Month: August 2026

By Rashad Clay, Fund Development & Communications Intern, Houston Area Urban League

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    August 18, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — “It’s rewarding to know that someone’s doing better as a result of your work.” For Judson W. Robinson III, President & CEO of the Houston Area Urban League, that principle is less a slogan than a family inheritance—and a blueprint for Houston’s future.

Robinson’s roots run deep in public service. His father, Judson W. Robinson Jr., broke a historic barrier in 1971 as Houston’s first African American elected to City Council since Reconstruction. His mother, Margarette Robinson, built her own trailblazing legacy in nursing, including barrier-breaking roles at Houston’s veterans hospital and the Anheuser-Busch plant. Public service, in the Robinson household, was never just discussed; it was practiced.

Robinson carried that tradition into his own City Council service in the 1990s and, since 2008, into leadership of the Houston Area Urban League. The organization, founded in 1968, connects Greater Houston residents with education, workforce development, housing, entrepreneurship, health and social-service resources—an approach centered on strengthening the whole person, not simply solving one problem at a time.

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His leadership style is equally people-centered. Robinson rejects the notion that effective executives must dominate every room. Instead, he leans on collaboration, expertise and what he calls “shared strengths.” In a city as entrepreneurial and culturally layered as Houston, that philosophy feels especially fitting: nobody builds the Bayou City alone.

The payoff is measured in changed lives. Robinson recalls clients who arrived seeking help, gained stability and later returned as successful entrepreneurs and supporters. Their journeys reinforce his belief that circumstances should never define potential.

As Houston grows, Robinson’s message remains refreshingly clear: create opportunity, protect opportunity and prepare the next generation to seize it.

Titles may open doors, but purpose keeps them open for others. For Judson W. Robinson III, that is leadership—and legacy—in action.

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For More Information on Houston Area Urban League (HAUL), go to: HAUL.org

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 Francis Page Jr.

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    August 18, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston knows a comeback, a reinvention and — perhaps most importantly — a good plate when it sees one. Now Davis Street at Hermann Park is entering an exciting new culinary chapter with acclaimed Houston chef and Food Network veteran Wendell Price guiding the kitchen. And our immediate response is simple: YES!

Located at 5925 Almeda Road, just steps from Hermann Park and Houston’s Museum District, Davis Street is rolling out what it calls a “Fresh Start” — complete with new management, a new culinary team, revamped direction, a redesigned website and an expanded emphasis on weekend brunch, private events and farm-to-table dining.

At the center of that new energy is Price, a chef whose résumé has traveled considerably farther than Almeda Road.

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Food Network’s own archives document Price appearing as a professional chef on Date Plate and competing across several episodes of Ready… Set… Cook!, including “Bonanza?,” “Cook Once, Serve Twice,” “Eye-Opening Breakfast” and “Shellfish: Impossible?” Food Network also maintains recipes credited to Price, including Moroccan lamb chops, thyme buttermilk chicken, guava barbecue ribs and mashed sweet potatoes.

Translation: the man knows his way around a stove.

Price also earned the “chef to the stars” description in Houston food media after cooking for entertainment personalities including Denzel Washington. But celebrity connections are only seasoning. What matters now is what Chef Wendell is putting on Houston plates.

And Davis Street’s new menu suggests he came ready to cook. The restaurant describes Price’s weekend brunch as a farm-to-table, organic and locally sourced French Country eating experience. The menu moves confidently from Southern comfort to international influences: Shrimp & Grits with Gulf fried shrimp, Mama’s Thyme Fried Chicken Wings, Buttermilk Spiced Chicken Fried Chicken, Velvet Hotcakes with maple brown butter, Fire-Grilled Cedar Salmon glazed with lemongrass honey, Asian Short Ribs and Jerk Lamb Chops.

That is not brunch whispering politely from the corner.

That is brunch walking into the room dressed like it owns the building.

Price’s culinary personality fits particularly well with Davis Street’s identity: Southern soul polished with cosmopolitan technique. OpenTable currently lists Price as Davis Street’s executive chef and describes his cooking as combining French country technique, Creole influences and elevated Southern comfort.

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There is also significance in where this next chapter is happening.

Davis Street debuted in 2014, becoming part of the dining landscape along Houston’s culturally significant Almeda corridor. Today it remains recognized as a Black-owned fine-dining restaurant, giving Houston another destination where culinary excellence, sophisticated hospitality and Black entrepreneurship meet at the same table.

And Price’s assignment extends beyond dinner and brunch. Davis Street is positioning itself as a destination for corporate offsites, seminars, celebrations, private dining and catering, with Chef Price-created menus emphasizing organic and locally sourced ingredients.

For Houston Style Magazine foodies, the timing could hardly be better.

Saturday brunch runs 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Sunday brunch 11 a.m.–5 p.m., while dinner is currently offered Wednesday through Friday, 5–10 p.m.The restaurant is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Houston has never suffered from a shortage of talented chefs. But some chefs possess something beyond technique — the ability to make dining feel like an occasion.

Wendell Price is one of those chefs.

So, Chef Wendell taking over the Davis Street kitchen?

Houston Style Magazine has only one thing left to say: Pull up a chair. Bring your appetite. And YES — somebody pass those Jerk Lamb Chops!

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Davis Street at Hermann Park 5925 Almeda Rd. A, Houston, TX 77004 Phone: 713-526-1663 • Instagram: @davissthouston Reservations & Information: davisstreet.com

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 Steve Large

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) — California lawmakers are weighing whether to take action after videos surfaced showing an electric-shock glove that may soon be used as part of federal immigration enforcement.

The device, developed by Compliant Technologies, is designed to deliver an electric shock through the wearer’s grip. The company has described it as a de-escalation tool and published a video demonstrating its use.

Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-Milpitas, called the device “gross” and said he believes it could be used to inflict unnecessary harm.

“It’s another toy for them to use to brutalize and hurt more innocent Americans,” Lee said.

Lee is among a number of California lawmakers who have introduced legislation this year aimed at restricting or limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Roughly two dozen bills have been introduced addressing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in California, including proposals involving state tax incentives for companies that contract with the Department of Homeland Security and whether ICE officers could become California peace officers.

Lee said lawmakers could still introduce legislation specifically addressing the electric-shock glove before the legislative session ends on August 31.

“It’s not unusual for legislation to pop out maybe even within one week,” Lee said.

Assemblymember Joe Patterson, R-Rocklin, said he also would not be surprised if lawmakers introduce a bill in response to the device.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we see some legislation,” Patterson said.

But Patterson said California lawmakers have limited authority over how federal immigration officials operate.

“Because there’s nothing we can do about it, we can’t regulate ICE, we can’t regulate the federal government,” Patterson said. “I mean, that’s very clear in the United States Constitution.”

Compliant Technologies lists several law enforcement agencies among the organizations that have purchased its products. None of the agencies listed are in California.

Lee said he believes California lawmakers should still consider what steps, if any, the state can take to prevent the technology from being used in ways that could cause serious injury.

“We don’t want people to be brutally maimed by an electric glove,” Lee said.

The debate comes as California lawmakers continue considering legislation aimed at limiting the role of private companies and state and local agencies in federal immigration enforcement.

A spokesperson with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security told CBS News in a recent statement: “ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country. Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards.”

CBS News Sacramento also reached out to Compliant Technologies for a comment on possible legislation targeting the gloves, but the company declined to respond.

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 Chelsea Hylton

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    LOS ANGELES, California (KCAL, KCBS) — St. John’s Community Health, which deployed mobile clinics to the Boyle Heights community following the Lineage warehouse fire, says that it treated hundreds of residents for “toxic exposure and smoke inhalation.”

In a recent health report, St. John’s said that its mobile clinic deployments identified 469 of 1,306 unduplicated patients who met fire-related exposure criteria in the weeks following the fire.

“Close to 40% of people we provided health care to had serious, acute, and devastating health problems,” said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s. “We know that acute health conditions, particularly those caused by intensive environmental exposure, lead to long-term chronic and deleterious health impacts that disable and damage the health of our communities.”

Health officials said that since the fire, St. John’s has treated more than 5,000 patients in the area. Some of the most common diagnoses among Boyle Heights patients included the toxic effects of smoke, contact/exposure to hazardous substances, acute upper respiratory infection, headaches and other eye and adnexa disorders.

The fire, which broke out on June 17 at a Lineage cold-storage warehouse, housed nearly 85 million pounds of meat and other produce. After firefighters finally extinguished the blaze, the rotten food left behind putrid odors and swarms of flies in the community.

Mangia said that of the patients treated, 90% were Latino, 65% were women and over 60% were seniors.

The health report also said that several clinical interventions were provided during the fire response. Some of those included asthma exacerbation requiring urgent breathing treatment as well as rescue and controller therapy.

St. John’s partnered with several community-based nonprofit organizations as well as multiple city, county and state elected officials to reach the most impacted Boyle Heights residents.

“We distributed thousands of air purifiers and tens of thousands of N95 masks to help residents cope with the onslaught of hazardous smoke and poisonous emissions,” officials said.

As cleanup efforts of the rotten food and debris continue, Mangia continues to emphasize the lasting and long-term effects that could arise.

“You’re going to see a significant increase in asthma rates in Boyle Heights, you’re going to see an increase in cardiac issues and you’re going to see an increase in mental health issues,” Mangia said.

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 Jennifer McRae

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    BOULDER, Colorado (KCNC) — The Sundance Film Festival will give University of Colorado Boulder students discounted festival tickets, free on-campus screenings, and student-only conversations with filmmakers and participants as part of its move from Utah to Boulder.

The Sundance Institute said the film festival is more than a public event but also an opportunity for CU Boulder students to learn about the industry on their own campus. The partnership is also expected to bring Sundance representatives to the CU Boulder campus for a number of academic and cocurricular events over the next year, including classroom visits, capstone projects, and research events.

“Great universities do more than simply prepare students for the future. They connect them to the people, ideas, and experiences that shape it. Our partnership with the Sundance Film Festival makes those connections possible,” said CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “Bringing the Festival to CU Boulder will transform our campus into a place where learning, creativity, and cultural exchange happen side by side while strengthening Boulder’s role as a destination for bold ideas and artistic innovation.”

Sundance said at least 100 CU Boulder students will have volunteer opportunities to volunteer during the festival, while dozens of others will serve on a student advisory board to help shape the campus festival experience. There will also be internship and student journalist opportunities.

The festival was founded in 1981 by actor Robert Redford and has been held in Park City, Utah.

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.