Month: June 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

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    June 30, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Texas Southern University has delivered another confidence-building chapter in its remarkable Houston story: Fitch Ratings has maintained TSU’s A- Issuer Credit Rating with a Stable Outlook, reaffirming the university’s strengthened financial position, steady enrollment progress, and disciplined fiscal leadership. For Tiger Nation, this is more than Wall Street language. It is a maroon-and-gray message that says Texas Southern is not simply standing tall—it is standing on a stronger foundation.

The June 19, 2026, announcement follows Fitch’s 2025 upgrade of TSU’s Issuer Default Rating and approximately $119 million in outstanding Revenue Financing System bonds from BBB+ to A-, with a Stable Outlook. At the time, TSU noted that the upgrade represented the university’s first-ever A-category rating from Fitch, a milestone that placed the historic Third Ward institution in a stronger investment-grade position.

For a university whose roots stretch back to 1927 and whose modern mission was shaped by the fight for educational access in Texas, this rating carries historical weight. TSU’s history includes its emergence as a state-supported institution during the era of segregation, its 1951 name change to Texas Southern University, and its 1973 designation by the Texas Legislature as a “special purpose” institution for urban programming. In other words, TSU was built for more than degrees; it was built for destiny.

“Maintaining the current A- rating reflects confidence that the University continues to be on the right track,” said J’Maine Chubb, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance and Administration. Chubb noted that Fitch’s original A-category rating signaled to the financial community that TSU had strengthened its financial foundation and leadership while investing intentionally in student success, academic excellence, and strategic growth.

That is the kind of statement that may not come with a marching band drumline—but in higher education finance, it lands with plenty of rhythm. A strong investment-grade rating can help universities access capital for major projects, manage borrowing costs, and demonstrate reliability to public partners, bondholders, alumni, donors, and families weighing where to send their students.

TSU President J.W. Crawford III framed the rating as both validation and challenge. “It is significant the University has been able to maintain its A- issuer credit rating as the institution has diligently worked to embrace the State Auditor’s advice and recommendations,” Crawford said. He emphasized that public confidence must be built through constant improvement, responsiveness to student and partner demand, attention to evolving business trends, and a “mission-first, people always” operating philosophy.

That line—mission first, people always—may be the clearest measure of TSU’s moment. The university is working to strengthen governance, transparency, and operational systems while continuing to serve as one of Houston’s most important engines of opportunity. TSU publicly posts budget and financial reports as part of its transparency and accountability efforts, including annual financial reports and budget summaries that outline financial planning, expenditures, and resource allocation.

The good news also arrives at a time when higher education institutions nationwide face pressure from shifting enrollment patterns, rising costs, political scrutiny, and tighter public-sector expectations. Against that backdrop, TSU’s maintained A- rating is not merely a financial footnote. It is a statement of resilience.

Located in the heart of Houston’s historic Third Ward, Texas Southern University has long been a laboratory of leadership, producing public servants, attorneys, educators, entrepreneurs, scientists, broadcasters, artists, and advocates who shape Houston, Texas, and the nation. Its schools and colleges—including the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Jesse H. Jones School of Business, Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, School of Communication, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and College of Science, Engineering and Technology—continue to connect academic excellence with urban impact.

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For Houston Style Magazine families, this rating says TSU is sharpening its pencils and balancing its books while still dreaming big. For alumni, it is a reason to walk a little taller. For students, it is a sign that their university is investing not only in buildings and bonds, but in futures.

Tiger Nation has always known how to make history. Now, with financial discipline meeting institutional purpose, Texas Southern University is proving that legacy and stability can march together—and when TSU marches, Houston hears the beat.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Kierra Lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
4096658446

By Kelly Doty

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    BERTIE COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — State investigators continue examining how inmates at a North Carolina jail were able to overpower guards and take control of parts of the facility Monday, June 29, 2026.

Three guards and 88 inmates were inside the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor when the takeover began around 5 a.m., prompting an immediate response from local, state and federal authorities, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said in a statement posted on social media. Two of the three guards were temporarily held hostage during the ordeal.

By early afternoon, the SBI and the FBI had “cleared the facility,” and all staff and inmates were “safe and accounted for,” the state bureau said in a statement.

In an update shared Tuesday, June 30, the SBI said agents worked throughout the night and continue to conduct interviews and review surveillance footage 24 hours after the inmate takeover ended.

“Due to the volume of video evidence, this process is expected to take a significant amount of time,” the SBI said in a written statement.

The SBI said determining how and why the event occurred is a primary focus of its investigation, adding that it will share its findings with local and state agencies.

Inmates who were held at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center before the incident have been transferred to the custody of the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and relocated to other facilities, the SBI said in a statement.

Gov. Josh Stein weighed in on the situation Monday afternoon, describing it as “horrifying” and calling for those behind the takeover to be held responsible.

Stein also called for more staff recruiting and retention efforts to keep jails and prisons safer.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Jordan Bontke

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    PHOENIX (KNXV) — For most baseball fans, catching a home-run ball is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For Arizona Diamondbacks fan Allan “AJ” Johnson, it happened twice — on consecutive days, off the bat of the same player, in the same inning.

The remarkable streak happened over Mother’s Day weekend in May when Johnson caught two home runs hit by San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames during the second inning of back-to-back games at Chase Field.

The odds of such a feat are extraordinarily slim — something odds-makers have estimated in the tens of millions to one.

For Johnson, though, the catches carried a much deeper meaning.

The second catch came on what would have been his late mother’s birthday. She was the one who introduced him to baseball, taking him to games as a child and buying him the glove he still uses today — the same glove that snagged both home run balls.

“They’re basically having fun up there and saying, ‘Hey, everything is going to be alright. It’s all good,'” Johnson said of what he believes were signs from above.

Instead of simply celebrating the rare accomplishment, Johnson decided to use the moment to give back.

When the Giants returned to Phoenix this week, Johnson and his wife, Mary Jane, purchased 90 tickets for Monday night’s game and another 180 tickets for Tuesday’s game, inviting family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers to join them in the left-field bleachers.

The couple also bought matching Serpientes-themed shirts that said ‘Jesus Won’ and rally towels so the group could cheer together.

“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard, ‘You should play the lottery,'” Johnson said. “It’s not about that. It’s about giving that opportunity to spread good. I am in no way a professional athlete, but professional athletes have a voice, and they use their platform to spread good, and that’s what it’s about for us.”

While catching one home-run ball is rare and catching two is almost unheard of, Johnson says sharing the experience with more than 200 loved ones is what made the moment truly unforgettable.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Burt Levine

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    June 30, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — In fast-growing Fort Bend County, where nearly one million residents now look to local government for roads, drainage, public safety, justice, and steady leadership, the latest courthouse controversy is more than a political dust-up. It is a test of process, public trust, and the simple democratic principle that power must rest on clear legal authority.

Fort Bend County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson has taken the firm position that Daniel Wong’s temporary authority to serve as interim Fort Bend County Judge has ended following the dismissal of the civil removal lawsuit that originally led to his appointment. According to public reporting, Smith-Lawson’s office argues that Wong’s appointment was temporary, tied to the pending litigation, and could not continue after a June 17, 2026, Order of Nonsuit disposed of the case.

“The temporary appointment of former interim Fort Bend County Judge Wong has concluded,” Smith-Lawson said, according to the statement circulated to county officials and reported locally. Her legal guidance maintains that, with the case concluded, Wong cannot continue presiding over Commissioners Court unless he secures and presents a new, active court order.

That position has placed Fort Bend County squarely in uncharted territory. Wong, a former Sugar Land City Council member and the Republican nominee for Fort Bend County Judge in the Tuesday, November 3, 2026, general election, was appointed in April after then-County Judge KP George was suspended. Visiting Judge Jeth Jones of Galveston made the temporary appointment under Texas Local Government Codeprovisions that allow a district judge to suspend a county officer pending trial and appoint someone to perform the duties of the office.

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But the key phrase is “pending trial.” Smith-Lawson’s legal reading is that once the underlying case was nonsuited, the legal runway for the temporary appointment ended. In plain English: if the case that created the temporary seat is gone, the temporary seat may be gone too.

Wong and his attorney disagree. Public reports say Wong’s legal team argues that the appointment remains valid and that he may continue under a holdover theory until a successor is qualified. Wong has also indicated he will allow the dispute to be resolved through the courts rather than step aside voluntarily.

That means the next decisive word may again come from the courthouse. The most likely judge to clarify whether Wong’s appointment remains valid would-be Visiting Judge Jeth Jones in the 400th District Court, unless a new lawsuit, mandamus action, or appeal places the matter before another court.

Smith-Lawson, now serving her second term as Fort Bend County Attorney, brings her own history to this moment. Her official county biography notes her prior work as managing attorney for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Office of General Counsel, overseeing legal work across Southeast Texas. Her campaign biography also identifies her 2020 election as making her the first Black woman elected county attorney in Texas.

Her office’s position is that the four elected commissioners — Vincent Morales, Grady Prestage, Andy Meyers, and Dexter McCoy — remain lawfully seated and can constitute a legal quorum for county business. Commissioner Grady Prestage, first elected in 1990, has been one of Fort Bend’s longest-serving public officials during the county’s transformation from rural-suburban growth corridor to one of America’s most watched suburban power centers.

The stakes are not small. Fort Bend County’s population was estimated at 975,191 as of July 1, 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

What makes this showdown especially sensitive is the looming election. Fort Bend County’s official elections page confirms the next general election will be held Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Wong is expected to face Democratic nominee and current Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy, who won the Democratic runoff in May.

For voters, this moment should be clarifying, not confusing. Democracy is not merely about who wins the next election; it is about whether the rules are honored before, during, and after the campaign season. Fort Bend County has grown too large, too diverse, and too important for ambiguity at the top of county government.

Smith-Lawson’s message is direct: county authority must be traceable to law, not assumption. Wong’s response is equally clear: he believes the prior appointment still protects his service. Now, the courts may have to settle what politics cannot.

Until then, the public deserves transparency, restraint, and a county government that keeps working. Because in Fort Bend County, the gavel is not just a symbol of power. It is a promise that public business belongs to the people.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

Kierra Lee
KIELEESTYLE@GMAIL.COM
4096658446