Columbia man charged with two felonies, two misdemeanors in downtown shots-fired

KMIZ on August 10, 2026

Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 20-year-old man was charged Sunday with two misdemeanors and two felonies for allegedly firing shots in downtown Columbia.

Tavan Williams-Patrick of Columbia was charged with the felonies of armed criminal action and exhibiting a weapon illegally, along with the misdemeanors of fourth-degree assault and illegally firing a gun after shots were fired early Sunday near Ninth and Walnut streets.

According to a probable cause statement, Columbia police officers were working a separate incident near Ninth and Walnut around 1:13 a.m. Sunday when they heard three to four gunshots coming from west of the intersection. The statement says the shots were heard in proximity to several officers.

Officer Saige Wells wrote that he ran toward the area where the shots were heard, near 807 E. Walnut St., about half a city block from where officers had been working.

Wells said he saw about eight people running away from the area. As he ran toward the scene, Wells said he saw Williams-Patrick setting down a firearm on the sidewalk in front of the bar 50 Yard Line.

Williams-Patrick was arrested around 1:17 a.m. and placed in a police vehicle. Wells wrote that other officers at the scene found four spent shell casings and a live round of .40-caliber Smith & Wesson ammunition.

Wells alleges Williams-Patrick was armed with a handgun and fired four rounds near about 30 people on a public sidewalk near an open business.

Wells recommended that Williams-Patrick be denied bond because he has previously been arrested for several violent felonies, many of which involved firearms.

The statement says Williams-Patrick has previously been arrested for second-degree murder, armed criminal action twice and unlawful use of a weapon three times.

In 2022, Boone County prosecutors accused Williams-Patrick, who was 16 at the time, and three other teenagers of taking part in a shooting that killed Doxley on McKee Street.

Prosecutors initially charged Williams-Patrick as an adult with felony counts of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with Doxley’s death.

Those charges were dropped last year.

Williams-Patrick appeared in court Monday afternoon, where a judge made no changes to his bond.

He is scheduled to return to court at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, for a bond hearing. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 24.

The shooting also raised concerns among nearby downtown businesses.

Todd Myers, owner of Room 38, told ABC 17 News his employees were working at the restaurant when the shooting happened nearby early Sunday morning. Myers was working a private event off-site at the time and said his employees called him and sent video before locking themselves inside the restaurant.

Myers said the business has had to take similar precautions before when employees or customers do not feel safe outside.

“We don’t want anybody going out in that mix until they feel safe, that they can leave,” Myers said. “A lot of our folks walk home or walk to their apartments.”

Myers said safety concerns can affect businesses throughout downtown because customers need to feel comfortable walking to their cars, homes, parking garages, or other businesses at night. He said he believes some people are already avoiding certain parts of downtown because of concerns about encountering trouble or crime.

Meyers said he wants the city and police to work more closely with local businesses and develop plans to address safety issues that affect surrounding businesses.

“It has to be actionable. It has to be actual action,” Meyers said. “We have to see results because we’re only seeing negative results at this point.”

Despite his concerns, Meyers said he wants people to continue coming downtown and enjoying the area, especially as Mizzou football season approaches.

ABC 17 News reached out to Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson for an interview Monday. Johnson said he did not have time to meet Monday.

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Big Bear bald eagle Jackie dies after health “continued to deteriorate,” California veterinary center says

CNN Newsource on August 10, 2026

By Austin Turner

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    MIRA MONTE, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Jackie, the bald eagle who gained national attention for raising eaglets in Big Bear with her partner Shadow, has died after receiving care in an animal care center, Ojai Raptor Center in California announced Monday.

The center, which cared for Jackie for her last three weeks, said she died in the early hours of Monday morning.

“It is with profound sadness that we share that [Jackie] passed away in the early hours of this morning, following more than three weeks of intensive medical care,” the center said.

The veterinary center has detailed every step of Jackie’s time in their care, including a series of setbacks that she faced due to anemia and a mystery illness that caused her packed cell volume to drop well below average. Despite undergoing a blood transfusion, Jackie’s condition continued to worsen.

“Over the past several days, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists,” Ojai Raptor Center said. “She remained critically ill, receiving oxygen therapy, supportive treatment, and around-the-clock monitoring in our intensive care unit.”

Her remains have been transferred into the care of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Jackie had been in the care of the raptor center since July 17, when she was transferred following rescue by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue team. They responded to the Dana Point Park area near Big Bear Lake after learning that she had been involved in a fight with two subadult eagles and was found to be “very sick.”

Jackie and Shadow have gained national fame as their day-to-day lives have been observed for years via a livestream camera operated by the Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit wildlife organization.

Estimated by the Friends of Big Bear Valley to have lived about 14 years, Jackie mothered several eaglets to fledging with Shadow, including Simba, Spirit, Sunny, Gizmo and her two most recently hatched eaglets, Luna and Sandy.

The names were famously chosen by students at nearby Big Bear Elementary School. Sandy was named after the late Sandy Steers, the longtime FOBBV executive director who helped launch the livestream cameras. Steers died earlier this year.

In a statement, FOBBV urged the public to treat the organization and Ojai Raptor Center’s staff with kindness in light of the news.

“Soar free Jackie,” the organization 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.

Big Rock Fire reaches 85% containment

KIFI on August 10, 2026

Seth Ratliff

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — Firefighters are making “steady and consistent” progress on the Big Rock Fire, as crews achieve 85% containment. Today’s update marks the final daily briefing from the Big Rock Type 3 Incident Management Team as command is returned to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS) Great Basin Unit 3.

The fire has burned 2,142 acres of brush in the Heise area over the past week. Firefighters faced steep, rugged terrain, hazardous vegetation, and hot, windy weather conditions during suppression efforts.

“The progress made on the Big Rock Fire reflects the dedication and professionalism of firefighters and support personnel…” the USWFS stated in a news release. “Their commitment to safety and operational excellence substantially reduced fire potential while protecting the residences, resources, and facilities of the Heise area and businesses.”

Reopenings and Remaining Closures

Despite the burn area, none of the nearby homes, local landmarks, or recreation areas were lost. Monday, the Heise Hot Springs pools are scheduled to reopen for regular business hours.

However, several road and recreational closures remain in place to protect public and firefighter safety while efforts to mop up remaining hot spots and strengthen containment lines continue.

For the time being, Heise Road east of 7N Ranch and River Road, both east of Kelly Canyon and west of the Heise Bridge, will remain closed. Camping closures for Kelly Island Campground, Wolf Flats, Warm Springs, and all dispersed sites along River Road will remain in effect through Sunday, August 16. The Cress Creek Nature Trail, Stinking Springs Trail, and all hiking and biking trails in the Kelly Canyon and Heise areas will also remain closed.

Residents and visitors are asked to avoid closed areas and follow all first responder instructions.

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Intoxicated driver allegedly hits 2 people at church bazaar in Clint

KVIA on August 10, 2026

Gabrielle Lopez

CLINT, Texas (KVIA) — An allegedly intoxicated driver hit two pedestrians during a church bazaar in Clint, Texas, Saturday, according to the El Paso County Constable’s Office for Precinct Six.

According to a news release, a Precinct Six Constable did a routine patrol at the 600 block of Avenida de San Lorenzo Ave. when someone flagged them down to report that a car hit and possibly injured a person. It happened at 11:23 p.m.

The constable found the crash at the intersection of Church Street and Garcia Street. The constable learned a black GMC Sierra truck hit two people while they crossed the street leaving the San Lorenzo Church Bazaar Festival.

An investigation by the Precinct Six and Four Constables Office found that 20-year-old Emmanuel Meza Rabelo from Fabens allegedly drove the GMC the wrong way on a one-way street.

Meza Rabelo allegedly didn’t see the two crossing Church Street and hit them, the constable’s office said.

The two victims sustained minor injuries, and the Clint Fire Department and Life Ambulance treated him, officials said. A 60-year-old woman asked to go to a hospital for her injuries.

Authorities said the driver showed signs of intoxication and asked him to submit a field sobriety test., which he failed.

Authorities took him into custody and sent him to a station to provide a breath sample. The constable’s office said his alcohol concentration was above the 0.08 legal limit.

The Precinct Six Constable’s Office secured an arrest warrant for Meza Rabelo for driving while intoxicated. Authorities booked him into the El Paso County Detention Facility on the charge with a $10,000 bond.

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Legacy Community Health Celebrates National Health Center Week by Expanding Access to Care for Women, Children, and Families

CNN Newsource on August 10, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    August 10, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — HOUSTON — National Health Center Week may have officially ended Saturday, August 8, but in Houston, the mission behind the celebration is still very much on the clock.

For Legacy Community Health, the week was less about ceremonial applause and more about reminding Southeast Texas families what community health centers were built to do: remove barriers, meet people where they are, and make quality healthcare accessible before a medical problem becomes a crisis.

That mission fits squarely within the 2026 National Health Center Week theme, “Building Innovative Care Where It Matters Most,”celebrating a community health center movement with a 60-year legacy of providing affordable, accessible care. Legacy itself has spent more than four decades carrying that promise forward across the Texas Gulf Coast.

Today, Legacy is the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Texas, serving more than 200,000 patients annually through more than 60 locations, including 39 School-Based Health Care clinics. Its approach connects clinical care with pharmacy services, nutrition, maternal health, literacy, behavioral health, eligibility assistance and social support.

“Access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on a person’s financial circumstances,” said Robert Palussek, Chief Executive Officer of Legacy Community Health. “Legacy helps connect patients and families to quality healthcare, support services, and resources that improve health outcomes regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.”

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For women and growing families, that healthcare home can begin even before a baby is born. Legacy offers free walk-in pregnancy testing with no appointment required, along with prenatal scheduling, eligibility assistance, coverage support and access to Perinatal Navigators. Care can continue through pregnancy, postpartum recovery, lactation support, family planning and women’s wellness services.

But Legacy’s philosophy stretches beyond the examination room. Food insecurity, transportation, cost and other social pressures can influence health almost as surely as a diagnosis.

“When someone screens positive for food insecurity, it is often a sign of broader challenges,” said William Lyons, Social Services Director. “That’s why the screen matters.”

“It is often the first thread that leads the care team to everything else a person is quietly managing, and to the benefits and resources that can help.”

Through Food Rx, Legacy partners with the Houston Food Bank to connect eligible patients with fresh fruits and vegetables, nutrition education and healthier eating support.

“What you eat plays a significant factor in your overall health,” said Pinkie Fosha, Manager of Programs, Health Connect.

“Nutrient-poor diets contribute to the development of obesity, hypertension, and many other preventable diseases.”

For Fosha, however, the work is about more than nutritional numbers.

“To be able to make someone’s day a little easier is why we do the work. Many of our patients come to the markets frequently, and to see their smiles and be able to serve them is so rewarding.”

That philosophy extends to Legacy’s broader work addressing social drivers of health.

“We meet our patients where they are, addressing any identified needs directly or through collaboration. Knowledge and access are key,” Fosha said.

For children, Legacy layers healthcare with development and learning. Growing Great Minds supports parents and caregivers of children from birth through age five with developmental screenings, milestone guidance and parent education. Meanwhile, Little Readers, launched in 2015, has distributed more than 300,000 books, transforming a well-child visit into an opportunity to strengthen literacy, language development and family bonds.

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And when getting to a doctor is itself the problem, Legacy brings healthcare closer. Its 39 school-based clinics on KIPP, YES Prep and Galena Park ISD campuses provide services including primary care, behavioral health, immunizations, well-child visits, sports physicals and preventive healthcare.

Medication affordability completes another important piece of the puzzle.

“We make sure the patient has seen eligibility so they get the best possible price on our sliding scale,” said Neha Agrawal, Director of Clinical Pharmacy Services.

“Our priority is that each patient gets the medication and care they deserve.”

Legacy’s bilingual Eligibility Specialists also help families navigate Medicaid, CHIP, Marketplace coverage, sliding-fee programs, renewals, referrals and financial-assistance options.

National Health Center Week may be over, but the work it celebrates certainly is not.

In Houston—a city big enough to have almost every kind of healthcare challenge imaginable—Legacy continues demonstrating that some of healthcare’s smartest innovations are wonderfully uncomplicated: make care easier to reach, easier to understand and harder to fall out of.

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For appointments or more information, patients may call (832) 548-5000. To learn more, visit legacycommunityhealth.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

Meta commits to Texas data center standards: Abbott

KVIA on August 10, 2026

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Meta will comply with his standards and guidelines for data centers. Meta has a data center planned for Northeast El Paso.

“Meta commends Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s leadership and welcomes his continued efforts to protect ratepayers, conserve water, and promote responsible data center development in Texas,” Meta said in a press release.

Gov. Abbott directed the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to make sure data centers costs don’t fall on Texas residents.

The governor’s guidelines ask PUCT and ERCOT to make sure data centers pay for their own electricity, reuse their own water, reduce electricity costs, don’t disrupt neighborhoods and pay their own way and eliminate reliance on taxpayer-funded incentives. Data centers also have to disclose project ownership and controlling interests.

An El Paso Electric spokesperson says, “El Paso Electric believes that new large load customers, including data centers, should pay the costs required to serve their power needs. Existing residential and small-business customers should not and will not be asked to cover those costs.”

They say existing agreements between El Paso Electric and potential new big customers require those customers to pay the costs associated with serving their projects.

An El Paso Water spokesperson says, “EPWater established clear water use requirements for the Meta facility, and Meta agreed to meet those terms in 2023. Those requirements reflect EPWater’s commitment to ensure the community has the water resources needed to grow while safeguarding the long-term water security and sustainability for residents and businesses.”

The Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas are tasked with reviewing and auditing all submitted information before any project can proceed. Companies that fail to comply with ERCOT’s audit process face denial of their project approvals.

Meta said it will pay energy and water costs and publish detailed information on its annual sustainability report about its energy and water use.

Additionally, Meta introduced its “Future is for Everyone Fund,” which will invest in teachers, first responders and energy and water infrastructure through customized programs shaped by needs in Texas and the country.

Since Gov. Abbott issued his directives, developer Diode said it failed to meet the standards and discontinued its proposed data center near Dallas. Amazon, Google, OpenAI and QTS Data Centers said they’re working to comply with the directives, according to the governor.

“We support Governor Abbott’s efforts to conduct a comprehensive review of data center growth in Texas and look forward to being a collaborative partner with state and industry officials, utilities, and local communities. For Meta, we don’t just build here, we invest here. And thousands of Meta employees are proud to call Texas home,” Meta said.

Democratic Texas Representative Gina Hinojosa criticizes Gov. Abbott’s data center plan, saying Texas needs a moratorium on data centers.

“We need a moratorium on data centers until the legislature can meet to put in place real protections so Texans can have a seat at the table to decide if and how data centers come into their communities. When the companies being regulated are cheering for the rules, you know the rules were written for them, not for Texans,” Rep. Hinojosa said.

Rep. Hinojosa is running for Governor of Texas in the 2026 general election against incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

A City Spokesperson says Gov. Abbott’s announcement reinforce protections the city has already advocated for. However, the City’s existing agreement with Wurldwide remains in effect and has not been amended.

“If the Public Utility Commission of Texas adopts binding requirements that apply to the El Paso project, the project would be required to comply with those requirements through the applicable state regulatory process,” a City Spokesperson said.

Community advocate Veronica Carbajal says she’s concerned without a legally binding document, El Pasoans are at risk.

“That’s really what we’re talking about, is making sure that whatever they’re saying is written and is legally binding, so that we can take it to court when, if and when they break their promise. But right now, it looks like they’re consistently breaking verbal promises,” Carbajal said.

Carbajal said she’s also concerned about the cost of the generators for the proposed McCloud natural gas power plant.

“Meta’s intention is to pay for those generators for up to five years. That’s a maximum of five years. And then they will be transferred to El Pasoans so that once they are transferred to us, we will inherit the balance on the loan for those 800 generators and also the transmission lines to get them connected to, to our homes,” Carbajal said.

El Paso Electric contends there is no automatic process that would shift those costs to residential customers.

District 2 City Rep. Josh Acevedo says he wants more clarification on how these rules apply to El Paso, considering it’s not a part of the ERCOT.

“I think that we really need to include El Paso for once. And the releases that the Governor has put out since June 10th to today, he keeps referencing ERCOT. And here locally, Paso Electric is operating in the sense that we’re included in that. But we’re not part of ERCOT, right? And so we need more clarification on what he’s putting out there. And at the same time, we have three metadata centers in in Texas, we have temple, we have Fort Worth, and we have El Paso now. And so what are we actually going to do besides rhetoric real action?” Acevedo said.

The PUC still has to determine what requirements will apply to large data centers not on the Texas grid, which El Paso is not connected to.

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City of Bend awards $650,000 to help lower home prices at Woodhaven Estates

KTVZ on August 10, 2026

Adrielle Hasara

(Update: adding video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Thistle & Nest has received a $650,000 award from the City of Bend Affordable Housing Fund to support its Woodhaven Estates development in Southeast Bend.

The funding will offset development and construction costs, reducing purchase prices for qualifying buyers earning 80% or less of the Area Median Income.

The grant is part of a broader effort by the City of Bend to expand affordable housing options throughout the community. During the same funding cycle, Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity was awarded $350,000 to support homebuyer assistance for an upcoming development.

Located off Pettigrew Road, Woodhaven Estates consists of two- and three-bedroom townhomes. The city funds will be distributed to eligible buyers on an as-needed basis, with funding capped at $50,000 per household to reduce the mortgage required for purchase.

The development operates under a community land trust model. Under this structure, buyers purchase the home itself while Thistle & Nest retains ownership of the land beneath it. Resale provisions are designed to keep the homes affordable for future buyers while allowing current homeowners to build equity.

Amy Warren, board president and founder of Thistle & Nest, emphasized the challenge that local families face when trying to buy a home. “High home prices and the upfront costs of purchasing a home remain significant barriers for Central Oregon families, even when they can manage a monthly mortgage payment,” Warren said. “The City’s investment helps us close that affordability gap at Woodhaven Estates, giving more Central Oregonians the opportunity to build equity, achieve greater financial stability and remain rooted in the community where they live and work.”

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Congressman Al Green Helps Deliver $500,000 Federal Investment to Revitalize Hiram Clarke and Fort Bend Communities

CNN Newsource on August 10, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    August 10, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Nearly 13 years after Houston created TIRZ 25 to spur reinvestment in Hiram Clarke and Fort Bend Houston, another important chapter is being written in Southwest Houston’s comeback story. The zone was officially created on August 7, 2013—a date that makes the timing of this latest investment almost poetic.

On Thursday, August 6, 2026, community and redevelopment leaders celebrated the presentation of a symbolic $500,000 federal check to the Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority (HCFBRA). Congressman Al Green (TX-09) helped secure the funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment Grant Program.

In plain Houston language: before you can build something better, you need to know what is underneath the existing ground.

Brownfields are properties where actual or potential contamination can complicate redevelopment—think former gas stations, dry cleaners or older commercial sites where chemicals may have entered soil or groundwater. The $500,000 award will support property inventories, environmental assessments, redevelopment planning and community engagement.

HCFBRA says it plans to conduct 21 initial assessments, followed by deeper testing on as many as five properties if necessary. Proposed cleanup and reuse plans will also be developed, giving residents a voice as properties are evaluated for new possibilities.

For Congressman Green, the investment goes far beyond environmental testing.

“Every family deserves to live in a community where opportunity is not overshadowed by environmental hazards or years of underinvestment,” Green said.

That statement carries considerable historical weight.

The Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend redevelopment effort grew from years of community advocacy and demands for infrastructure and economic investment. Houston created TIRZ 25 in 2013, and the Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend Redevelopment Authority was formally established in 2015. Today, the zone covers approximately 6,077 acres across two counties, channeling tax-increment growth into roads, sidewalks, drainage, lighting, parks, public facilities and other economic-development improvements.

And this is not theoretical.

In 2023, HCFBRA acquired a long-vacant former gas station at 4802 W. Fuqua Street, a property that had become associated with illegal activity and neighborhood blight. The structure was demolished, contamination was assessed, and plans call for transforming the property into green space connected to Simon Minchen Park and the Sims Bayou Trail.

Now the federal grant provides an opportunity to repeat that playbook on a much larger scale.

“This grant is a chance to do more of the work our community has waited years for,” HCFBRA Executive Director LeRon Wilsonsaid.

And Hiram Clarke/Fort Bend is standing out statewide. EPA awarded more than $9.4 million in 2026 Brownfields grants across Texas, with HCFBRA receiving $500,000. The authority says it is the only greater-Houston recipient of this particular Community-Wide Brownfields Assessment Grant during the current grant cycle.

The potential multiplier is impressive. Since 1995, EPA says its Brownfields Program has provided more than $3 billion in grant funding, helping leverage more than $45 billion in cleanup and redevelopment and supporting more than 228,900 jobs. Through fiscal year 2025, every federal brownfields grant dollar awarded through major programs leveraged an average of $19.47 from public and private sources.

So don’t look at this as simply a $500,000 check.

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Look at it as seed money for possibility.

For Hiram Clarke and Fort Bend Houston, this investment represents another tool for converting yesterday’s liabilities into tomorrow’s neighborhood assets—cleaner land, stronger development opportunities, healthier communities and renewed economic confidence.

Congressman Al Green helped bring federal resources home. Now Southwest Houston has another reason to believe that revitalization is not merely being discussed.

It is being assessed, planned—and built.

For more information on the HCFBRA, go to: hiramclarkefortbend.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

GEORGIA PROVOST: HOUSTON SAYS FAREWELL TO “THE MAYOR OF THIRD WARD”

CNN Newsource on August 10, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    August 10, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston has lost more than a community leader. Third Ward has lost one of its fiercest champions, and generations of Houstonians have lost a woman who spent a lifetime preserving, protecting and promoting the community she loved.

Houston Style Magazine joins our city in mourning the passing of Georgia Provost, affectionately known throughout Houston as “The Mayor of Third Ward.”

It was a fitting title.

Georgia did not need to occupy City Hall to understand the meaning of public service. Her authority came from something more enduring: decades of showing up.

She showed up for Third Ward. She showed up for civic engagement. She showed up for Texas Southern University. She showed up when Houston’s historic African American neighborhoods needed a voice. And when Georgia Provost believed something needed to be said, Houston could count on her to say it.

Her legacy was also deeply connected to Provost Studios, the historic family photography business that documented generations of Black Houston.

Through the Provost lens came portraits of families, graduates, brides and grooms, business owners, civic leaders and everyday Houstonians building extraordinary lives. Those photographs became more than family keepsakes. Collectively, they form an invaluable visual archive of Houston’s African American history.

Georgia understood something Houston Style Magazine has always believed: If we do not document our own history, someone else will eventually tell our story for us.

She made sure the pictures survived.

But Georgia Provost was never content simply to document history. She participated in it.

Her civic activism, community advocacy and willingness to seek public office demonstrated an enduring belief that democracy works best when ordinary citizens refuse to remain on the sidelines.

That may ultimately be one of her greatest lessons.

Leadership isn’t always accompanied by a title.

Sometimes leadership is the woman who keeps attending the meetings.

The neighbor who keeps asking questions.

The businesswoman who keeps investing in her community.

The elder who remembers what stood on the corner before the skyscraper arrived.

And sometimes leadership is a woman whom an entire community simply begins calling “Mayor.”

On behalf of Houston Style Magazine and the Page Family, we extend our deepest condolences to the Provost family, her friends, colleagues, the Texas Southern University community, Third Ward and the countless Houstonians who knew, respected and loved her.

Buildings change. Neighborhoods evolve. Generations pass.

But people who spend their lives fighting for their communities become part of those communities forever.

Georgia Provost was one of those people.

Rest well, Georgia.

The Mayor of Third Ward has gone home — but her fingerprints, photographs and fighting spirit remain all over Houston.

— Francis Page, Jr. – Publisher & Editor Houston Style Magazine | StyleMagazine.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

From Geneva to Houston: Adi Rivka Farjon Brings Global Diplomacy, Women’s Leadership and Bridge-Building to the Southwest

CNN Newsource on August 10, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    August 10, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston knows global connections. Energy, medicine, technology, trade, culture and more than 90 foreign governments represented through the city’s consular community have made the Bayou City an international crossroads. Now another seasoned diplomat is preparing to add her voice to that conversation. Houston is home to what the city describes as the nation’s third-largest consular corps.

Adi Rivka Farjon Israel has been selected to become Consul General of Israel in Houston and the Southwest, succeeding Consul General Livia Link-Raviv. Israel’s Cabinet approved Farjon’s appointment in November 2025, with Farjon expected to assume the Houston assignment in August 2026.

As of August 10, 2026, the Houston consulate’s public leadership pages were still undergoing the transition and continued to reflect portions of the outgoing administration — making Farjon’s arrival quite literally a developing Houston story.

And what a résumé she brings.

Farjon most recently headed the Central Europe Department of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before that, she spent four years as Israel’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations and international organizations in Geneva, where the Israeli mission credited her with advancing the country’s positions at the Human Rights Council and working extensively on international women’s rights issues.

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Reflecting upon that demanding Geneva chapter, Farjon wrote, “When I started this role, I was optimistic and eager to embrace the opportunities of the multilateral arena.”

Her colleagues were equally complimentary. Israel’s Geneva mission praised Farjon’s “professionalism, passion, energy and team spirit” as she concluded the assignment in 2024.

Those qualities could serve her well in Houston.

The Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest covers Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and New Mexico, a sprawling territory encompassing energy capitals, agricultural centers, major universities, emerging technology corridors and some of America’s fastest-growing communities.

The consulate describes Israel’s relationship with the Southwest as “robust,” with continuing efforts to deepen cooperation and shared prosperity. That relationship has included decades of exchanges involving agriculture, healthcare, energy, technology, research and trade.

Houston, particularly, provides fertile ground for Farjon’s bridge-building instincts. The city has longstanding business and institutional connections with Israel, while the region’s energy and technology sectors offer natural opportunities for collaboration. The U.S. International Trade Administration has continued promoting Israeli participation in Houston’s Offshore Technology Conference, underscoring the economic possibilities surrounding energy innovation.

Yet Farjon’s story reaches beyond government offices and diplomatic receptions.

Before entering diplomacy, she worked in Israel’s nonprofit sector. She earned degrees from Tel Aviv University, including graduate work examining intercultural integration and the experiences of young immigrants in Germany. She also volunteered for years with the Tel Aviv Rape Crisis Center, educating teenagers about sexual-assault prevention and conducting empowerment programs for women and girls.

Farjon later led the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Women in Diplomacy Network, organizing engagement among Israeli and international female diplomats. Her professional interests have included civil society, gender equality, conflict resolution and mediation.

In other words, Houston is not simply receiving another diplomat with an impressive passport stamp collection.

It is welcoming a communicator.

A coalition builder.

A woman who has moved between diplomacy’s grand stages and civil society’s very human work.

And in a city where international relationships are built everywhere from boardrooms and universities to churches, synagogues, cultural institutions and neighborhood tables, that may prove to be exactly the right skill set.

Welcome to Houston, Consul General Farjon. The world already meets here. Now the conversation continues.

Official Consulate General of Israel to the Southwest: embassies.gov.il/houston/en

Adi Rivka Farjon Israel – Global Diplomacy Lab Profile:

global-diplomacy-lab.org/members/adi-rivka-farjon-israel

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