Take a look at some of the most significant Houston-area events and stories happening in the week ahead.
‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign enforcement to begin Monday
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The enforcement period for TxDOT’s statewide “Click It or Ticket” campaign begins Monday.
From Monday to Nov. 29, state troopers, police officers and sheriffs' deputies statewide will step up enforcement of the state’s seat belt and child car seat laws.
Texas law requires everyone in a vehicle to be properly secured in the front or back seat or face fines and fees up to $200.
Houston police sergeant killed during shootout to be laid to rest this week
Sgt. Sean Rios, a 25-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, will be laid to rest after his funeral Wednesday. The service is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at Grace Church Houston at 14505 Gulf Freeway.
A visitation for Rios will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sagemont Church at 11300 South Sam Houston Parkway East.
Authorities said Rios was killed Monday during a shootout along the North Freeway while trying to intervene in an earlier exchange of gunfire between two vehicles on the freeway.
Harris County Public Health to conduct survey, go door-to-door to collect blood
Harris County Public Health will conduct a survey to continue studies on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Representatives with HCPH will go door-to-door to randomly selected homes throughout the county, collecting blood samples to determine the presence of COVID-19 antibodies.
“In an effort to better understand how many people in Harris County may have already been infected with COVID-19, officials with Harris County Public Health (HCPH) will be conducting a survey of randomly selected homes,” Harris County Public Health stated in a release. “The survey will identify people infected in the past with COVID-19 by the presence of antibodies, proteins the body’s immune system makes to fight infections. County residents agreeing to participate in the survey will be tested for the presence of these antibodies.”
HCPH officials will begin visiting randomly selected homes starting from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 from the hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. HCPH staff will be wearing yellow Harris County Public Health vests and present proper identification. They will also be wearing PPE.
TIRR Memorial Hermann Offering Free Flu Vaccine Drive-Thru for People with Disabilities
TIRR Memorial Hermann is partnering with the City of Houston Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, the Houston Health Department and the Metropolitan Transit Authority to provide free flu vaccines for persons with disabilities to include current and former TIRR Memorial Hermann patients and MetroLift riders. A drive-thru option provides easy access and convenience. METROLift will transport individuals with disabilities to select sites within the Houston area, where they can receive a free flu vaccine given by TIRR Memorial Hermann clinical staff. METROLift will take the individuals back to their starting locations.
Those who wish to take advantage of the service must pre-register by calling (832) 393-4220. (The call center is open Monday - Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) They must also complete a waiver prior to receiving a flu shot. The service is available through Nov. 20.
Massive model-train display chugging back to Houston Museum of Natural Science Friday
On view Nov. 20 through Jan. 3, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s annual spectacle in miniature features a detailed, tennis-court-size approximation of the Lone Star State packed with replicas of some of Texas' most iconic landmarks, including Enchanted Rock and Pedernales Falls. Unsurprisingly, the exhibit is the largest indoor O-scale model railroad in Texas.
From Big Bend all the way to downtown Houston’s “Be Someone” sign, model trains zoom around the display, passing through oil country salt domes, prairies and the wetlands of the Texas coast.
Museum of Fine Arts Houston will unveil new building for modern and contemporary art Saturday
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will unveil its new modern and contemporary art building Nov. 21, marking the completion of the museum’s multi-year expansion of its Susan and Fayez S. Sarofim Campus.
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building will open to the public on Saturday, Nov. 21, according to a release. In celebration of the opening, the museum will offer free general admission to all three of its gallery buildings during opening weekend, and to the new Kinder Building through Wednesday, Nov. 25.
Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building boasts more than 100,000 square feet of exhibition space circling a three-level atrium, a 215-seat theater, a café, a restaurant, and seven gardens and six reflecting pools inset along the building’s perimeter. The building will increase MFAH exhibition space by nearly 75 percent, according to the museum’s website.
Ice skating returns to Woodlands Town Center Friday with new COVID-19 policies in place
Ice skating will return to The Woodlands Town Center with some new safety measures for a COVID Christmas season. The ice rink will open on November 20 and operate until January 18.
Planning to take a twirl around the rink? Here’s what to expect this year.