leonard 1-6), Chicago 12-32 (La-
Jeffries 3-7 0-0 6, Whiteside 7-7 2-4 16, Guy 1-5 2-2
4, Joseph 5-7 1-2 12. Totals 43-83 14-19 112.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
derbilt 1-1 0-2 2, McLaughlin 3-6 0-0 6, Nowell 1-6
Vine 4-7, White 3-8, Temple 2-3, Valentine 2-6, Orlando 33 31 33 26 — 123

Rice comes up short in

0-2 2. Totals 45-99 8-14 114.
Charlotte: Hayward 5-21 2-2 14, Rozier 13-20 9-9 41,
Zeller 7-8 2-2 17, Ball 8-15 2-2 20, Graham 4-10 0-0
8, Biyombo 2-3 0-0 4, Bridges 3-6 4-4 11, Monk 2-7
0-0 5. Totals 44-90 19-19 120.
Kornet 1-3, Arcidiacono 0-2, Satoransky 0-2). Re- Sacramento 33 26 28 25 — 112
bounds: L.A. Clippers 37 (Batum, Leonard, Morris
3-point goals: Orlando 15-34 (Vucevic 6-8, Ross
Sr. 6), Chicago 41 (LaVine 9). Assists: L.A. Clip-
4-10, Clark 2-4, Bamba 1-2, Carter-Williams 1-3,
pers 20 (L.Williams 5), Chicago 24 (Satoransky 7).
Bacon 1-5, Okeke 0-2), Sacramento 12-33 (Hield

loss at Western Kentucky

Minnesota 30 29 26 29 — 114 Pistons 108, Celtics 102 5-12, Barnes 2-4, Haliburton 2-6, Joseph 1-2, Rob-
Charlotte 25 35 30 30 — 120 Detroit: Grant 5-16 3-3 15, Griffin 4-11 1-2 12, Stew- inson III 1-2, Bjelica 1-3, Guy 0-2, Jeffries 0-2). Re-
3-point goals: Minnesota 16-41 (Beasley 7-13, art 2-3 1-1 5, Ellington 1-9 3-4 5, Wright 7-9 7-8 22, bounds: Orlando 42 (Vucevic 9), Sacramento 42
Towns 5-8, Jad.McDaniels 2-4, Edwards 2-6, Ok- Bey 10-12 3-3 30, J.Jackson 3-9 7-9 14, Mykhailiuk (Bjelica 9). Assists: Orlando 25 (Carter-Williams
ogie 0-2, Rubio 0-3, Nowell 0-4), Charlotte 13-36 2-7 0-0 5, Smith Jr. 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 34-79 25-30 7), Sacramento 33 (Haliburton 7).
(Rozier 6-10, Hayward 2-6, Ball 2-8, Bridges 1-3, 108.
Trail Blazers 129, Cavaliers 110
Monk 1-3, Graham 0-5). Rebounds: Minnesota 40
(Towns 8), Charlotte 55 (Ball 11). Assists: Minne-
Boston: Ojeleye 3-5 1-2 9, Tatum 9-22 12-13 33,
Theis 4-12 3-4 11, Brown 11-21 4-7 27, Pritchard 1-5
Cleveland: Okoro 0-1 0-0 0, Prince 2-5 0-0 4, Drum- BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Dosunmu, who had 22 of Women
sota 28 (Rubio 9), Charlotte 20 (Hayward 5). 0-0 2, Green 3-3 1-2 7, Thompson 2-5 0-0 4, Wil-
mond 3-9 2-3 8, Garland 7-16 0-0 17, Sexton 8-16
8-9 25, Osman 0-1 0-0 0, Stevens 3-8 4-6 10, Win-
Charles Bassey had 18 his 31 points after halftime, NO. 2 CONNECTICUT 64
liams 0-0 1-2 1, Edwards 0-2 0-0 0, Teague 3-7 0-0
Spurs 125, Hawks 114 8. Totals 36-82 22-30 102.
dler 4-10 2-2 12, Wade 1-1 0-0 3, Allen 7-12 8-15 22, points and 12 rebounds and opened overtime with a GEORGETOWN 40
San Antonio: DeRozan 7-11 9-10 23, Johnson 8-11 Dotson 3-8 2-2 9. Totals 38-87 26-37 110.
2-2 20, Poeltl 7-7 0-114, Murray 7-13 0-0 16, White
Detroit 27 27 28 26 — 108 Portland: Covington 1-3 0-0 3, Jones Jr. 1-2 3-4 5, Taveion Hollingsworth and layup and 3-pointer to send Christyn Williams had 19
Boston 23 29 20 30 — 102
3-5 3-4 11, Bates-Diop 0-2 3-4 3, Gay 2-10 0-0 5,
Lyles 0-0 0-0 0, Vassell 1-5 0-0 3, Walker IV 4-10 2-2 3-point goals: Detroit 15-38 (Bey 7-7, Griffin 3-6,
Kanter 9-11 3-3 21, Lillard 7-16 6-6 20, Trent Jr. 8-12
6-6 26, Anthony 7-13 6-8 23, Giles III 2-5 2-2 6, Elle-
Josh Anderson contributed Illinois to its fifth consec- points and the Huskies
11, Eubanks 1-2 3-4 5, Mills 4-6 1-1 12, Weather- Grant 2-7, Mykhailiuk 1-4, J.Jackson 1-5, Ellington by 1-3 0-0 3, Hood 2-5 0-0 4, Little 1-3 0-0 2, Si- 17 points each as Western utive win. Kofi Cockburn won at Washington for
spoon 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 45-85 23-28 125. 0-7), Boston 8-27 (Tatum 3-7, Teague 2-3, Ojeleye mons 4-10 4-4 16. Totals 43-83 30-33 129.
Atlanta: Collins 3-11 2-2 9, Reddish 2-8 2-5 6, Cape- 2-4, Brown 1-4, Edwards 0-2, Pritchard 0-3, Theis Cleveland 23 29 25 33 — 110 Kentucky built an early added 21 points and 13 their sixth consecutive
0-4). Rebounds: Detroit 44 (Bey 12), Boston 44
la 7-11 0-0 14, Huerter 2-8 0-0 5, Young 8-15 7-8 25,
Gallinari 1-4 0-0 2, Hill 0-4 2-2 2, Fernando 2-3 2-4 (Tatum 11). Assists: Detroit 25 (Wright 7), Boston
Portland 34 39 27 29 — 129 lead and held on to defeat rebounds for the Illini (14-5, victory.
3-point goals: Cleveland 8-23 (Garland 3-6, Win-
6, Knight 2-4 2-2 6, Okongwu 1-1 4-4 6, Goodwin 15 (Tatum 7).
dler 2-7, Sexton 1-2, Dotson 1-4), Portland 13-35 Rice 77-71 in a Conference 10-3). Williams sparked a 16-2
4-8 2-4 13, Mays 7-10 2-2 20, Snell 0-3 0-0 0. Totals Nuggets 97, Thunder 95
39-90 25-33 114. Oklahoma City: Bazley 2-9 2-2 7, Williams 3-8 0-0 7,
(Trent Jr. 4-6, Simons 4-9, Anthony 3-7, Elleby 1-2,
Covington 1-3, Lillard 0-6). Rebounds: Cleveland
USA game on Friday night. Nebraska (4-12, 0-9) lost run that put the Huskies
San Antonio 36 41 33 15 — 125 Horford 6-15 1-2 16, Diallo 6-15 3-4 16, Dort 6-14 41 (Windler 10), Portland 45 (Kanter 13). Assists: Travis Evee had a game- its 26th straight Big Ten (16-1, 13-0 Big East) ahead to
Atlanta 29 19 24 42 — 114 2-3 15, Jackson 7-11 3-3 20, Miller 0-4 0-0 0, Roby Cleveland 20 (Sexton 5), Portland 16 (Lillard 9).
3-point goals: San Antonio 12-31 (Mills 3-5, 3-5 1-2 7, Muscala 3-8 1-1 7. Totals 36-89 13-17 95.
Lakers 115, Grizzlies 105
high 19 points and Quincy game. stay.
Johnson 2-3, Murray 2-3, White 2-3, Vassell 1-3,
Walker IV 1-5, Gay 1-6, Bates-Diop 0-2), Atlanta
Denver: Millsap 6-10 0-0 12, Porter Jr. 7-13 0-0 15,
Jokic 9-16 2-2 22, Barton 4-8 0-0 10, Murray 8-19
Memphis: Anderson 2-7 2-2 6, Brooks 5-13 0-0 12, Olivari netted 18 for the
Valanciunas 9-13 3-4 22, Allen 8-13 1-1 23, Morant UTSA 84
11-32 (Mays 4-5, Goodwin 3-5, Young 2-6, Collins 3-4 22, Green 1-7 0-0 2, Nnaji 0-1 0-0 0, Campazzo
7-18 7-8 22, Tillman 3-5 0-0 8, Dieng 1-1 1-2 3, Owls (12-9, 6-7 C-USA), who NO. 8 UCLA 69, UTAH 58
1-3, Huerter 1-3, Hill 0-2, Knight 0-2, Reddish 0-2, 0-2 0-0 0, Hampton 3-6 0-2 7, Morris 2-5 2-2 7. FLORIDA ATLANTIC 80
Gallinari 0-3). Fouled out: San Antonio 1 (Weath- Totals 40-87 7-10 97.
Jones 3-8 0-0 6, Konchar 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 39-80 fell behind by 10 points Michaela Onyenwere
erspoon), Atlanta None. Rebounds: San Antonio Oklahoma City 28 25 26 16 — 95
15-19 105.
early and never caught the Jhivvan Jackson had 30
L.A. Lakers: Davis 16-27 3-4 35, James 9-15 9-14 28, had 25 points and seven
46 (Poeltl 12), Atlanta 42 (Capela 11). Assists: Denver 16 24 30 27 — 97 Gasol 2-5 0-0 6, Caldwell-Pope 1-2 0-0 3, Schroder
Hilltoppers (14-4, 7-2). points as the Roadrunners
San Antonio 27 (DeRozan 8), Atlanta 22 (Huerter 3-point goals: Oklahoma City 10-32 (Jackson 3-5, 1-4 0-0 2, Kuzma 8-14 2-2 20, McKinnie 1-2 0-0 2, rebounds in the Bruins’
4). Horford 3-8, Diallo 1-2, Bazley 1-3, Dort 1-5, Miller Harrell 4-8 6-10 14, Caruso 1-4 0-0 2, Cook 0-0 0-0 edged the Owls at San
Mavericks 143, Pelicans 130 0-3, Muscala 0-4), Denver 10-40 (Murray 3-11, Bar- 0, Horton-Tucker 0-2 0-0 0, Matthews 0-2 3-3 3. victory at Salt Lake City.
New Orleans: Ingram 11-23 4-4 30, Williamson 14-15 ton 2-3, Jokic 2-7, Hampton 1-4, Porter Jr. 1-6, Mill- Totals 43-85 23-33 115. NO. 6 ILLINOIS 77 Antonio.
8-11 36, Adams 2-4 0-0 4, Ball 4-12 0-0 12, Bledsoe sap 0-2, Green 0-4). Fouled out: Oklahoma City 1 Memphis 31 28 23 23 — 105
NEBRASKA 72 (OT) Jacob Germany scored a
5-7 2-3 16, Hernangomez 4-8 2-3 10, Hart 2-8 1-2 6, (Diallo), Denver None. Rebounds: Oklahoma City NO. 10 ARIZONA 60
Lewis Jr. 2-5 0-0 5, Redick 4-8 0-0 11. Totals 48-90 49 (Williams 11), Denver 41 (Jokic 13). Assists:
L.A. Lakers 16 30 41 28 — 115
Ayo Dosunmu scored the career-high 26 points plus WASHINGTON ST. 51
Oklahoma City 26 (Williams 9), Denver 24 (Jokic 3-point goals: Memphis 12-29 (Allen 6-10, Till-
17-23 130.
Dallas: Finney-Smith 5-6 0-0 14, Kleber 2-6 0-0 6, 9). man 2-3, Brooks 2-4, Morant 1-4, Anderson 0-3, last 10 points in regulation 12 rebounds for UTSA (11-9, Cate Reese had 17 points
Jones 0-3), L.A. Lakers 6-30 (Gasol 2-5, Kuzma
Porzingis 13-21 2-4 36, Doncic 17-30 7-9 46, Rich- Jazz 129, Bucks 115 2-8, Caldwell-Pope 1-2, James 1-4, Matthews 0-2, for Illinois and the first five 7-6 Conference USA). and six rebounds, and the
ardson 3-6 4-4 11, Hardaway Jr. 3-8 0-0 8, Powell
0-0 0-0 0, Cauley-Stein 3-4 0-0 6, Brunson 4-5 3-4
Milwaukee: G.Antetokounmpo 12-20 4-6 29, Mid-
dleton 6-14 4-6 18, Lopez 8-18 4-6 23, DiVincenzo
Schroder 0-2, Caruso 0-3, Davis 0-3). in overtime, allowing the Kenan Blackshear scored Wildcats won at Tucson,
Rebounds: Memphis 33 (Valanciunas 8), L.A.
13, Burke 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 51-88 16-21 143.
New Orleans 34 31 36 29 — 130
2-9 0-0 5, Forbes 2-6 0-0 5, Craig 2-3 0-0 6, Portis Lakers 47 (Kuzma 10). Assists: Memphis 31 (Mo- Fighting Illini to turn back a career-high 20 points for Ariz.
7-13 0-0 15, T.Antetokounmpo 0-0 0-0 0, Adams rant 10), L.A. Lakers 26 (James 8).
Dallas 27 42 39 35 — 143 0-0 0-0 0, Augustin 2-7 7-9 12, Connaughton 1-2 host Nebraska’s upset bid. the Owls (8-8, 3-4). From wire reports
 HHHH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | C7
TENNIS | ETC.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Child of Bills, Sabres owners moves on

A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS Czech said. “I was actually get-
ting, like, happy yesterday morn-
MELBOURNE, Australia — It’s a ing that I’m finally going to play
long way from Buffalo, N.Y., to the on a bigger court and there’s go-
second week of a Grand Slam, ing to be a crowd. But unlucky
which may be why Jessica Pegu- now for five days here. Hopefully
la’s journey took a while. then it’s going to be back again.”
The 61st-ranked Pegula Muchova waged her comeback
reached the fourth round at the against a fellow Czech and former
Australian Open by drubbing world No. 1.
Kristina Mladenovic 6-2, 6-1 on “I’m a little sad,” Muchova said.
Saturday. “We are very good friends. But it’s
Even Pegula, 26, seemed sur- a game, so I’m definitely happy I
prised by her best career showing made it through. I think we were
at a major tournament. She beat both a little nervous.”
two-time Australian champion Pegula will next play No. 5-
Victoria Azarenka in the first seeded Elina Svitolina, who beat
round, and has dropped a total of No. 26 Yulia Putintseva, 6-4, 6-0.
four games in the past two Pegula lost the first six points
rounds. but then began to dominate with
“I don’t really expect to be play- her versatile game. She hit 21 win-
ing this good next match,” Pegula ners to just 13 unforced errors and
said. won eight points at the net.
She’s a Buffalo native and the Pegula’s career has been
daughter of Terry and Kim Pegu- slowed by injuries, and her previ-
la, owners of the NFL’s Bills and ous best showing at a Grand Slam
NHL’s Sabres. She trains in Flori- tournament was a run to the third
da, and while there were no spec- round at last year’s U.S. Open.
tators at Melbourne Park to ap- Paul Crock / AFP via Getty Images “People still think I’m young;
plaud her latest win, she felt plen- At age 26, Jessica Pegula is focusing on having fun with tennis. Pegula’s previous best Grand Slam I’m not that young anymore,” she
ty of support from across the Pa- finish was a run to the third round at last year’s U.S. Open. said with a smile. “But because I
cific. was out at pivotal times when I
“Some in Buffalo, some in Flor- sponse to a COVID-19 outbreak at 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4. No. 25-seeded Karolina Mucho- was younger, these are all new ex-
ida — everyone is watching back a hotel. Up to 30,000 spectators On the men’s side, unseeded va staged an astounding second- periences.”
home and cheering for me,” she daily — 50% of capacity — had American Mackenzie McDonald set comeback from a 5-0 deficit in Maturity has changed Pegula’s
said, before adding with a laugh, been admitted on previous days. matched his best Grand Slam re- near silence, which only made perspective on her famous par-
“and happy the matches have Another American, No. 22- sult by reaching the round of 16 the turnaround seem more bi- ents’ role in her career.
been quick.” seeded Jennifer Brady, joined Peg- when he beat Lloyd Harris 7-6 (7), zarre as she beat No. 6 Karolina “When I was younger, I wanted
There were no fans in the ula in the round of 16 by beating 6-1, 6-4. In other men’s action, No. Pliskova 7-5, 7-5. to make a name for myself,” she
stands due to the start of a five- qualifier Kaja Juvan 6-1, 6-3. Brady 4 Daniil Medvedev held off a rally Muchova played in an empty said. “Then I realized, as I got old-
day lockdown imposed by the next takes on No. 28 Donna Vekic, by No. 28 Filip Krajinovic to win Rod Laver Arena. er, that I should embrace the fami-
Victoria state government in re- who rallied to beat Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-0. “It’s a big difference,” the ly aspect and have fun with it.”

NASCAR GOLF

Hamlin eyes 3rd

in row at Daytona
By Jenna Fryer show if he’s a contender
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS for his first Daytona 500
victory.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Kevin Harvick is looking
— Denny Hamlin, consid- to rebound after falling
ered perhaps the best short of the series title in
NASCAR driver without a last year’s nine-win sea-
Cup Series championship, son. He tweeted “She’s bad
can look past that hole on fast” about his Ford,
his record. He instead though it was Stewart-Haas
points to a pair of Southern Racing teammate Aric Al-
500 trophies, a Bristol mirola who won the first
night race victory, three qualifying race and said his
road course wins, six at Po- car is strong for Sunday.
cono and the big daddy of Austin Dillon won the
them all, the Daytona 500. second duel, setting him
Hamlin has won up for a possible second
NASCAR’s crown jewel, the Daytona 500 victory on
one race that can define a the 20th anniversary of
driver’s career, three dif- Dale Earnhardt’s death.
ferent times and the last Dillon drives Earnhardt’s
two years. On Sunday, he famed No. 3 on grandfa-
will attempt to become the ther Richard Childress’
first to win three consecu- team and understands
tive Daytona 500s, a feat how emotional a victory
that would forever dull the would be in that Chevrolet.
disappointment of his “It would be amazing
championship failures. and huge for the company,
“This is something that RCR and all the 3 fans out Steph Chambers / Getty Images
no one’s ever done be- there,” Dillon said. Jordan Spieth tees off on No. 8 during the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at Spyglass Hill
fore,” Hamlin said. “Other Dillon beat Bubba Wal- on Friday in Pebble Beach, Calif. Spieth shot 5-under 67 to lead Daniel Berger by one going into the weekend.
guys have won champion- lace to win his qualifying

Spieth leads by one at Pebble

ships, obviously. I would
want to do something no
one else has done.”
Hamlin is the 8-1 betting
favorite but the Daytona
500 can be a crapshoot,
particularly in NASCAR’s
condensed new schedule
forced by the pandemic.
Speedweeks at Daytona In-
ternational Speedway for
decades spanned nearly
two weeks but this year
was cut to just six days.
With only three practice
sessions and a pair of 150-
mile qualifying races,
there is no clear indication
who has cars capable of
winning the Daytona 500.
Hendrick Motorsports
swept the front row in
qualifying with Alex Bow-
man and William Byron,
but Byron crashed in the
qualifying race and will fall
to the back in a backup car
at the start of the 500.
Bowman had an engine
problem that will cost him
the pole if the motor needs
to be replaced.
Chase Elliott is the reign-
ing series champion but
hasn’t had enough time to
NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona 500
Sunday’s lineup
At Daytona, Fla.
Lap length: 2.5 miles
Car number in parentheses
1. (48) Alex Bowman C 17. (34) Michael McDowell
2. (24) William Byron C 18. (36) David Ragan
3. (10) Aric Almirola F 19. (77) James McMurray
4. (3) Austin Dillon
5. (20) Christopher Bell
C
T
6. (23) Bubba Wallace T 22. (17) Chris Buescher
7. (6) Ryan Newman F
8. (4) Kevin Harvick F
9. (22) Joey Logano F 25. (11) Denny Hamlin
10. (18) Kyle Busch T 26. (19) Martin Truex Jr.
race in a dramatic finish
that showed Wallace might
finally have the equipment
he needs to be competi-
tive. Wallace is the only
Black racer at NASCAR’s
top level and gained a na-
tional platform last season
for his outspokenness on
social justice issues.
He landed multiple
sponsors through his activ-
ism and Wallace brought
that funding to Michael Jor-
dan and Hamlin for the
launch of 23XI Racing.
Wallace expects Jordan
to demand results.
“He wants winning race
cars, he wants a winning
race driver and he took an
opportunity to invest in
me and he has seen some-
thing that sparked his in-
terest,” Wallace said.
“We’re just going to go out
and do what I know how to
do, not change up any-
thing, not try too hard be-
cause of MJ or because of
Denny or because of the
opportunity.”
11. (37) Ryan Preece C 27. (41) Cole Custer
12. (9) Chase Elliott C 28. (53) Joey Gase
13. (5) Kyle Larson C 29. (8) Tyler Reddick
14. (12) Ryan Blaney F 30. (14) Chase Briscoe
15. (99) Daniel Suarez
16. (7) Corey LaJoie
C
C
31. (43) Eric Jones
32. (15) Derrike Cope
F 33. (00) Quin Houff
F 34. (42) Ross Chastain
C 35. (51) Cody Ware
20. (1) Kurt Busch C 36. (38) Anthony Alfredo
21. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. C 37. (52) Josh Bilicki
F 38. (78) BJ McLeod
23. (21) Matt DiBenedetto F 39. (33) Austin Cindric
24. (2) Brad Keselowski F 40. (16) Kaz Grala
T
Key: C-Chevrolet; F-Ford; T-Toy-
T
ota.
By Doug Ferguson
A SSO C I AT ED P R E SS
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. —
Jordan Spieth took on a
bold tee shot and pulled it
off perfectly to set up bird-
ie. He hit a poor 3-wood
that went off a tree and
back into the fairway that
led to another.
Whether it’s good golf or
good breaks, it’s making
him feel a lot better about
his game at the AT&T Peb-
ble Beach Pro-Am. He shot
a 5-under 67 at Spyglass Hill
on Friday for a one-shot
lead over Daniel Berger go-
ing into the weekend.
“I like where things are
at,” Spieth said, referring to
more than his name atop
the leaderboard on the
weekend for the second
straight week.
Winless since his British
Open title in 2017 at Royal
Birkdale, Spieth wasn’t
sure if he was taking baby
steps or a giant leap. But
one week after relying so
much on his wizardry with
the wedge and putter, this
F was a steady diet of keeping
F the ball inside the tree-
C
F lined fairways of Spyglass,
C
C
reducing stress and making
C a few putts.
C
C
There was a 45-foot bird-
F ie putt he holed on the
F
F tough par-3 fifth hole. He al-
F so missed a few inside 10
C
feet, and his lone bogey was
a three-putt from 7 feet on
the par-5 first hole after he
made the turn.
“A little bit improved off
last week, which was the
goal this week, to just try
and feel like I’m getting bet-
ter each day,” said Spieth,
whose tie for fourth in
Phoenix was his best result
since May 2019. “I haven’t
made a ton of longer putts
… which is probably a really
good sign that I’m keeping
the ball in front of me and
striking it really nicely.”
Spieth was at 12-under
132, his first 36-hole lead
since Birkdale.
Berger shot a 66 at Peb-
ble Beach by going 2-3-2
along the ocean on a day
filled will sunshine and a
Pacific breeze. He holed 15-
foot birdie putts on the
par-3 fifth and par-3 sev-
enth holes, and in between
chipped in for eagle from
about 20 feet on the par-5
sixth.
“I didn’t make a bunch of
birdies in the middle of the
round and then hung in
there and toward the end
rattled off a couple and got
myself in a good position
going into Saturday,” Berg-
er said.
Henrik Norlander had a
70 at Spyglass and was at 10
under, while the group at 9-
under 135 included Patrick
Cantlay, whose record-ty-
ing 62 at Pebble Beach on
Thursday was quickly for-
gotten. His opening tee shot
at No. 10 on Spyglass hit a
tree and was never found,
sending him back to the tee.
He opened with a double
bogey and eventually got
those two shots back until a
three-putt bogey on the
par-3 third and pars the rest
of the way in.
Five-time champion Phil
Mickelson won’t be around
for the weekend, but he
went out in style. Mickelson
hit two shots in the ocean
on the 18th at Pebble Beach
and took a quadruple-bo-
gey 9 for an 80.
Spieth showed his level
of trust on the 17th hole, 325
yards with a sharp turn to
the left. Instead of laying
back with a fairway metal as
he often does, he took driv-
er to the front of the green,
leaving him a flop shot to 5
feet for birdie. Cantlay in
the group behind was too
far right, into a bunker
about 40 yards short, and
made bogey.
Spieth surged into the
lead with a gap wedge that
got the ridge perfectly on
the skinny green at No. 4,
and followed that with a 5-
iron to 45 feet, a birdie putt
helped by Rickie Fowler go-
ing first from the same line.
He reached the front of
the green on the par-5 sev-
enth with a hybrid for a
two-putt birdie, then fig-
ured his one miss off the tee
would cost him on No. 8.
“I hit the tree off the tee,”
he said with a smile. “I toed
a 3-wood and it came out in
the fairway and I hit a 7-iron
that happened to go right of
the right pin, below the
hole. That was a steal there,
for sure.”
Good breaks have been
hard to find for Spieth over
the last two years. He has
seen his share of shots that
hit the tree and carom out-
of-bounds, or tee shots that
bury in the rough instead of
sitting up.
“I’ll tell you what, it’s cra-
zy. You go on runs of cards
out here,” he said. “You get
good ones and then you go
on a bad run of cards. I’m
now hitting it and kind of
thinking it’s going to be a
good break again, which is
really nice.
“But you don’t rely on
that,” he added. “It’s just
when it happens, it’s obvi-
ously really nice.”
The cut was at 1-under 143
after 36 holes on Pebble
Beach and Spyglass. Only
two courses are being used
this year because the tour-
nament has no amateurs
(or spectators) due to CO-
VID-19 restrictions.
Fowler, who played
alongside Spieth and de-
fending champion Nick
Taylor (at 4-under 140),
shot 75 and missed the cut
for the second straight
week. Fowler has gone just
over a year since his last fin-
ish in the top 10.
C8 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HHHH

FOR THE RECORD Sports editor, reid.laymance@chron.com | 713-362-2734 | sptletters@chron.com @chronsports Houston Chronicle Sports

SCOREBOARD ON THE AIR AROUND SPORTS

America’s Line
Home team capitalized
NBA
Television
Boxing
Col. basketball
Top Rank program
Indiana at Ohio St.
ESPN
ESPN
9 p.m.
11 a.m. Tokyo Olympics chief
resigns over remarks
Favorite Pts O/U Underdog Col. basketball Loyola-Chicago at Drake ESPN2 11 a.m.
SUNS PK 227 1⁄2 76ers
Col. basketball Kansas St. at Oklahoma St. ESPNU 11 a.m.
Pacers 11⁄2 226 1⁄2 HAWKS
Rockets 11⁄2 NL KNICKS Col. basketball Connecticut at Xavier Fox 11 a.m.
Nets 3 NL WARRIORS Col. basketball Wake Forest at Florida St. FSSW 11 a.m.
JAZZ 7 NL Heat
Col. basketball Auburn at Kentucky CBS noon
NHL Col. basketball Vanderbilt at Mississippi St. SEC noon Former Japanese Prime ERA of 3.33 over 159 2⁄3
Favorite Odds O/U Underdog Col. basketball Butler at Georgetown CBSSN 12:30 p.m. Minister Yoshiro Mori innings in five seasons.
JETS
Blues
-$200/+$170
-$135/+$115
6 1⁄2
5 1⁄2
Senators
COYOTES
Col. basketball Boston College at Syracuse ACC 1 p.m. resigned as the chief of the • Lefthander Martin
Bruins -$135/+$115 5 1⁄2 ISLANDERS Col. basketball Tennessee at LSU ESPN 1 p.m. Tokyo 2020 Organizing Perez and the Boston Red
Lightning -$145/+$125 5 1⁄2 PANTHERS
MAPLE LEAFS -$120/even 6 Canadiens
Col. basketball Oregon at Arizona ESPN2 1 p.m. Committee after he made Sox finalized a $5 million,
PREDATORS -$175/+$155 5 1⁄2 Red Wings Col. basketball TCU at Texas LHN 1 p.m. sexist comments that one-year contract.
Hurricanes -$120/even 5 1⁄2 STARS Col. basketball Iowa at Michigan St. Fox 1:30 p.m.
BLACKHAWKS -$110/-$110 5 1⁄2 Blue Jackets added more troubles to Perez went 3-5 with a
Col. basketball Kansas at Iowa St. ABC 2 p.m.
Flames
Vegas
-$135/+$115
-$175/+$155
6
6 1⁄2
CANUCKS
SHARKS Col. basketball Saint Louis at Fordham CBSSN 2:30 p.m. the virus-delayed Olym- 4.50 ERA in the pandemic-
Col. basketball Georgia at Alabama SEC 2:30 p.m. pics. shortened 2020 season,
Col. basketball Duke at North Carolina St. ESPN 3 p.m. Mori, 83, announced he when he was the only
Colleges
Men’s basketball
Col. basketball Arkansas at Missouri ESPN2 3 p.m. was stepping down at an starter in the Red Sox
Friday’s results Col. basketball Northwestern at Rutgers Big Ten 4 p.m. emergency meeting of the rotation to make all 12 of
East Col. basketball Villanova at Creighton Fox 4 p.m. group held Friday, after he his scheduled starts.
Col. basketball Rice at Western Kentucky CBSSN 5 p.m.
Buffalo 86, W. Michigan 54 called his remarks “inap-
Canisius 74, Quinnipiac 67 Col. basketball North Carolina at Virginia ESPN 5 p.m. NFL
Iona 85, Manhattan 67
Col. basketball Gonzaga at San Francisco ESPN2 5 p.m. propriate,” and said he
Marshall 107, Middle Tennessee 79
Mass.-Lowell 79, Albany (NY) 71 Col. basketball Mississippi at South Carolina SEC 5 p.m. cannot be a hindrance to Yoshikazu Tsuno / AP
Jaguars coach
Merrimack 72, CCSU 52
Col. basketball UCLA at Washington Pac-12 6:30 p.m. Olympics preparations. Tokyo Olympics chief
Mount St. Mary’s 64, LIU 46
Robert Morris 88, Oakland 82 (2OT) Col. basketball Saint Mary’s at Pepperdine CBSSN 7 p.m. The former premier Yoshiro Mori announced Doyle resigns
St. Francis (Pa.) 80, St. Francis Brooklyn 66
Col. basketball Southern Cal at Washington St. ESPNU 7 p.m. touched off a global back- his resignation Friday. The Jacksonville Jaguars
South Col. basketball Providence at DePaul FS1 7 p.m.
Bellarmine 66, North Alabama 64 lash, a rare rebuke from and embattled strength
Col. basketball Colorado at California ESPNU 9 p.m.
Campbell 64, SC-Upstate 49 the International Olympic Cubs and was a key part of coach Chris Doyle parted
Charleston Southern 69, High Point 68 Col. basketball UNLV at Boise St. FS1 9 p.m.
Clemson 74, Georgia Tech 72
Col. basketball Utah at Stanford Pac-12 9 p.m. Committee and criticism the rotation that led them ways Friday night, a few
Hampton 62, Presbyterian 57
Jacksonville 66, Lipscomb 60 Col. basketball Cal.-Irvine at Cal.-Riverside ESPNU 11 p.m. from crucial sponsors such to their 2016 World Series hours after a respected
Liberty 73, North Florida 61
Longwood 78, Gardner-Webb 71 Col. hockey Wisconsin at Michigan Big Ten 1 p.m. as Toyota after making title, returns after a stint in diversity group blasted the
Louisiana Tech 70, UAB 58 Col. lacrosse Jacksonville at North Carolina ACC 5 p.m. derogatory remarks this Philadelphia, where he team and called the recent
Murray St. 80, SE Missouri 60
North Texas 65, Southern Miss. 49
Col. softball Kansas at LSU SEC 7 p.m. month about women, went 22-23 with a 4.36 hiring “simply unaccept-
Stetson 74, Kennesaw St. 61 Col. volleyball Penn St. at Minnesota (w) Big Ten 7 p.m. including saying they talk ERA after signing a three- able.”
UCF 53, Tulane 49
Fishing Bassmaster Elite Series FS1 7 a.m.
VCU 67, St. Bonaventure 64 too much in meetings. year, $75 million deal. Coach Urban Meyer
W. Kentucky 77, Rice 71 Golf AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Golf noon
Winthrop 55, Radford 47
CBS 2 p.m. Current Olympics Min- • The Minnesota Twins said Doyle resigned and he
Midwest Horse racing America’s Day at the Races FS2 1:30 p.m. ister Seiko Hashimoto, finalized their $6.25 mil- accepted.
Akron 83, Miami (Ohio) 76
Cincinnati 71, Temple 69
MMA UFC 258 undercard ESPN 7 p.m. one of only two women in lion, one-year contract “Chris did not want to
Detroit 89, Cleveland St. 83 Motor sports Xfinity qualifying FS1 10 a.m. the cabinet, is a possible with right-handed reliever be a distraction to what we
Green Bay 86, N. Kentucky 82 (OT)
IUPUI 89, Ill.-Chicago 69
Motor sports Daytona 500 practice FS1 11 a.m. candidate to replace Mori. Alex Colome. are building in Jackson-
Illinois 77, Nebraska 72 (OT) Motor sports Xfinity race FS1 4 p.m. The deal, which was ville,” Meyer said in a
UMKC 62, Nebraska-Omaha 52 Motor sports AMA Supercross NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
W. Illinois 75, Denver 69 BASEBALL agreed to last week, will statement.
Wright St. 92, Milwaukee 81 Pro basketball NBAGL: Austin vs. Erie NBA 10 a.m.
Youngstown St. 84, Fort Wayne 70 Pro basketball Philadelphia at Phoenix NBA 2 p.m. MLB revamps pay Colome a $5 million The Fritz Pollard Alli-
base salary for 2021 and ance, whose mission is to
Southwest
Arkansas St. 73, UALR 62
Pro basketball
Pro basketball
Rockets at New York
Brooklyn at Golden State
ATTSW
ABC
7 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
spring schedule includes a $5.5 million increase diversity in the
UTEP 75, FIU 59
UTSA 84, FAU 80 Pro hockey Ottawa at Winnipeg NHL 2 p.m. Major League Baseball option for 2022. NFL, ripped Jacksonville’s
West Pro hockey Montreal at Toronto NHL 6 p.m. revamped its spring train- Colome was the primary leadership, specifically
CS Bakersfield 76, UC San Diego 71 Pro hockey Carolina at Dallas FSSW 7 p.m. ing exhibition schedule ninth-inning pitcher for Meyer, and said racist
Portland St. 99, Simpson University 66 Pro hockey Calgary at Vancouver NHL 9 p.m.
Seattle 83, New Mexico St. 72 because of the pandemic, the White Sox the last two allegations at Iowa should
UC Davis 68, Long Beach St. 66 Soccer Liverpool at Leicester City NBCSN 6:30 a.m.
UC Riverside 86, UC Irvine 65 Soccer Burnley at Crystal Palace NBCSN 9 a.m. cutting travel for Florida- seasons, posting an 0.81 have disqualified Doyle as
Utah Valley 87, Dixie St. 72
Soccer Tottenham at Manchester City NBC 11:30 a.m. based teams in an effort to ERA and 12 saves in 21 a coaching candidate.
Women’s basketball Tennis Australian Open ESPN2 4 a.m. minimize coronavirus appearances in 2020. Meyer defended the
Friday’s results
Tennis 6 p.m. risks. • Well-traveled right- hiring of Doyle on Thurs-
East
Delaware 68, Drexel 60
ESPN2 8 p.m. College baseball teams handed reliever Dylan day, saying he “vetted him
Fordham 51, Saint Joseph’s 36 ESPN2 2 a.m. Sun. were dropped from the Floro was traded by the thoroughly along with our
George Washington 63, Duquesne 45 Track and field New Balance Indoor Grand Prix NBC 3 p.m.
Quinnipiac 67, Fairfield 55 revised schedules. Split- Los Angeles Dodgers to the general manager and own-
UConn 64, Georgetown 40 Radio squad games also were Miami Marlins for lefty er.”
South Col. basketball TCU at Texas 790 AM 1 p.m.
FAU 72, UTSA 59 Col. basketball Villanova at Creighton 610 AM 4 p.m.
eliminated. reliever Alex Vesia and Iowa agreed to pay
High Point 103, Radford 73
Pro basketball Rockets at New York 740 AM, 790 AM 7 p.m. In other news: pitching prospect Kyle Doyle $1.1 million in a resig-
La Salle 55, Davidson 46
Louisiana Tech 75, UAB 51 In Spanish 1010 AM • The Chicago Cubs are Hurt. nation agreement last June
UT Martin 56, Austin Peay 51
UTEP 76, FIU 64
bringing Jake Arrieta Floro, 30, went 3-0 with after more than a dozen
Wright St. 66, N. Kentucky 50 back on a one-year, $6 a 2.59 ERA in 25 games last former players said he
Midwest million deal. year for the World Series bullied and discriminated
California Baptist 82, Rio Grande 61
Dayton 72, Richmond 54
North Shore 75, Humble 48
Summer Creek 72, C.E. King 69
Columbus
Carolina
15
11
7
8
5
3
3
0
17
16
45
39
50
30
Arrieta, who won the champions. He has also against them. Doyle de-
Drake 83, S. Illinois 54
IUPUI 72, Youngstown St. 65 District 23-6A Chicago 15 6 5 4 16 44 47 2015 National League Cy pitched for the Rays, Cubs nied the allegations.
Dallas 11 5 3 3 13 37 30
Loyola of Chicago 67, Evansville 49 Alvin 50, Taylor 33 Nashville 14 6 8 0 12 34 48
Young Award with the and Reds, and has a career From wire reports
Missouri St. 69, Illinois St. 52 Strake Jesuit 72, Elsik 40
N. Iowa 73, Bradley 72 Detroit 15 3 10 2 8 29 49
Oakland 83, Milwaukee 82 (OT) District 24-6A West GP W L OT Pts GF GA
Saint Louis 66, VCU 50 Clear Falls 71, Clear Creek 69 St. Louis 14 8 4 2 18 47 44
UMKC 69, Nebraska-Omaha 59 Vegas 11 8 2 1 17 37 27
W. Illinois 85, Denver 68 District 24-5A Colorado 11 7 3 1 15 38 24
Marshall 75, Terry 61 Anaheim 15 6 6 3 15 30 39
Southwest
District 24-4A Arizona 13 6 6 1 13 35 37
North Texas 76, Southern Miss. 55
Minnesota 11 6 5 0 12 30 30
Rice 64, W. Kentucky 55 Sealy 43, Bellville 30
Texas State 66, Texas-Arlington 45 San Jose 12 5 6 1 11 34 46
Brookshire Royal 90, El Campo 55
UALR 70, Arkansas St. 63 Wharton 58, Navasota 37 Los Angeles 13 4 6 3 11 40 44
North GP W L OT Pts GF GA
West District 22-3A Toronto 14 11 2 1 23 52 36
Arizona 60, Washington St. 51 East Chambers 71, Anahuac 58 Montreal 14 8 4 2 18 50 38
CS Bakersfield 62, UC San Diego 38 Edmonton 16 9 7 0 18 55 52
Cal Poly 70, Cal St.-Fullerton 65 (OT) District 23-3A
Winnipeg 13 8 4 1 17 46 36
Colorado 66, Southern Cal 56 Tarkington 39, Anderson-Shiro 34
Calgary 13 7 5 1 15 39 34
Hawaii 72, UC Santa Barbara 62
New Mexico St. 64, Seattle 49 District 28-3A Vancouver 17 6 11 0 12 51 66
UCLA 69, Utah 58 Vanderbilt Industrial 57, Columbus 55 Ottawa 15 2 12 1 5 32 63
Utah Valley 63, Grand Canyon 51 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime
Washington 50, Arizona St. 35 Girls basketball loss.
Bi-district playoff pairings Friday’s results
Class 6A Boston 1, N.Y. Rangers 0
Golf Region II
St. Louis 4, Arizona 1
Saturday’s games
PGA Tour Ottawa at Winnipeg, 2 p.m.
Westfield vs. College Park
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am 1 p.m. Saturday at Westfield HS Vegas at San Jose, 3 p.m.
Friday’s second round Oak Ridge 52, Aldine Davis 17 Boston at N.Y. Islanders, 6 p.m.
At Pebble Beach, Calif. Klein Oak 37, Bridgeland 34 Montreal at Toronto, 6 p.m.
Jordan Spieth ........................................65-67—132 Spring 44, Conroe 32 Tampa Bay at Florida, 6 p.m.
Daniel Berger.........................................67-66—133 Cypress Springs 53, Klein Collins 39 Carolina at Dallas, 7 p.m.
Henrik Norlander ...................................64-70—134 Langham Creek 64, Klein Cain 38 Columbus at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Patrick Cantlay ......................................62-73—135 Grand Oaks 41, Aldine MacArthur 25 Detroit at Nashville, 7 p.m.
Tom Lewis .............................................66-69—135 Tomball Memorial 48, Cypress Lakes 43 St. Louis at Arizona, 7 p.m.
Paul Casey.............................................68-67—135 Calgary at Vancouver, 9 p.m.
Russell Knox ..........................................66-70—136 Region III Washington at Buffalo, postponed
Brian Stuard...........................................66-71—137 Tompkins 68, Travis 37 New Jersey at Philadelphia, postponed
Maverick McNealy..................................68-69—137 Cinco Ranch 57, George Ranch 38 Minnesota at Los Angeles, postponed
Cameron Percy ......................................67-70—137 Memorial 71, Bellaire 43
Nate Laley .............................................65-72—137
Tom Hoge ..............................................67-70—137
Clear Springs 59, Alief Taylor 28
Atascocita 67, Channelview 32
Tennis
Akay Bhatia...........................................64-73—137 Shadow Creek 78, Clear Falls 44 Australian Open
Jason Day ..............................................69-69—138 Heights 80, Cypress Ridge 48 at Melbourne, Australia
Will Gordon ...........................................66-73—139 Beaumont West Brook 41, Dobie 39 Friday’s results
Patton Kizzire ........................................69-70—139 Clear Creek 52, Pearland 48
Jason Dufner..........................................68-71—139 Dickinson 47, Dawson 44 Men’s singles
Matt Jones.............................................67-72—139 Jersey Village 60, Westside 36 Third round
John Senden..........................................70-69—139 Summer Creek 81, Pasadena Memorial 37 Grigor Dimitrov (18), Bulgaria, def. Pablo Carreno
Cameron Tringale ..................................67-72—139 Dulles 65, Katy 39 Busta (15), Spain, 6-0, 1-0, ret.
Scott Brown ..........................................69-70—139 Deer Park 51, North Shore 41 Alexander Zverev (6), Germany, def. Adrian Man-
Max Homa.............................................69-70—139 Ridge Point 66, Seven Lakes 60 narino (32), France, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.
Francesco Molinari.................................69-70—139 Cypress Creek 109, Lamar 38 Dusan Lajovic (23), Serbia, def. Pedro Martinez,
Vincent Whaley......................................68-71—139 Spain, 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-1, 6-4.
Scott Stallings .......................................69-71—140 Class 5A Aslan Karatsev, Russia, def. Diego Schwartzman
Vaughn Taylor........................................67-73—140 (8), Argentina, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Troy Merritt............................................71-69—140 Region II
Milos Raonic (14), Canada, def. Marton Fucsovics,
Nick Taylor .............................................69-71—140 Huntsville 66, Texarkana Texas 49 Hungary, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Jim Furyk ...............................................71-69—140 Felix Auger-Aliassime (20), Canada, def. Denis
Kyle Stanley ..........................................70-70—140
Region III
Shapovalov (11), Canada, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3.
Bronson Burgoon...................................68-72—140 Angleton 64, Sterling 50 Dominic Thiem (3), Austria, def. Nick Kyrgios, Aus-
Mark Hubbard .......................................66-74—140 Foster 109, Northside 22 tralia, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.
Branden Grace .......................................71-69—140 A&M Consolidated 53, New Caney 39 Novak Djokovic (1), Serbia, def. Taylor Fritz (27),
Hank Lebioda ........................................70-70—140 Barbers Hill 59, La Porte 56 United States, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2.
Sebastian Cappelen ..............................75-65—140 Manvel 77, Nederland 44
Ben Taylor .............................................68-72—140 Kingwood Park 45, Magnolia 28 Women’s singles
Peter Uihlein ..........................................69-72—141 College Station 69, Caney Creek 17
Third round
Kevin Streelman ....................................69-72—141 Fulshear 43, Madison 39
Aryna Sabalenka (7), Belarus, def. Ann Li, United
Tim Wilkinson ........................................67-74—141 Lamar Consolidated 80, Sharpstown 27
States, 6-3, 6-1.
Brendan Steele ......................................69-72—141 Friendswood 71, Crosby 50
Marketa Vondrousova (19), Czech Republic, def.
Pat Perez ...............................................69-72—141 Bryan Rudder 45, Lake Creek 28
Sorana Cirstea, Romania, 6-2, 6-4.
Ryan Moore............................................68-73—141 Beaumont United 75, Baytown Sterling 34
Garbine Muguruza (14), Spain, def. Zarina Diyas,
Matthew NeSmith .................................74-67—141 Kazakhstan, 6-1, 6-1.
Charley Hoffman ...................................69-72—141 Class 4A Serena Williams (10), United States, def. Anasta-
Brian Harman ........................................67-74—141 sia Potapova, Russia, 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Region III
Doug Ghim .............................................69-72—141 Hsieh Su-wei, Taiwan, def. Sara Errani, Italy, 6-4,
Chez Reavie............................................74-67—141 Navasota 68, Yates 40
2-6, 7-5.
Sung Kang .............................................73-68—141 El Campo 55, Washington 37
Naomi Osaka (3), Japan, def. Ons Jabeur (27), Tu-
Michael Thompson ................................67-74—141 Lumberton 60, Huffman Hargrave 38
nisia, 6-3, 6-2.
Cameron Davis.......................................74-67—141 Silsbee 42, Livingston 41
Simona Halep (2), Romania, def. Veronika Kuder-
Sam Burns.............................................72-70—142 Brookshire Royal 83, Worthing 27
metova (32), Russia, 6-1, 6-3.
Andrew Putnam ....................................72-70—142 Kashmere 62, Bellville 49
Iga Swiatek (15), Poland, def. Fiona Ferro, France,
Brian Gay ...............................................70-72—142 Region IV 6-4, 6-3.
Wes Roach .............................................71-71—142
Rob Oppenheim ....................................72-70—142 Brazosport 45, Corpus Christi Miller 33 Saturday’s results
Chris Kirk ...............................................69-73—142 Sweeny 70, Sinton 29
Joel Dahmen ..........................................71-71—142 Rockport-Fulton 64, La Marque 45 Men’s singles
C.T. Pan ................................................70-72—142 Beeville Jones 49, Stafford 35 Third round
Beau Hossler .........................................72-70—142 Mackenzie McDonald, United States, def. Lloyd
Ryan Armour .........................................70-73—143 Class 3A Harris, South Africa, 7-6 (7), 6-1, 6-4.
Will Zalatoris .........................................69-74—143 Region III Casper Ruud (24), Norway, def. Radu Albot, Mol-
Jo Teater................................................69-74—143 dova, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
Scott Piercy ...........................................69-74—143 Hitchcock 79, Hardin 51 Daniil Medvedev (4), Russia, def. Filip Krajinovic
Jhonattan Vegas....................................72-71—143 East Bernard 54, Trinity 29 (28), Serbia, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-0.
Scott Harrington ....................................72-71—143 Boling 54, Onalaska 33
Zack Sucher ...........................................72-71—143 Women’s singles
Region IV
DeJoseph Bramlett................................73-70—143 Third round
Columbus 32, Jourdanton 29
Elina Svitolina (5), Ukraine, def. Yulia Putintseva
Holes-in-one TAPPS 4-4A (26), Kazakhstan, 6-4, 6-0.
(Name, course, hole, yards, club) Karolina Muchova (25), Czech Republic, def. Karo-
Cody Manvel, Memorial Park, 2, 133, PW Magnolia Legacy Prep 35, Cypress Chr. 24
lina Pliskova (6), Czech Republic, 7-5, 7-5.
Gregg Wintner, The Woodlands CC, 6, 173, 3-hybrid Jessica Pegula, United States, def. Kristina Mlade-
novic, France, 6-2, 6-1.
High schools Hockey Jennifer Brady (22), United States, def. Kaja Ju-
Boys basketball NHL van, Slovenia, 6-1, 6-3.
East GP W L OT Pts GF GA Donna Vekic (28), Croatia, def. Kaia Kanepi, Esto-
Friday’s results nia, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Boston 13 10 1 2 22 40 26
District 13-6A Philadelphia 13 8 3 2 18 46 41
Woodlands College Park 82, Grand Oaks 45 Washington
N.Y. Islanders
12 6
12 5
3
4
3 15
3 13
44
28
45
31 Transactions
District 17-6A Pittsburgh 12 6 5 1 13 37 44 FOOTBALL
Cy-Fair 64, Stratford 54 N.Y. Rangers 13 4 6 3 11 31 34
New Jersey 9 4 3 2 10 23 26
NFL
District 18-6A CAROLINA PANTHERS: Released DT Woodrow Ham-
Buffalo 10 4 4 2 10 30 32
Westbury 75, Westside 43 ilton. Waived S Natrell Jamerson.
Central GP W L OT Pts GF GA HOUSTON TEXANS: Released DE J.J. Watt.
District 21-6A Tampa Bay 12 9 2 1 19 44 25 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Released OL Nick Easton
Kingwood 76, Atascocita 73 (OT) Florida 11 8 1 2 18 37 30 and TEs Jason Vander Laan and Cole Wick.
 STAR
HOUSTON CHRONICLE  SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2021  SECTION D HH

Houston Chronicle file

AT HOME

ARCTIC BLAST
By Melissa Aguilar
STA FF WRIT E R
Be prepared for freezing It’s time to prepare the garden
for temperatures that could
temperatures in the garden dip below the 20s. Use frost

W
ith our recent
spring-like
weather,
many Hous-
tonians have
been working in the garden.
Now there’s a hard freeze in our
forecast.
Best thing to do? Be prepared.
Warm days followed by a
really cold spell could damage
plants. Since they’ve already
started their growing season,
they are more vulnerable to the
cold. And with our mild winter,
some tender plants, such as
impatiens, are still blooming.
But they won’t like what’s com-
ing.
How bad will it be? “Look at
the hourly predictions, not just
the predicted low,” said Angela
cloth if possible, since it’s
designed for the job, but you
can also use sheets and
blankets.
Chandler, an instructor for Ur-
ban Harvest. “We often experi-
ence the maximum low for a
very short ‘dip’ that occurs just
before dawn. If the dips are
short, little damage may occur
because there is no holding time
in the tissues at or below 32
degrees.”
To prepare for a freeze, mulch
beds heavily with bark mulch,
pine needles or leaves. Then,
water well. This will help protect
roots and encourage regrowth,
and it may be adequate protec-
Houston Chronicle Staff tion for shrubs that can with-
A storm could leave ice covering plants throughout the Houston area. Freeze continues on D6

NATURE

Name that tune

By Gary Clark
CORRE SP ONDE NT
Birdsong fills the air
around Valentine’s Day as
male birds sing sonorous
melodies to woo females.
Spring is near, and it’s
time to get a mate. Hence,
a male eastern bluebird
perches on a nest box
with rich blue plumage
pulsating in the sunlight
and croons a lilting melo-
dy sounding like “tuu-oo-
lee.” It’s enough to melt a
female bluebird’s heart.
A male Carolina wren
in brown plumage perch-
es slyly in a flower bed,
belting out a voluble song
sounding like “teakettle-
teakettle-teakettle.” It’s
loud enough to be heard
by a female across the
street.
A male northern cardi-
nal spruced up in fire-
engine red perches boldly
atop a tree and sings an
exuberant melody sound-
ing like “dear-dear, pretty-
pretty-pretty.” What fe-
male would not be
charmed?
But we’re putting bird-
song in human terms. In
bird terms, songs are
complex messages critical
to survival.
While the male eastern
bluebird is indeed singing
to attract a mate, his song
is also meant to declare
ownership of a breeding
territory. His song further
assures a prospective
female that his staked-out
nest box overlooks a plen- Photos by Kathy Adams Clark / Contributor A Carolina wren’s song is loud enough
tiful food supply for her A male eastern bluebird sings from the to be heard by his female across the
Nature continues on D2 top of his nest box. street.
D2 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

STAR Senior Editor, melissa.aguilar@chron.com @MelissAguilar @PreviewHouston

FILM FESTIVAL

A year after COVID shutdown,

SXSW announces full virtual lineup
By Mark Olsen
L O S A N G E L E S TIME S
When the annual South by
Southwest event was canceled
by city officials in Austin one
week before it was set to begin
in March 2020, it was among
the earlier signs that the CO-
VID-19 pandemic was going to
have a major impact on the
entertainment industry and
many other aspects of American
life. While the SXSW Film Festi-
val scrambled to put on a lim-
ited online event in the wake of
the cancellation, one year later,
organizers have announced a
full program for their entirely
virtual 2021 edition, scheduled
to run March 16-20.
With a lineup that includes 75
features, down from more than
130 last year, SXSW continues to
reflect the moment we’re in and
the trend of pared-back, largely
virtual festivals. Organizers had
previously announced the event
would be online, and the festi-
val had a shortened submission
window.
“It’s just a very engaging
experience of trying to move
forward and then having to
readapt and readapt and re-
adapt,” Janet Pierson, the festi-
val’s director of film, said in an
interview this week about the
planning for this year’s event.
“And I noticed it with all our
industry partners, people we
spoke to, you could just see
people changing. Like, ‘We
would never do that’ and then a
Documentaries about Demi Lovato (“Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil”) and Tom Petty
(“Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free”) are among the films set to premiere at the South by
Southwest Film Festival this year.
month later they’re like, ‘OK,
we’re going to do this now.’
“It’s just everyone trying to
be humble about what they’re
learning and what they’re trying
and bringing this sort of beauti-
ful spirit of, ‘Let’s try to get to
the parts of this stuff that are so
important to us. Let’s find ways
to connect. Let’s try to find
ways to enjoy great work.’ And
it’s challenging every day.”
The 2021 edition will continue
the film festival’s strong connec-
tion to the SXSW music festival.
As previously announced, the
festival will open with the world
premiere of Michael D. Ratner’s
“Demi Lovato: Dancing With the
Devil,” a documentary look at
Associated Press
the pop singer’s near-fatal drug
overdose in 2018. The closing-
day premiere is “Alone Togeth-
er,” directed by Bradley Bell and
Pablo Jones-Soler, a portrait of
pop star Charli XCX recording
an album in quarantine. Also
screening as part of the Headlin-
ers section is “Tom Petty, Some-
where You Feel Free,” directed
by Mary Wharton and drawn
from newly discovered footage
of Petty recording his 1994 al-
bum, “Wildflowers.”
Eight films will play in the
festival’s narrative feature com-
petition. On the documentary
side, “Introducing, Selma Blair,”
directed by Rachel Fleit, is a
portrait of the actor pursuing a
risky medical procedure after
her diagnosis of multiple sclero-
sis. Brendan FitzGerald’s “The
Oxy Kingpins” examines the
opioid crisis. “Alien on Stage,”
directed by Danielle Kummer
and Lucy Harvey, is about a
group of British bus drivers who
stage an amateur theatrical
adaptation of Ridley Scott’s
“Alien.”
The festival will feature a
2020 Spotlight of nine films that
were slated to premiere as part
of last year’s event, including
Michael Parks Randa and Lau-
ren Smitelli’s “Best Summer
Ever,” Malcolm Ingram’s
“Clerk,” Elle Callahan’s “Witch
Hunt,” Tamara Saviano and Paul
Whitfield’s “Without Getting
Killed or Caught” and Justine
Bateman’s “Violet.”
The Sundance Film Festival
just released the numbers for its
mostly virtual 2021 event this
week, reporting an increase of
more than 2½ times the number
of views from its prepandemic,
in-person event last year.
More information about this
year’s SXSW Film Festival and
the full lineup can be found at
the festival’s website, sxsw.com

TELEVISION

‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘The Great North’ perfect the art of nice
By James Poniewozik
N EW YO RK TIME S
All it took to get me to appre-
ciate “Ted Lasso” was an assault
on American democracy.
Plenty of fans and fellow
critics had recommended the
comedy, based on an NBC
Sports promo sketch, about a
good-hearted, optimistic Kansas
football coach ( Jason Sudeikis)
who moves to London to man-
age a soccer team. When its first
season arrived on Apple TV+ last
summer, I found its early epi-
sodes chuckleworthy but noth-
ing compelling. It was … sweet, I
guess? Nice? Eh. I moved on.
Cut to January. A mob at-
tacked the U.S. Capitol, the
MyPillow guy was walking into
the White House with notes
about martial law and the once-
rote transfer of power became a
white-knuckle ride. On Jan. 20, I
spent a day writing about the
uneasy TV coverage of the inau-
guration, then a night reviewing
the prime-time inauguration
special, its notes of hope cut
with minor-key reminders of
strife and pandemic.
Too wound up to sleep, I
needed an antidote for all those
days of cable news doom-watch-
ing. I decided to give “Ted Las-
so” another shot.
It was … sweet. It was nice.
And God, did I need that.
The series, if you’re unfamil-
iar with it, puts a twist on its
trans-Atlantic, fish-and-chips-
out-of-water premise. Ted, it
turns out, has been hired under
false pretenses. The team own-
er, Rebecca (Hannah Wadding-
ham), wants to sabotage the
squad to spite her ex-husband,
Nick Mohammed, from left, Jason Sudeikis, and Brendan Hunt
star in “Ted Lasso.”
and she assumes that Ted is
fatally unprepared for the gig.
(She’s not wrong; by the end of
the season, he still doesn’t un-
derstand the soccer offsides
rule.)
But in this den of cynics and
prima donnas, the cheerfully
uncool Ted has a secret weapon:
his positivity.
His coaching strategy is not to
drill and demand but to teach
his losing players to believe in
themselves and each other. “You
beating yourself up is like
Woody Allen playing the clari-
net,” he tells a team leader after
a rough game. “I don’t want to
hear it.”
It’s as if, after years of vicious-
ness and chest-thumping in
public life, “Ted Lasso” intuited
that there was an audience for a
vision of Americanness that
wasn’t ugly, an example of mas-
culinity that wasn’t bellicose.
Apple TV+
“Nice,” I realize, can be a
backhanded compliment — for a
person or a show. Much critical-
ly acclaimed TV is a reaction
against the medium’s history of
phony inoffensiveness: “The
Simpsons,” against insipid fami-
ly comedies, “The Sopranos,”
against the ideas that people can
change and that evil is pun-
ished.
Nice is having a moment in
TV comedy. “Schitt’s Creek,” the
Canadian series about a dispos-
sessed wealthy family that finds
new purpose in a small town
(and another sitcom I’ve found
more lovable than sidesplitting),
won a mountain of Emmys last
fall. Series like “The Good
Place” and “Upload” have ex-
plored what it means to be good
by creating fictional afterlives.
It may be a comment on the
niceness deficit in the United
States that these shows are set
overseas or in remote idylls or
off the Earthly plane entirely —
as if setting a story of empathy
in familiar everyday America is
just too far-fetched. This Sun-
day, they’re joined by an ani-
mated family comedy, Fox’s
lovable “The Great North,” that
offers a version of Alaska Nice.
Alaska, in series like “North-
ern Exposure” and “Men in
Trees,” has often been TV’s
go-to haven for misfits and
dreamers too quirky for pop-
ulation-dense society. In “The
Great North” (which previewed
two episodes in January), the
delightful goofs are the Tobin
family, hanging together among
the moose and curling stones.
The family patriarch, Beef, is
played by Nick Offerman, who,
as gruff libertarian softy Ron
Swanson, helped define “Parks
and Recreation” as the ur-Nice
sitcom of the 2010s. Ron was
simultaneously a satire of ma-
chismo and a redefinition of it;
Beef, essentially, is that persona
in cartoon form.
Like his brother-in-hirsute-
ness Ted Lasso, Beef is a mascu-
line archetype detoxified. These
are Gen X children of the “Free
to Be … You and Me” and “Griz-
zly Adams” era, men who can
build a canoe or give a halftime
pep talk but still know that it’s
all right to cry.
Beef feels things deeply and
expresses them elliptically. He
demonstrates love through giant
breakfasts and safety tips. His
reserve comes from hard experi-
ence; his wife ran off with her
lover to Pennsylvania, after
which he told his four kids she
was mauled by a bear, a story
they all know is false and all
pretend to believe. “Perfect
system!” says Moon (Aparna
Nancherla), the youngest son.
“The Great North” is created
by Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie
Molyneux-Logelin, both writers
on “Bob’s Burgers,” along with
Minty Lewis. Like “Bob’s”
(whose oddball sweetness and
goggle-eyed art it shares), this is
a comedy about the sort of fami-
ly that gets mislabeled “dys-
functional” but is actually hy-
perfunctional.
So where some family sitcoms
draw conflict from the charac-
ters’ getting on one another’s
nerves, here it comes from their
closeness.
That closeness is complicated
by the family’s missing member,
Beef ’s ex-wife. Her abandon-
ment hangs over Beef and the
kids, especially his teenage
daughter, Judy ( Jenny Slate), the
focal character in the ensemble.
She turns to an imaginary best
friend and maternal figure,
Alanis Morissette (voiced by
Morissette), who appears to her
like an arctic sky goddess amid
the Northern Lights.
Beef also supports Judy, in his
woodsmanly way. In the Feb. 21
episode, they both make tenta-
tive steps toward dating, get
overcome by nerves and realize
that they’re still dealing with
trauma. But there’s nothing
wrong with them, Beef assures
her. “We’re great. We’re just also
picky and sensitive and a little
dramatic.”
It’s a positively Lassovian
sentiment, with an Alaskan
twist. Forgiving others and your-
self, “The Great North” suggests,
is more than just being nice. It’s
the key to wilderness survival.

NATURE based partly on the vigor of his

From page D1
chicks.
Yet northern cardinals and
Carolina wrens form lifelong
pairs, so why do males sing
mating songs? They’re perhaps
reassuring females that they’ve
laid claim to a nesting site and
inviting her to begin breeding.
More importantly, the male’s
springtime song enlivens the
female’s reproductive hor-
mones, whether or not the
birds are lifelong mates. For
birds that don’t form perma-
nent pair-bonds, the male be-
gins every spring with songs to
allure a new, or former, female
mate.
That’s the case with eastern
bluebirds. A male will sing his
heart out, while a female may
reject him for another male.
A female chooses a male
song. Vigorous singing means a
healthy male who will provide
strong genes for the female’s
chicks. And if the male’s song is
potent, he may also be a potent
defender of the nest.
Vibrant male plumage also
signals strong genes to the fe-
male. It tells her the male is well
fed and singing on a breeding
territory with good feeding
grounds to nourish her off-
spring.
We don’t speak bird lan-
guage, so let us be circumspect
in ascribing specific behaviors
to specific songs. After all, it
could be that birds sometimes
sing purely for joy.
Gary Clark is the author of “Book
of Texas Birds,” with
photography by Kathy Adams
Clark (Texas A&M University
Press). Email him at
Texasbirder@comcast.net.
Birdsong
• Songbirds utter complex vocal-
izations that include harmonious
whistles, trills, yodels and short
cheeping notes.
• Males are the songsters, but
females of some species, like
cardinals, also sing.
• Birdsong begins as air from the
lungs vibrates thin membranes
inside the syrinx, or voice box, at
the base of the windpipe.
• Muscles in the syrinx tense and
relax the membranes to produce
melodies and call notes.
• Birds can sing with closed
beaks because their songs are
shaped inside the syrinx, not
inside the oral cavity as with
humans.
• Nonsinging birds, like male
woodpeckers, utter a nonmusical
chatter and attract females by
Kathy Adams Clark / Contributor rhythmically drumming their
Northern cardinals form lifelong pairs. His song reassures the beaks on wooden or metal sur-
female that he has laid claim to a nesting site. faces.
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | D3
PUZZLES & TV
word slEuTh JumblE daily crossword
Find the listed words in the diagram. They run in all directions — forward,
backward, up, down and diagonally. ©2021 King Features Syndicate Inc.
ACROSS 49 “Henry & June” 18 Tiffs
1 Where to find an diarist 23 Move like a cat
Friday’s unlisted clue: BOBBY -- OR 50 Additional burglar
QUIVER. 6 “The Magic School characters, in 25 __ breve
Saturday’s unlisted clue gamerspeak
Bus” network 26 Jeans parts
hint: GARMENTS FOR
9 Retro finish 52 Chi preceder 27 Radio host Shapiro
THE FEET.
14 Implement 53 Would consider, 29 Sore
Allison associated with its after “is” 30 Oblong tomato
Bowden own age 56 Seatbelt campaign 32 1952 Winter
Darin 16 Impulse slogan
Olympics host
Fischer conductors 59 Variety show
Goldsboro 17 They may work on 60 Together 33 Really liked
Hull profiles 61 Hostile force something, man
Jindal 19 Jerks that surprise 62 Org. concerned 35 Priests, at times
Jones you with secrets 36 They’re usually
McFerrin 20 Lacto-__ vegetarian 63 Sculptor’s subject toward the front of
Orr an orch.
21 Fade
Pin
22 Prince __ Khan DOWN 38 “Brooklyn Nine-
Riggs
Unser 23 Austin festival, 1 Org. with red, Nine” title: Abbr.
Valentine briefly white and blue 42 Some choir
Vinton 24 Recent delivery trucks members
25 Sushi bar order 2 Pre-sign sign 45 Stravinsky’s “Le __
26 Consort of Shiva 3 Acting incentive du printemps”
28 Diwali garment 4 Not sitting well? 46 Talk show host
31 Strip often twisted 5 Wave generator? who voices the
sudoKu crypToquip 34 Stellar spectacles 6 Hawaiian fare adult Dory in
37 Cause of a faux 7 What might cause “Finding Dory”
Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter pas, perhaps you to forget your 48 Eschew the diner,
the numbers 1 to 9. ©2021 King Features Syndicate, Inc. stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal 39 Singer Adkins lines?
O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and maybe
words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. known by her first 8 Some Eastern
Solution is by trial and error. name Europeans 49 Wafer giant
40 Draft portmanteau 9 Couldn’t stand, 51 Foul film
©2021 King Features Syndicate, Inc.
41 Parks of Alabama maybe 53 Nebraska native
43 __ slicker 10 Turnoff 54 Pub order
44 Possessive 11 One who’s 55 Gustav Mahler’s
pronoun typically up composer brother
45 Body with arms, 12 Opener 57 Decoding need
usually 13 It can be fixed 58 Red Seal record
47 Riga resident 15 Univ. helpers label company

certain cake mix boxes: Betty Crocker spaniel.

©2021 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc. ANSWER: Dog-themed logo whose image always appears on

yEsTErday’s answErs LEATHER PRODUCTS

By Adrian Johnson and Jeff Chen ©2021 Tribune Content Agency 2/13/21

What
acEs on bridgE
By Bobby Wolff

to watch
Today’s hand was played in
the Transnational Teams at
the 2015 World Champion-
ships. Most declarers failed in
six hearts after the lead of the

SATURDAY
All times Central. Start times can vary based
on cable/satellite provider. Confirm times on
your on-screen guide.
Guy’s Ranch Kitchen
Food Network, 11 a.m.
Guy Fieri ropes his chef pals into a chocolate-
themed outing that features Rocco DiSpirito’s
lobster with white chocolate vanilla bourbon
gravy and Jet Tila’s mole-poblano chicken
wings. The one we’re saving room for:
Michael Voltaggio’s cocoa blackened steak.
30 Coins
HBO2, 11 a.m.
Ahead of February 15’s season finale on
HBO, binge the first seven episodes of
this Spanish-language fright-fest about a
badass exorcist (Eduard Fernandez) battling
supernatural terrors to find Judas’ blood
money first.
Death Saved My Life
Lifetime, 7 p.m.  Original Film
On the surface it seems Jade (Meagan
Good) has it all — a successful marketing
career, a husband admired and respected
in the community and a young daughter
they both dote on. But behind closed doors,
her life is far from idyllic. Her husband, Ed
(Chike Okonkwo), is a controlling man who
is physically and psychologically abusive.
When Jade decides to leave Ed, he tells her,
“If I can’t have you, nobody will,” a threat
that becomes very real when she discovers
he has hired someone to kill her. Knowing no
one will believe her, Jade realizes the only
‘Playing Cupid’
GEOFF NEUFELDT, CROWN MEDIA UNITED STATES LLC
NBA Basketball: teacher when the young girl begins a
matchmaking business for a school project.
Brooklyn at Golden State Stars Laura Vandervoort, Nicholas Gonzalez
ABC, 7:30 p.m. Live and Mia Quaranta De La Rosa.
Kevin Durant visits his former teammates
when the Brooklyn Nets are in San Francisco
Saturday Night Live
NBC, 10:30 p.m. Live
to face Steph Curry and the Golden State
Warriors. Oscar-, Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning
actress Regina King (Watchmen), who made
Playing Cupid her feature film directorial debut with the
current release One Night in Miami ... , makes
singleton diamond 10. They
won the lead in hand, drew one
round of trumps, then played
a spade, intending to ruff the
second spade in dummy. How-
ever, East produced the ace and
gave West a diamond ruff to set
the slam.
Geir Helgemo did much better.
After brushing aside East’s
psychic barrage while finding
out that West had no key-cards,
Helgemo faced the same dia-
mond lead. He played low from
the dummy, retaining the ten-
ace, and won in hand. He then
pulled two rounds of trumps,
unblocked the club honors, and
entered dummy with the heart the diamond lead was a single-
ace to pitch a spade on the club ton. Also, East was marked with
the spade ace on the bidding.
king. A club ruff was followed
by the remaining trumps, put- Thus, Helgemo had a road map
ting East under pressure. to his contract.
East could either reduce to one Even on a less informative
auction, other declarers might
spade and two diamonds — and
be thrown in to open the dia- have assumed that West would
scarcely lead a side-suit single-
monds — or bare his diamond
ton against a slam if he was
queen, which would fail since
looking at the spade ace. Given
declarer had a full count.
that inference, the winning line
Why did Helgemo play like this?
He supposed that West’s deci-
of play seems indicated.
sion not to lead the suit his side
had bid and raised suggested
lEad wiTh ThE acEs ANSWER: Opposite a game-
forcing two diamonds, you can
rebid three hearts to set hearts
as trumps, showing a solid or
semi-solid suit (ideally one miss-
ing only the ace or king) and
paving the way for cue-bidding.
You certainly want to play in
your own long suit and are
intending to ask partner for key-
cards if he owns up to a spade
control.
©2021 Dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS

way to escape Ed is to make him believe the Hallmark Channel, 8 p.m.  Original Film her SNLhosting debut tonight. She is joined by
hitman completed the job and that she is A modern-day Emma finds David Martinez musician Nathaniel Rateliff, making his first looKing bacK birThdays
dead. being secretly set up with his daughter’s appearance as SNL’s musical guest. 1991: during Operation Today’s Birthdays: Actor
Desert Storm, allied Kim Novak is 88. Actor
George Segal is 87. Talk
CATCH A CLASSIC salute to classic big-screen love stories warplanes destroyed an
show host Jerry Springer
continues with its second day, featuring Love underground shelter in
is 77. Singer Freedom
Affair (pictured) (1939), The Shop Around Baghdad that had been Williams is 55. Actor Kelly
TCM Romantic the Corner (1940), From Here to Eternity identified as a military
command center; Iraqi
Hu is 53. Rock singer Matt
Berninger (The National) is
(1953), Gigi (1958), Doctor Zhivago (1965),
Weekend Getaway Magnificent Obsession (1954), Roman officials said 500 civilians 50. Country musician Scott
TCM, all day were killed. Thomas (Parmalee) is 48.
Holiday (1953), Pillow Talk (1959), The Singer Robbie Williams
There may be more romance than your heart Goodbye Girl (1977), The Philadelphia 2000: Charles Schulz’s
is 47. Singer-songwriter
can take as TCM’s Valentine’s Day weekend Story (1940) and Woman of the Year (1942). RKO RADIO PICTURES final “Peanuts” strip ran in Feist is 45. R&B performer
Sunday newspapers, the Natalie Stewart is 42.
day after the cartoonist died Actor Mena Suvari is 42.
in his sleep at his California Michael Joseph Jackson
home at age 77. Jr. is 24.
D4 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

HOROSCOPES, ADVICE & COMICS

Bizarro
royal stars
Your Horoscope for Saturday, February
13
ARIES (March 21-April 19) HHHH
Old and poignant memories surface
today. A deep rapport with wild crea-
tures and the spirit of wilderness areas
prevails.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) HHHHH
After weeks of soul-searching, you come
to realizations today concerning your
wishes and goals. Romantic attachments
mother goose and grimm can deepen into true love.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) HHHHH
Today highlights your sector of fame and
fortune. You will yearn for success and
greater recognition.
CANCER ( June 21-July 22) HHHH
Important responsibilities need your
attention. Maintain a positive mental
outlook. Use diplomacy in all that you
say or write.
LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22) HHHHH
Shared monies, an inheritance and other
financial matters are a focus. Investigate
and gather information today.
hagar the horriBle
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) HHHH
Today highlights the future path of close
relationships and teamwork of all kinds.
Others will communicate their needs
and make suggestions. Listen carefully.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) HHHH
Surroundings affect your health. Avoid
people and places that make you feel
unwell.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) HHHHH
Today draws kindness and empathy
your way. Music and color can be power-
ful sources of inspiration. You encounter
creative new ideas from others.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
HHHH Today you are more of a home-
body than ever. Real estate transactions,
interior decorating and online family
gatherings are a focus.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) HHHH
A difficult co-worker can be a source of
concern. There is an accent on com-
munity service, politics and charitable
endeavors.
AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18) HHH
Exercise careful judgement regarding
a risky financial suggestion made by
another. Explore financial opportunities
and work on your budget.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) HHHHH
Intuitive, empathic and congenial, you
have a special ability to relieve the suf-
fering and anxieties of others. This you
do today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Feb. 13) Mag-
netic, brave and hardworking, you’re a
powerhouse of energy. You hit the ball
out of the park when young. If single,
emotionally volatile as you are, it’s
difficult to stay in a relationship. This
year, efficiency, clarity and propriety
allow you to meet The One. If attached,
individuality is still always essential.
SCORPIO can figure you out.
King Features Syndicate

Blondie

Brewster rockit: space Guy!

Beetle Bailey

garfield

Curtis

sherman’s lagoon

B.C.

dear aBBy

Dear Abby: Dear Abby:

My mom is mad at me. I
have been a little bad, but I
always do the dishes, sweep,
clear the table and take out
the trash. Every day when
school is finished, I wait for
ABBY
Mom to get off work so she
can help me with my home-
work, but when I do, she gets upset, mad
and frustrated and stops talking to me.
She tells me to do it myself, but I don’t
know how to do some. She says I’m
smart, but I don’t know if I am. Please
help me because I want my mom happy.
— Stuck Student in North Carolina
Dear Student:
Of course you do. When your mother
becomes frustrated while trying to assist
with your homework, the reason may
be she is stressed about something else
after a hard day at work, or she doesn’t
know the solution. Please take that into
consideration, because I have no doubt
you are smart and want to please her.
When you get stuck, ask your teacher
for help if he or she is available. If that
isn’t workable, another solution to your
problem may be as simple as your mom
finding someone who can tutor you in
areas you are weak in. High school and
college students do this (online for now)
for extra money. You may also find help
online with Khan Academy or other non-
profit educational organizations.
A couple of our family members ha-
bitually come late to gatherings, making
the grand entrance. They attended a
wedding shower several years ago. They
arrived late, ate the food and socialized
minimally. Just as the gifts were being
opened, the two of them got up, smiled rex MorGan, M.D.
at everyone and walked out. The rest of
us were shocked.
Fifteen months later, the two attended
a baby shower for the same relative.
Again, they arrived late and barely inter-
acted with anyone. When the meal was
served, they ate and, just as the presents
were about to be opened, they got up
and left. Several attendees commented
on their rudeness. How do you deal
with relatives who feel this is acceptable
behavior? We were brought up to believe
that if you attend an event, you stay for phantoM
the event, rather than eat and run. If you
can’t stay, don’t come.
Older family members are having a
hard time accepting their behavior. Are
we older folk out of step with today’s
society?
— Hates Rudeness in California
Dear Hates Rudeness:
The way to deal with this kind of
rudeness is to point out to the offenders
that what they are doing is disrespectful.
And if it happens after the warning, omit hoCus foCus
them from the guest list.
argyle sweater
www.DearAbby.com
Andrews McMeel Syndication

hints from heloise

Dear Readers: air swallowing), which can result in poor

Imagine if you had to eat
on all fours, with no knife
or fork. Would you rather
your supper dish be flat on
the floor or elevated a few
inches? Dollars to donuts, HELOISE
you’d say elevated.
Your dog would say the same. A dog
dish on the floor can present a lot of
problems for your dog: neck strain, joint
tension and arthritis pain, to name a few.
And it can lead to aerophagia (excessive
digestion.
What’s the solution? An elevated
supper dish can help. In addition to
shortening the reach for your dog, the
elevated dish can help kill kibble all over
the kitchen (not fun to step on), and the
scooting of the dish all over will cease
as well.
Ask your veterinarian what she thinks
of the elevated supper dish.
— Heloise
Heloise@heloise.com
King Features Syndicate
 HH Houston Chronicle | HoustonChronicle.com | D5
COMICS

famiLy CiRCus Ziggy Zits

mutts

WaLLaCe tHe BRave

PeaRLs BefoRe sWine

BaBy BLues

diLBeRt

Peanuts

BReaking Cat neWs

Luann

RHymes WitH oRange

HeaRt of tHe City

Wumo

Hi & Lois

CRanksHaft

BaLdo

funky WinkeRBean
Red & RoveR

f minus
saLLy foRtH
D6 | HoustonChronicle.com | Houston Chronicle HH

STAR

VALENTINE’S DAY

Spring forward with new

season of scents
By Greg Morago
STA F F W R I T ER

Whether you’re looking for a last-minute Valentine’s Day gift or simply looking forward to spring,
these scents can guide you into a new season of possibilities.

Sea change
Tom Ford’s new
Lion king Costa Azzurra
Le Lion de Chanel is captures a
named for founder Mediterranean mood
Gabrielle Chanel’s Leo in woodsy and
astrological sign, roaring watery ways with
with bergamot, lemon, notes of juniper,
patchouli and cypress, green
sandalwood; $200-$350 woods, oak, citrus
at Neiman Marcus and and salty sea air;
Chanel, Galleria. $134-$184 at
Nordstrom and Tom
Chanel Tom Ford Ford, Galleria.

Love is a rose
Miss Dior Rose
N’Roses features
sparkling Grasse
and Damascus
roses with hints of
bergamot,
geranium and
mandarin; $85 and
Marc Jacobs Jo Malone London $107 (a new roller
pearl, $39, just
Daisy chain Paradise found launched) at Dior,
Marc Jacobs’ limited-edition Daisy Marc Jacobs is Jo Malone London’s Yellow Hibiscus Cologne River Oaks District.
a spring burst of pink roses and rose wood spiced from its Blossoms collection is a tribute the state
with green cardamom; $86 and $100 at Macy’s. flower of Hawaii, drenched in tropical floral with
hints of lime and jasmine; $74-$144 at Jo Malone
River Oaks District and Galleria. Dior

Star struck
Bond No. 9 Feminine
Off-Broadway is a wiles
tribute to the love Summer Gucci puts a
of live theater loving new look on
bound up in a Escada Guilty Eau de
“floriental” scent Summer Festival Toilette Pour
that casts the captures Femme with a
limelight on summer in rose-gold
grapefruit and sparkling cherry redesign for its
black currant with blossom, green heady mix of
notes of lily, mandarin, mandarin, lilac,
osmanthus, vetiver, jasmine and peach and
musk and sandalwood; geranium
patchouli; $50-$84 at Ulta. warmed by
$260-$410 at Saks pink peppers,
Fifth Avenue. patchouli and
amber; $83-$110
Bond No. 9 at Dillard’s.
Gucci

Escada

Dream destinations
Creed’s Acqua
Isn’t it romantic? Originale Collection
Hugo Boss includes Green Neroli, a
celebrates romance celebration of
with Boss The Scent Mediterranean summer
Pure Accord for Her, with red mandarin,
an indulgent merger sweet orange, neroli,
of flower and wood carraway, rosemary and
featuring osmanthus lemon; $315 at
flower and sparkling creedboutique.com and
bergamot grounded Neiman Marcus in April.
by a base of musk;
$85-$108 at Macy’s. greg.morago@chron.com

Hugo Boss Creed

FREEZE fabric will hold the heat, but

From page D1
stand freezing temperatures —
including roses, azaleas, abelias,
boxwoods, hawthorns, holly,
ligustrum, loropetalum, nandi-
na, wax myrtle and yaupon.
Temperatures in the low 20s,
and possibly into the teens, are
forecast early next week. Azaleas
and camellias are already bud-
ding, and the blooms could die
at these temperatures, so they
will need cover.
“Frost cloth is best because it
is specifically designed to do this
job, but you can also use sheets
and blankets,” Chandler said.
Look for protective row cov-
ers, or frost cloth, at garden
centers. If you use blankets, you
may need supports so you don’t
crush the plants.
A sheet of plastic over the
don’t let the plastic touch the
plants or it will burn the foliage.
Weigh the covers down with
bricks or stones. Putting a bucket
of water under the cover can
help keep plants warm, accord-
ing Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
experts.
Remove the covers as temper-
atures rise during the day so the
sun can warm the soil. Then
reapply the covers at night if
freezing weather is still in the
forecast.
It’s a good idea to cover bed-
ding plants also. If temperatures
drop into the low 20s, even snap-
dragon blooms may show dam-
age. Alyssum, calendula, cycla-
men, dianthus, pansies, petu-
nias, stock and primrose blooms
should be able to tolerate short
drops into the 20s without cover.
Some plants — such as duran-
ta, angel’s trumpet and hibiscus
Freeze tips for the home
John Moore Services offers homeowners these tips to protect against
roots lack the insulation of the
earth, they can get much colder
than in-ground plants.
freeze damage:
If you have a sprinkler system,
Protect your pipes: Wrap outdoor pipes and faucets in rags, foam or
turn it off and drain it, then
other insulating material and secure with duct tape.
cover it with a towel or blanket.
Protect your plants and pets: Pets must be brought inside, along
After the freeze, don’t remove
with potted plants. Drape a cloth over outside plants to prevent ice
the frost or ice. Let plants warm
crystals. Watering your plants before it gets cold can also help.
up on their own. Raising the
Run your heater: Test run your heater for at least five minutes to temperature too quickly could
ensure it’s in good condition. hurt the plant’s cell tissues. Go
Run your faucet: In older homes especially, it is important to main- ahead and remove soggy plant
tain circulation of water in the home by leaving one faucet lightly material from impatiens and
running. begonias, but leave shrubs and
Turn off the sprinkler system: Turn off the water valve to the sprin- woody plants alone. Leaving
kler and drain the system to help prevent water expanding and dam- dead limbs and foliage at the
aging vulnerable parts of the system. tops of plants will help protect
the lower leaves and branches.
Delay pruning the damaged
wood until the threat of frost is
— may lose their leaves and tops well-watered, but not saturated. over.
in a hard freeze. These should If your hibiscus or plumeria is And hold off on your Valen-
return from the roots in spring if in a container, move it indoors or tine’s Day rose pruning until this
adequately mulched. Loquats to the garage. You may want to freeze danger is past.
and oleander can be damaged by move all your containers into the
the cold, too; keep the roots garage. Because potted plants’ melissa.aguilar@chron.com