Here are things to know for Tuesday, April 6:
1. GOP congressional candidate in Texas special election loses prominent supporters after racist comment about Chinese immigrants
Recommended Videos
A Republican candidate in the special election to replace the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, is facing intense backlash and has lost two of her biggest supporters after saying she does not want Chinese immigrants in the United States.
The comments by Sery Kim, a Korean American who served in the Small Business Administration under President Donald Trump, prompted California U.S. Reps. Young Kim and Michelle Steel to rescind their endorsements of her on Friday. Kim and Steel are the first Korean American GOP women to serve in Congress.
“We cannot in good conscience continue to support her candidacy,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
The candidate has been unapologetic, however, arguing that she was speaking out against the Chinese Communist Party and blaming the “liberal media” for the uproar.
2. $11M in disaster recovery funds will be used to build affordable apartment community in Houston Heights
The city of Houston announced Monday that $11 million in federal disaster recovery funds will be allocated to build an affordable apartment community in the Heights area.
The city and Community Development Department will provide the new construction of Dian Street Villas, a mixed-income community of 108 rental homes. The funds were approved by Houston City County and Mayor Sylvester Turner.
According to a release, the development will offer low- to moderate-income families the opportunity to live near job centers and community amenities while adding affordable home options in the Houston Heights and replacing homes lost during Hurricane Harvey.
3. Houston restaurant industry experiencing major staffing shortage as 100% capacity resumes
As customers return to restaurants as more people get vaccinated, the restaurant industry in the greater Houston area is dealing with a major staffing shortage.
“We are so severely depressed in our workforce. You are seeing restaurants operate at limited hours, you’re seeing them not opening at all, you’re seeing all types of things,” said Cameron James, the president of the Greater Houston Restaurant Association.
Cameron says pre-pandemic, the number of restaurant workers in his region reached 300,000. Now, he says those numbers have dropped to below 250,000 workers.
4. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will boycott Major League Baseball events after the league pulled its All-Star Game from Georgia
Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced he would not throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers’ home opening game and would boycott any other Major League Baseball events, citing the league’s decision to pull its All-Star Game from Georgia in response to new voting restrictions there.
In a letter to a top Texas Rangers executive, Abbott said he had been “looking forward to” tossing out the first pitch " — until [MLB] adopted what has turned out to be a false narrative about the election law reforms in Georgia.”
“It is shameful that America’s pastime is not only being influenced by partisan political politics, but also perpetuating false political narratives,” Abbott said, adding that he “will not participate in an event held by MLB, and the State will not seek to host the All-Star Game or any other MLB special events.”
5. Texans’ letter to season ticket holders addresses allegations against Deshaun Watson
Texans season ticket holders received emails that addressed the sexual assault allegations against quarterback Deshaun Watson.
“We want to assure you that we take these allegations very seriously. As reported, HPD and the National Football League are conducting investigations and we will cooperate fully. We respect the legal process and will continue to monitor the situation closely. While we await the conclusion of these investigations, we express our strong stance against any form of sexual assault,” the letter read, in part.
There are a total of 22 lawsuits now filed against Watson.