GREG ABBOTT'S GUN LAW AVOIDANCE STRATEGY

By Zachary B. Wolf, CNN/StyleMagazine.com Newswire

Steven Spainhouer is a Second Amendment supporter and a gun owner. But after pulling a bloody child out from under a dead adult -- one of eight killed at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday -- he's ready for a new national assault weapons ban.

"I hear our governor talking about mental health issues," Spainhouer said of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a Monday appearance on "CNN This Morning."

"We're always going to have mental health issues. But if we don't do something about the guns, the people-killing guns, then we're going to continue to have the same thing happen," Spainhouer said.

"Until we take some definite actions, we're changing the narrative about it being just a mental health issue and start doing something about the guns," he added.

He equated the kind of imposition an assault weapons ban places on individual rights to limits on certain types of speech. Watch the interview with Spainhouer.

Shootings are the 'noise of daily life'

Rather than moving toward a new assault weapons ban, Americans almost seem used to mass shootings. They are "part of the background noise of daily life," CNN's Stephen Collinson wrote last week after a mass shooting in Atlanta.

"They are part of the national reality -- almost like bad weather -- that causes people to shudder and hope it doesn't affect their neighborhoods or their families before they carry on with their lives."

If the shootings feel somehow normal, so do the post-shooting promises from politicians.

What is the root cause?

As Spainhouer noted, Abbott returned to his familiar post-shooting refrain that it's not gun laws that are needed, but a focus on mental health.

"We've seen an increased number of shootings in states with easy gun laws as well as states with very strict gun laws," Abbott, a Republican, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Abbott said there's an increase in "anger and violence" and the root cause is "mental health problems."

Admitting that Texas has lagged in mental health for years, he said the state has increased funding over the past three years.

"The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue," Abbott said.

It's an argument that also quietly acknowledges the fact that most gun deaths in Texas are suicides.

But while Abbott argued, correctly, that mass shootings can happen in any state, what he failed to mention is that that there are just simply more gun deaths, including suicides, in states with more lax gun laws. We looked at that data in this newsletter almost exactly a year ago after the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Another Texas Republican, Rep. Keith Self, also blamed mental health during an interview on CNN on Saturday.

"We have people with mental health, though, that we're not taking care of," said Self, who represents the Dallas suburb of Allen in Congress. "Since this nation made the decision that we were going to close the mental health institutions, many of these situations are based on that."

Read the full story at StyleMagazine.com.

Tsu Aviation Program Reaching New Heights With Approval Of Training Facility At Houston Spaceport

Houston City Council Approves Agreement Allowing Houston Airports To Develop A

2-ACRE SITE INTO AN AERONAUTICAL HUB TO BE USED BY TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

Houston Airports continues to invest in aviation by supporting the next generation of aeronautical professionals with an innovative learning environment.

On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, Houston City Council gave final approval and authorized a binding memorandum of agreement between Houston Airports and Texas Southern University. The agreement will span five years and will include the creation of an Aviation Education Facility at Ellington Airport. The 2-acre facility will include:

22,000 square foot aircraft hangar

20,000 square feet of aircraft apron

7,200 square feet of office and training/classroom space

12,000 gallon above-ground aviation fuel tank

Vehicle parking

“The City of Houston is proud of its partnership with Texas Southern University, and we are excited to witness the aviation students’ education and careers take flight. The air transportation industry in Houston and across the United States is growing and provides career opportunities for those with the skills needed to succeed,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “Earlier this year, the City provided $1 million in seed money to create a transformational health center at TSU. This project also will transform lives and help students prepare for the future.”

More than 500 aviation and aerospace-related companies operate in Houston. More than 23,000 aerospace and aviation professionals call Houston home. Texas Southern University currently offers a program in aviation science and technology. Success and increased student interest are why TSU needs to expand its aviation training program. Houston Airports is supporting TSU in realizing its goal. Houston Airports, the Aviation Department of the City of Houston, has agreed to plan, design and construct an aeronautical hangar.

“Houston Airports is honored to invest in and inspire the next generation of aviation professionals,” said Mario Diaz, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports. “The facility at Ellington Airport continues the illustrious story of Houston’s aeronautical history. More than 100 years ago, farmers watched the U.S. Army carve runways through rice fields so the nation’s first pilots could train for World War I. Decades later, NASA chose Ellington Airport to train for the Apollo Lunar landing. Soon, students at Texas Southern University will apply the crucial lessons learned at Ellington Airport to revolutionize the aviation industry.”

Houston Airports will invest up to $5 million to build the facility. It will be constructed on approximately two acres of land that is accessible to an existing taxi-lane connector at Ellington Airport. Because TSU is an accredited university, the Federal Aviation Administration allows Houston Airports to charge a reduced annual rent of $60,000 to lease the facilities. If the lease is extended beyond the initial five-year period, full market rate rent shall be charged. There is no impact to the City of Houston’s fiscal budget.

“The Aviation Science Management program at Texas Southern University is thankful for this investment the City of Houston and Houston Airports are making in our students and in the future of aviation” said Executive Director of Aviation Dr. Terance Fontaine. “Likewise, we appreciate the unwavering support our program has received from President Lesia Crumpton-Young, Regent James Benham and the entire Board of Regents to get us to this point. We are honored to be the first tenants in this new lease space. This opportunity provides an enhanced environment for student learning opportunities as we work to address our nation’s critical aviation needs. Furthermore, it provides space for our fleet of eight aircraft to be housed inside and protected from weather conditions, thus allowing us to preserve them for extended use.”

SNAP/EBT dependent families in the Second Ward can now access their benefits online thanks to a new service launched by Little Red Box Grocery (LRB), a community market located in East End Houston. The new feature also allows SNAP recipients to double every dollar spent on fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables when using the Double Up Food Bucks (DUFB) program with in-store purchases.

LRB is now one of five independent grocery stores in Texas to offer online access for SNAP/EBT purchases. “I believe implementing solutions like SNAP/EBT online and Double Up Food Bucks will lower barriers in terms of grocery shopping convenience and contribute to improving the health outcomes of Second Ward residents,” says Sam Newman, LRB owner. Rapidly densifying cities, like Houston, mean more corner stores with unhealthy product assortment and less traditional grocery stores with fresh food. Newman adds, “Often, our customers are just coming in for one or two essential items - a loaf of bread, milk, or some vegetables, and if we weren’t here, they tell us they’d need to take two buses to get to a store, or they’d just go without.”

“With 14% of Texas households considered “food insecure,” (CBPP), it's never been more important to have community markets such as LRB. Our mission at the Sustainable Food Center is to transform the food system to nourish our health, land, and livelihood. By partnering with LRB, we're able to increase the purchasing power of families on SNAP and expand access to fresh, nutritious food,” says the food access director at Texas’ Sustainable Food Center, Hannah Thornton.

Read more at StyleMagazine.com

Houston First Corporation will spotlight the essential role travel and tourism play in driving growth and innovation as part of National Travel and Tourism Week. Now in its 40th year, the annual industry tradition takes place May 7-13 and was established by the U.S. Travel Association to celebrate the value travel brings to local economies, businesses, and individuals. This year, Houston joins other industry leaders in highlighting how integral travel is to every industry through the theme #TravelForward.

Nationwide, travel serves as a catalyst for a productive U.S. economy and helps power the success of other industries. The U.S. travel industry generated a $2.6 trillion economic output in 2022 and supported 15 million jobs, fueling communities, small businesses and working families across the country.

In Houston, travel and tourism infuses nearly $17 billion dollars into the city’s annual economy and account for more than 120,000 jobs.

Tasked with marketing Houston as a premier destination among the world’s best cities, Houston First Corporation was pleased to see Houstonians valuing and supporting this effort.

“As the sixth largest sector in our region, travel and hospitality is big business here in Houston,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First Corporation. “What this most recent OmniTrak data tells us is that Houstonians understand the value of travel and hospitality and what it brings to our community. It is our job to ensure this industry has the support it needs to thrive and continue to enhance the economy of Houston. That’s our focus this National Travel and Tourism Week and every day at Houston First.”

A 2023 Community Sentiment Report by OmniTrak Research Group revealed Houstonians felt the travel and tourism industry enhanced their quality of life.

Key Takeaways:

With a Net Community Sentiment (NCS) Score of 71%, perceptions of travel and tourism in Houston are positive with the number of residents who hold a positive view greatly outnumbering those with a negative view of tourism in their city. By comparison, NCS among Houston residents notably outpaces that of the U.S. overall average of 64%.

Tourism’s impact on Creating jobs and employment opportunities (82%), Funding new community venues (78%), and Generating local tax income

TOURISM GENERATES ECONOMIC IMPACT OF $17B AND 120K JOBS FOR HOUSTON

Houston First Corporation to ‘Move Travel Forward’ in celebration of National Travel and Tourism Week

By StyleMagazine.com - Newswire

(77%) are the top economic benefits generated by tourism, according to Houston residents. Similar to the ratings on overall Net Community Sentiment, Houston’s rating on each of these measures of economic impact are stronger than the nation overall.

Three-out-of-four (75%) Houston residents perceive that tourism in the city enhances their Quality of Life, and (71%) agree that Tourism has contributed to Improved living standards. As shopping, dining and entertainment opportunities are more easily observed, an even greater number (85%) of Houstonians see such offerings as a Quality of Life benefit of Houston tourism.

This National Travel and Tourism Week, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, with the support of Houston First Corporation, Greater Houston Partnership, and Texas Medical Center, along with participating partners United Airlines and Houston Airport System, will come together May 8-12 for the city’s largest tourism and economic development mission focused on Mexico.

The Houston Week mission is designed to solidify Houston’s position as a top city for global trade, tourism, business, and leisure travel from Mexico.

This year’s international trade and tourism delegation is comprised of city and business leaders, technology and start-up incubators, the Houston Rockets, award-winning chefs, artists, and musicians, in addition to Houston’s major hospital systems.

As part of the 2023 activations, the Houston delegation will build on last year’s successes and execute new cooperative agreements and drive strategic discussions with key Mexican diplomats and city leaders to address important issues impacting tourism, healthcare, life sciences, technology, innovation, sustainability, and aerospace in both regions.

To learn more about National Travel and Tourism Week 2023 and how the travel industry is moving #TravelForward, https://www.ustravel.org/toolkit/national-travel-and-tourism-week