Allies in Hope’s 4th Annual Hope for Houston Ball Makes High Fashion a Force for Hope

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

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    July 20, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston has never needed permission to dress boldly, give generously or turn a grand entrance into a meaningful statement. On Saturday, November 14, 2026, those signature Houston qualities will share the spotlight when Allies in Hope presents its 4th Annual Hope for Houston Ball at The Revaire, 7122 Old Katy Road. Beginning at 7 p.m., the black-tie evening will place fashion, philanthropy and purpose on the same runway under a fitting theme: “The Category Is… High Fashion.”

This is not simply another beautiful night on Houston’s crowded social calendar. It is Allies in Hope’s premier annual fundraising gala, gathering business leaders, philanthropists, advocates, civic champions and community visionaries to support programs serving individuals and families affected by HIV and related social challenges.

The evening will feature a cocktail reception, a VIP lounge for select guests, an elegant seated dinner, live entertainment, inspiring stories of hope and resilience, live and silent auction experiences, and fashion-centered surprises. In other words, guests should prepare to serve a look—and help serve the community.

Leading this year’s celebration are Honorary Chairs Mrs. Kristen and Rev. Dr. Alexander E.M. Johnson. Kenneth Gayle, Salvador “Sal” Serrano and Nicolas Serrano will serve as Co-Chairs, lending their influence, networks and commitment to an event designed to make generosity both visible and transformational. Their leadership reinforces the gala’s larger message: style may command attention, but compassion creates impact.

Returning once again as an official media sponsor, Houston Style Magazine (HSM) is proud to support the 4th Annual Hope for Houston Balland the life-changing mission of Allies in Hope. Through its print, digital and social media platforms, HSM will help amplify the evening’s message of compassion, community and action—encouraging Houstonians to attend, sponsor, donate and stand together in the effort to end the HIV epidemic across Greater Houston. This continued partnership reflects HSM’s longstanding commitment to highlighting organizations that transform generosity into hope and create healthier, stronger communities.

That impact rests upon more than four decades of Houston history. Founded in 1982 as AIDS Foundation Houston, the organization was Texas’ first AIDS service organization. It launched a community hotline in 1983, opened its first residential housing program in 1984, established the Stone Soup food bank in 1985 and began Camp Hope in 1996.

In 2023, AIDS Foundation Houston became Allies in Hope, adopting a name intended to reduce stigma, remove barriers to care and reflect a future in which people living with HIV can receive treatment, dignity and support without being defined by an outdated diagnosis. The new name also speaks to solidarity—the belief that Houston can stand together, in hope, until the epidemic is ended.

Today, Allies in Hope works toward a clear mission: ending the HIV epidemic in Greater Houston while advancing a vision of a community where HIV is rare, stigma-free and met with equitable access to care. Its services reach far beyond a clinic door, including HIV and STI testing, PrEP care, rapid-start treatment, prevention education, prison outreach and reentry assistance, supportive housing, food access, youth programming and case management.

The organization currently reports serving more than 6,000 community members, with 3,966 patients receiving testing, PrEP or other health services. Its published impact also includes 285 residents affordably housed, 1,671 people served through the Stone Soup Food Pantry, 186 youth-camp participants and a 98 percent participation rate from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Wall Talk, an education initiative addressing HIV, sexually transmitted infections and sexual violence.

Those numbers explain why the Hope for Houston Ball matters. A ballroom may sparkle for one evening, but the funds raised can support testing, treatment, housing stability, food assistance and the human reassurance that no neighbor should face a health challenge alone. The gala transforms glamour into an instrument of care—proof that a tuxedo, a gown and a generous heart can belong in the same ensemble.

Guests and supporters have several ways to step into the story. Individuals may join the Host Committee and become ambassadors who help expand attendance, ticket sales and community engagement. Businesses, family foundations and civic partners may become sponsors, receiving event visibility, VIP benefits and seating opportunities while investing directly in essential community programs. Supporters unable to attend may still make a tax-deductible donation through the official fundraising campaign.

Houston, the assignment is clear: arrive elevated, give boldly and remember that hope is always in season. At the 4th Annual Hope for Houston Ball, the category may be high fashion—but the cause is human dignity, healthier families and a future where HIV no longer defines or divides our community. Event Details Saturday, November 14, 2026 • 7 p.m. The Revaire 7122 Old Katy Road Houston, Texas 77024 Official Hope for Houston Ball Information Purchase Tickets • Join the Host Committee • Become a Sponsor

Make a Donation Learn More About Allies in Hope

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.

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Photographer provides an update on the tourist attacked by a bison in Yellowstone

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Steve Dent

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    BOISE, Idaho (KIVI) — By now you have probably seen the viral video of a bison attacking a tourist at the Fishing Bridge Campground in Yellowstone National Park.

We sat down with professional photographer Mike MacLeod who captured the moment, but also helped out and then visited Carl McDonald in the hospital on Tuesday evening, and the two have become friends following this wild incident.

“He had an operation, and it was successful,” said MacLeod. “They patched his femur back together, and the pain immediately subsided tremendously he said.”

MacLeod was also able to add more clarity to the incident after visiting with McDonald. He learned that the grandpa and his grandchild were walking back to their campsite when the bison charged. McDonald told his grandson to run and hide while he ran in the opposite direction. Although this saved his grandchild from harm, he paid for it.

“He said it wasn’t the horn, it was his head. It was actually soft,” said MacLeod. “All the damage came when he hit the ground and broke his femur.”

That’s when army veteran Mike MacLeod put down his camera and ran over to help, and thanks to other people reacting as well, the bison ran off. There was a tense moment while McDonald could feel the hot breath of the bison above him as he lay on the ground.

MacLeod also got a degree in wildlife biology and believes the bison became agitated because of the rut. Yellowstone National Park put out a Facebook post saying the rut season is happening now, rut is when bulls compete with each other in order to mate with the females in the herd. MacLeod says this particular bison had multiple outbursts, and McDonald and his grandson just got unlucky.

“When we got there, the bull charged some teenagers, and they scattered,” said MacLeod. “The bull kept running and ran into another camp and evicted those two people, rolled in the dust, and at that point is when you see Carl and his grandson enter the frame.”

Every summer in Yellowstone tourism put themselves in danger by either getting off the boardwalk around the geothermal features or getting too close to wildlife. However, that wasn’t the case in this instance, as Carl was more than 100 yards away, the park service recommends visitors stay 25 yards away.

“When campers gets too close, which happens all the time a lot of times bison will false charge just to get a little space,” said MacLeod. “People back off and it’s all good again, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a bison contact a human being.”

The silver lining from this entire experience comes with MacLeod and Car becoming friends. MacLeod described him as a fun-loving grandpa who loves to have experiences with his grandchildren. MacLeod also told me Carl joked with the staff in the ambulance on the two and a half hour ride to the hospital in Bozeman.

“He’s a funny guy ,he’s got a great sense of humor, and he thinks all the memes coming out about him are hilarious,” said MacLeod. “Not all of them are nice, but he just laughs it off. It’s just kind of who he is, you can tell he’s just a happy individual and focuses on the positives of life.”

Yellowstone National Park told us bison are responsible for more injuries than any other animal in the park. Officials did not euthanize the bison in this attack.

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.

Smoke Over Cahokia

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

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    July 20, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — The smoke came down out of Canada last week. It turned the skies in Chicago and throughout the Midwest the color of dishwater. Then it kept coming south, until it drifted over a field across the river from St. Louis where the largest city north of what is now Mexico once stood.

Most of us were never taught it was there.

A thousand years ago, ten to twenty thousand people lived at Cahokia. They farmed corn on the bottomland, traded copper down from the Great Lakes and shell up from the Gulf and raised 120 mounds of packed earth one basket at a time, the largest a hundred feet high and fourteen acres at its base.

It was bigger than London. It was a city.

I have stood on top of them. You climb, and the ground keeps rising longer than you expect, and at the top the whole valley lies open underneath you, and eight miles west the St. Louis skyline stands up out of it. It is quiet up there. Grass and wind, and nothing at all to tell you what you are standing on. You have to be told. Then you look again, and the field is not a field anymore.

Cahokia rose in good years. Tree rings say it was founded during one of the wettest fifty-year stretches of the millennium, when the rain came on time and the bottomland gave back everything it was asked for.

Then the rains changed. Drought came after 1150. Around 1200, a flood big enough to swallow the farmland left its signature in the mud of a lake beside the city.

We can watch what happened next. They left it in the ground.

Around 1175, the Cahokians put a wall around the heart of their city, two miles of it, twenty thousand logs sunk in trenches five feet deep, with towers every eighty-five feet, the spacing a man needs to cover his neighbor with a bow.

They built that wall four times. Each time, they used fewer logs. There were fewer hands left to carry them.

Walls like it went up across the middle of the continent between 1200 and 1400. In a cemetery in the Illinois River valley, dating to about 1300, at least a third of the adults died violently. Scalped. Shot. Left where they fell. Farther up the Missouri, at a place called Crow Creek, a village dug a ditch and raised a wall to keep itself safe, and around 1325 at least 486 of its people were killed and buried in it, their bones showing they had been hungry long before anyone came.

That was not Cahokia. Different people, different place. And no honest scholar will tell you the drought pulled the trigger.

But that is what hunger and fear look like when they last long enough. Why Cahokia emptied is still argued. And the story I was taught turns out to be false. It said the Cahokians cut down too many trees and flooded themselves out. Archaeologists went looking for that flood and could not find it. It had never been tested. It was only believed, because it flattered us to believe it.

The likelier answer is harder. The climate changed first. Then the pressures came together. The harvests got thin. The politics got mean. The trust wore out. Some families left, then more, and by 1400 the plazas were empty and the grass had come back over them.

That is the order of it. Climate change starts in the sky and the soil. Then it moves through food, fear, power and faith.

Columbus did not reach the Caribbean until 1492. He never saw Cahokia.

Here is what those mounds say to me.

They say a people can build something so large a thousand years of weather cannot erase it.

They say the same people can be pressed until they wall themselves off from one another.

They say a people can walk away from all of it, and regather, and build again.

They say all three things. They are the same mounds. Cahokia’s people did not vanish. They walked. They regathered. They built again. Dr. Andrea Hunter, who keeps the history of the Osage Nation, will tell you her people trace their ancestry to that world and are still here, in Oklahoma.

That is the hope. It is not a promise.

Last week the smoke drifted over the city you can see from up there, and over the city you are standing on.

Two things are still in that ground. The mounds they raised together. The trenches they dug when the trust ran out.

We are building both right now.

Ben Jealous is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and former president and CEO of the NAACP.

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
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H-E-B’s Joe V’s Smart Shop Doubles Down on Houston with Two New Stores

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

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    July 20, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston’s grocery map is getting two bold new pins—and families from Humble to southwest Houston may want to bring their shopping lists and their appetites.

Joe V’s Smart Shop, H-E-B’s value-focused grocery format, is expanding with two new 57,000-square-foot stores scheduled to open in 2027. Construction is already underway at 19611 US-59 near Interstate 69 in Humble, where the first location is expected to open in early 2027. A second store at 1227 W. Orem Drive near Highway 288 and the City Park community is planned for late 2027.

For Houston-area families balancing grocery budgets, busy schedules and growing households, this expansion is more than another retail announcement. It represents affordable food, neighborhood convenience and a significant employment boost. Each store is expected to hire more than 200 Joe V’s Partners, creating more than 400 new jobs with training, competitive pay, benefits and opportunities for career and leadership development.

That is the kind of economic recipe Houston understands: combine investment, employment and affordable groceries, then serve it family-style.

Launched in 2010, Joe V’s Smart Shop was designed to lower operating costs and pass those savings directly to customers—known affectionately as “Smart Shoppers.” The brand now employs more than 2,700 Partners across 14 stores in the Houston and Dallas areas. As a proud H-E-B media partner, Houston Style Magazine recognizes this expansion as another example of H-E-B planting long-term roots in the communities it serves. photo

Both new locations will introduce something especially flavorful: they will be the first Joe V’s Smart Shops to feature H-E-B South Flo Pizza. The grab-and-go concept will offer handcrafted pizzas prepared fresh in-house daily. Translation: shoppers may enter for bananas and leave with dinner handled. That is not impulse buying; that is strategic meal planning with melted cheese.

The stores will also offer home delivery, extending their reach beyond the checkout lane and into surrounding neighborhoods. Inside, customers can expect fresh produce delivered daily, in-store-cut meats, chicken and seafood, freshly made tortillas and breads, Sushiya selections prepared daily, Asian grill favorites, H-E-B Meal Simple options and an expansive selection of Latino cheeses.

The value headlines are hard to miss. Joe V’s plans to continue offering three pounds of bananas for $1, bolillos at eight for $1 and family-friendly Joe V’s Bundle boxes starting at $20. Those seasoned-meat boxes can help stretch a household menu across several meals—an increasingly welcome advantage when families want quality without watching the grocery receipt perform gymnastics.

Beyond food, the new stores are expected to carry dairy and frozen items, seasonal merchandise, cookware, small appliances, toys, personal-care products, baby essentials, nutritional supplements and over-the-counter medications. Convenient self-checkout lanes will help keep traffic moving, while home delivery will provide another option for seniors, working parents and customers with limited transportation.

Historically, H-E-B’s growth is one of Texas’ great business stories. Florence Butt opened the C.C. Butt Grocery Store in Kerrville in 1905 with a $60 investment. From that modest beginning, the company grew by staying close to its customers, respecting its Partners and treating community service as part of the business—not an afterthought.

Today, the San Antonio-based company reports more than $50 billion in sales, over 455 stores in Texas and Mexico, and more than 175,000 Partners serving millions of customers in more than 300 communities.

For Houston, the new Joe V’s stores continue a familiar story: H-E-B invests where people live, work, raise families and build futures. Humble gains a major grocery destination and hundreds of employment opportunities. The City Park and Highway 288 area gains a fresh-food retailer designed around value and convenience. Both communities gain another doorway into the H-E-B family.

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Job seekers should begin watching the official Joe V’s Smart Shop careers portal as employment opportunities are posted. Applicants can search hourly, management and salaried career openings, with Spanish-language job listings also available.

The message is simple: two stores, more than 400 jobs, fresh food, lower prices and pizza coming straight out of the oven.

Houston, that sounds like a smart shop—and an even smarter investment in our communities.

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

Animal cruelty caught on viral video sparks outrage

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Angela Cifone

Click here for updates on this story

    HONOLULU (KITV) — Many dogs become part of a family and are given so much love, but not every dog has that experience.

A disturbing video went viral on social media and has gained hundreds of likes and comments.

“It’s obvious that this dog goes through this all the time,” said Chantell Moniz, President and founder of Hina’s Legacy Rescue Foundation.

“Every time we see it, it’s always heart-wrenching. It’s frustrating,” Moniz continued.

Given the heart-wrench, this is something that happens more often than people like to acknowledge.

“We get very upset because this is a common thing. This happens all the time. We see so much, and it’s just hard to unsee what we have already seen,” said Moniz.

The big question is, what happens next if you see or film scenarios like this?

“Send it to Humane Society because technically, they’re the only ones that can actually start an animal cruelty investigation. The process is Humane Society first. Humane Society contacts H.P.D. They start their investigation. They go out to the home, possibly remove the dog, or cite the person,” explained Moniz.

However, that process does not always work.

“I gotta tell you though, in that process, a lot of the times these dogs get returned to the owners because prosecution doesn’t happen,” added Moniz.

The community and advocates do help by filming these situations, but it goes further than that to see a real change.

In 2025, HB 698 was introduced, but failed to pass in the 2026 legislative session.

“Animal cruelty is one that gets thrown out because that’s the least of their worries,” said Moniz.

Representative Ikaika Olds, who was apart of that bill, responded with the following statement:

“I’m furious and appalled by such behavior. We need to pass legislation that provides significant protections for animals.”

On the other hand, the city is working with the Humane Society to help put an end to these criminal acts.

“Recently we just expanded our contract to allow them to do animal nuisance violations, to cite people who are leaving their dogs off leashes, letting them run wild. But in these animal abuse cases, we should look at what more powers we can give to the Humane Society to really help resolve these cases,” said Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, Honolulu City Council Member.

Supporters who fight against animal cruelty believe there’s one place where change can happen that goes beyond the Humane Society or bills.

“In situations like that, yeah, I absolutely feel like they can do more. In situations of no prosecution, that is 100% to be blamed on the prosecutor’s office,” said Moniz.

“Our prosecuting attorney’s office, you know, needs to move forward on these clear-cut cases. I think that that would send a strong signal to these animal abusers that this is absolutely not acceptable in our community,” said Dos Santos-Tam.

For now, the power is in the community’s hands to send situations like this to the right place.

A statement from the Hawaiian Humane Society said, “Our message to anyone in that situation is simple: your report is what makes the difference. Contacting Hawaiian Humane before sharing gives Animal Protection Officers the best chance to intervene before an individual can relocate or conceal an animal or leave the area. “

The Hawaiian Humane Society told Island News that a firsthand witness has now contacted them and their Animal Protection Officers have opened an investigation into this matter.

The organization says they are grateful to this witness for coming forward.

If anyone else witnessed this incident firsthand, recorded original video, or has information relevant to this matter to call our Dispatch line at 808-356-2250.

Reports can also be made anonymously through Animal CrimeStoppers at 808-955-8300.

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.

Resident uses song to share community concerns with City Council

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Adrian Torres

Click here for updates on this story

    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — City Council meetings are an integral part of local government. It’s a time for residents to hear what their city leaders are working on and provides a space for them to air their concerns.

But despite being very important, usually they aren’t very entertaining to watch. One Shreveport resident recently changed that by submitting his concerns by way of a silky, smooth song.

New Castle Pines residents Danny Cochran says the lyrics were written, not by him, but by the community members he represents in the Hollywood and Caddo Heights Association, where he serves as sergeant-at-arms and chaplain.

During one of the group’s monthly meetings, about 15 people spoke up about problems facing the neighborhoods.

“We are blessed to have sidewalks in some of these communities, but they’re covered with grass. The ditches, you don’t know they are ditches because the grass have overgrown the ditches,” said Cochran. “It’s growing up to be a jungle, and it looked like a third world country, but it’s Shreveport.”

Neighbors also shared concerns with deteriorating road conditions, the homeless living under the highway, speeding cars, curfew hours, and all the trash on the streets and green spaces. Neighbors said these concerns have been reported to the city, but that nothing has been done to address them.

“The words of the song to this music is please come and give us a hand. We’re not asking you to fix everything up brand new. We are just asking to take care of the thing that’s important. The most important thing, because a lot of people they enjoy their community,” Cochran said.

Those concerns were written down on paper and Cochran told members he would take them himself to the upcoming City Council meeting. He then took those words and did what he loves to do — he wrote a song.

“Most people don’t like to listen to people too much, but people love listening to music. I figured that was a way of getting things across,” he said.

Cochran said he struggled finding the right lyrics to express everyone’s concerns. Luckily, he had his granddaughter by his side, helping him decide what to keep and what to toss.

“My 13-year-old granddaughter would say, ‘”It’s okay, but nah. You know, I think you can do a little better.'” Then maybe after about the sixth, seventh song, she’d say, ‘That’s the one, Grandpa,'” and I’d agree.”

Cochran also produced the sweet beats and used AI to bring his lyrics to life.

As for musical inspiration, Cochran said he wanted his music to have smooth tunes, while also carrying serious themes.

“I’m always thinking about the artists. Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire and so many others. Their music was about the people. When Black people felt there was no hope, no way out of the system, the artists wrote music and gave the people inspiration about themselves,” said Cochran. “It gave people the mentality that things can change, and they did that through music, and that’s what I was thinking about.”

After presenting the song to the council, members said they would go bar by bar and try to address the concerns mentioned in the song.

After the meeting, videos of Cochran’s song sprang up all over Facebook, with many people saying they loved his song. Cochran said that was a special moment to witness.

“It makes me feel great. I feel wonderful about people liking the music. I was really overwhelmed. It made me want to get out there and do even more for the community. My mother used to always say, ‘Son, you’re missing your calling.’ She wanted me to be a preacher. I’m like, ‘Nah.’ This right here kind of make me like, well, maybe that’s my calling, you know, to help the people out, and if they inspire me, I want to do my best to inspire them, and whatever I can do to help the community.”

Cochran hopes the song will motivate residents and city leaders to help make Shreveport the place to be.

“It should be recognized for good things, not a city that you don’t want to live in, a city that you want to actually move to,” he 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.

Houston Theater Week Returns August 24–30 with BOGO Tickets and a Citywide Encore for the Arts

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    July 20, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston knows how to put on a show, and this August the city’s performing arts community is once again giving audiences a reason to rise, applaud and bring a friend. Houston Theater Week returns for its fifth annual celebration August 24–30, 2026, offering buy-one-get-one-free ticket deals for performances across the upcoming arts season. Presented by Huntington National Bank and led by Houston First, the week is designed to make world-class entertainment more accessible while strengthening the theaters, artists and creative professionals who keep Houston’s cultural spotlight shining.

The official Houston Theater Week page confirms the 2026 dates and says participating performances and offer details will be announced as the promotion approaches. That means theater lovers should save the date now—and keep their ticket-buying fingers warmed up. The full menu may still be behind the curtain, but the promise is already clear: purchase one eligible ticket and receive a second ticket free, subject to each organization’s offer terms and available seating.

Since its debut in 2022, Houston Theater Week has grown from an ambitious experiment into one of the city’s most successful arts-access traditions. The inaugural campaign united 20 organizations, offered 107 shows, sold 17,594 tickets and generated more than $572,000 in combined ticket revenue. One year later, the second annual promotion expanded to more than 200 performances and nearly 25,000 tickets sold. By 2025, audiences purchased more than 43,000 tickets across roughly 400 shows—a new record and nearly a 50 percent increase in ticket sales over the previous year.

Those numbers deserve more than a polite golf clap. They show that Houstonians are hungry for live experiences—and that affordability can open doors to audiences who may have believed opera, ballet, symphonic music or professional theater was outside their budget. A BOGO offer can turn a solo night out into date night, introduce a child to the magic of the stage, reunite friends for a musical or help a curious newcomer take a chance on something bold, unfamiliar and unforgettable.

Houston Theater Week also provides a meaningful economic boost beyond the box office. Every ticket supports a larger ecosystem that includes performers, musicians, directors, playwrights, choreographers, costume makers, stagehands, ushers, designers, technicians and administrative teams. A night at the theater can also mean dinner at a nearby restaurant, parking downtown, a post-show dessert or a hotel stay for visitors. In Houston, culture is not simply decoration; it is part of the city’s identity, workforce and economic energy.

The promotion historically reaches far beyond one building or one artistic genre. Past Houston Theater Week offerings have included theater, opera, ballet, chamber music, jazz, Broadway productions, holiday favorites, family programming, contemporary dance and intimate performances staged at both major downtown venues and community theaters throughout the region.

The 2026 lineup has not yet been fully released, so patrons should avoid assuming that every currently advertised production will qualify. Instead, the smartest strategy is to follow the official Houston Theater Week page and review each offer’s performance dates, seating levels, promotional code and restrictions before purchasing.

While waiting for the official deals to drop, audiences can explore current and upcoming shows through the Hobby Center and Alley Theatre. The Hobby Center’s calendar already stretches into the 2026–2027 season with musicals, concerts, dance and Houston-created programming. Alley Theatre, which has entertained Houston audiences since 1947, is entering its landmark 80th season with classics, new works and its beloved holiday tradition, “A Christmas Carol.”

For Houston families, couples, students, seniors, arts supporters and adventurous newcomers, Houston Theater Week is the perfect invitation to try something different. Buy the drama and get the comedy. Buy the orchestra and bring someone who thinks symphonies are only for movie soundtracks. Buy one seat and give the second to a young person whose imagination may be changed forever.

So mark August 24–30, 2026, in bold. Watch for the participating organizations and complete performance lineup. When the curtain rises on the fifth annual Houston Theater Week, Houston will once again prove that the best seat in the house is even better when someone you care about is sitting beside you.

More Theater Week – Houston information: 2026 Theater Week

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

Sakenaut Festival Brings Tokyo’s Neon Nightlife, DJ TSÜBEE and Unlimited Sake to Houston

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Francis Page Jr.

Click here for updates on this story

    July 20, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston, prepare to trade the familiar glow of the Bayou City skyline for a splash of Akihabara neon. On Saturday, July 25, Sakenaut Festivalwill transform Power Station Bar & Lounge into a Tokyo-nightlife-inspired playground where sake flows, game controllers, glow and two Japanese DJs keep the celebration moving from afternoon into the early morning.

Presented by TOKYO STORY, the 21-and-older experience runs from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. at 1809 Eldridge Parkway, Suite 101. Organizers describe Sakenauts as an anime-inspired festival blending sake, cocktails, music, games and social connection. Guests can choose among three-hour sessions or a limited all-day pass, with official ticket listings ranging from $49.99 to $99.99 at publication time.

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The schedule is built like a night in chapters. Session One runs from 2 to 5 p.m.; Session Two follows from 6 to 9 p.m.; and the late-night DJ experience takes over from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. A separate, limited Megami Maids add-on brings kawaii maid-café interactions, photo opportunities and anime-inspired hospitality into the mix, giving cosplay and convention fans another reason to charge their phones and practice their best camera-ready pose.

The headline attraction is “nomihoudai,” Japan’s popular all-you-can-drink format. The Japan National Tourism Organization explains that many izakaya offer timed nomihoudai plans featuring drinks from a designated menu. Houston’s version places sake and sake cocktails at center stage, but the smartest accessory remains moderation. Valid government-issued identification is required, and guests should arrange a designated driver or rideshare before the first “kanpai.”

Sakenaut Festival is not simply pouring beverages; it is pouring atmosphere. Japanese drinking games, Nintendo Switch play, anime-friendly visuals and a limited-capacity setting are designed to make the event feel more like an interactive culture lounge than another crowded bar night. It works for longtime sake enthusiasts, curious first-timers, couples seeking an unconventional date and friend groups ready to replace the usual weekend routine with something more electric.

When the lights dim, the bass gets serious. DJ TSÜBEE brings a multilingual, open-format personality shaped by EDM, cosplay and kawaii party culture. Her official event biography says she speaks Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese and Spanish—five languages, though a strong beat usually needs no translation. Her sets promise club music, anime-ready energy and the kind of crowd-focused fun that can turn a roomful of strangers into a temporary Tokyo neighborhood.

DJ SENNA raises the voltage even higher. Her official biography identifies her as a Japanese hardstyle DJ ranked No. 1 in Japan, No. 3 in Asia and No. 19 worldwide by DJaneTop. It also credits her as the first Asian woman to officially perform at Defqon.1 in 2024. Her international résumé includes appearances connected to Ultra Taiwan, Ultra Japan, Ultra Beach Bali, S2O New York, S2O Japan, Amsterdam Dance Event and World DJ Festival. In other words, Houston is not getting background music; it is getting festival-grade horsepower.

The timing also feels culturally right. Japan remained part of Houston’s summer conversation after its dramatic 2–1 World Cup loss to Brazil at Houston Stadium on June 29. Japan led at halftime before Brazil rallied and won in stoppage time, yet the Japanese team earned praise for its progress and resilience. A few weeks later, Sakenaut Festival offers another opportunity for Houstonians to engage with Japanese culture—this time without a scoreboard and with considerably more Nintendo.

TOKYO STORY itself was created to serve as a bridge between Japan and the United States. According to the organization, founder Yo Shimizu’s inspiration grew after introducing visiting Texans to Akihabara’s food, technology and pop-culture energy. Sakenauts continues that mission by combining Japanese tradition with a modern American nightlife format rather than placing culture behind glass. This is participation, not observation.

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For Houston, a city fluent in cultural fusion, the concept feels perfectly at home. We mix cuisines, languages, neighborhoods and rhythms before breakfast. Sakenaut Festival simply adds rice wine, hardstyle and glowing Tokyo flavor to the recipe.

So, arrive curious, dress with a little anime-nightlife imagination and prepare to play, sip and dance responsibly. From the first chilled pour to the final DJ set, Sakenaut Festival aims to make West Houston feel several time zones away—without anyone needing a passport.

Kanpai, Houston. The neon is calling. Answer with style. Event Details Saturday, July 25, 2026 • 2 p.m.–2 a.m. Power Station Bar & Lounge 1809 Eldridge Parkway, Suite 101 Houston, Texas 77077 Ages 21 and older with valid government-issued identification

Official festival information and ticket options are available through TOKYO STORY.

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
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First job gives man with disabilities newfound confidence

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Chris Hoffman

Click here for updates on this story

    ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — It’s said you never work a day in your life if you love what you do. For some, barriers prevent them from getting the opportunity to work.

For the past two and a half months, Jack Hartley’s routine has followed a rhythm.

“You do the liner, then the pads, then the bag, then the divider,” he said about his job task.

He’ll go through that process dozens of times, getting boxes together at Grandpa Joe’s Robinson Township warehouse.

“It’s actually a very important job,” Hartley said while putting the boxes together.

It’s his first time in the workforce. Hartley has disabilities and battled mental health problems, but he didn’t want that to define him.

“I really, really wanted to find something purposeful,” he said.

Through a partnership with Achieva, he’s now thriving in his job. It’s part of a broader program called Integrated Vocational Engagement and Support Team, or InVEST. It’s funded by the state’s Department of Labor and Industry and supports people with disabilities getting meaningful jobs.

Hartley works for Grandpa Joe’s and is paid a competitive wage.

“Everyone deserves an opportunity to work at a competitive wage. Some of the individuals with disabilities are some of your best employees,” Achieva associate director of business services Amber Westwood said.

According to Achieva, they have been partnering with businesses across western Pennsylvania for about 15 years. Hartley is the first employee in this program for Grandpa Joe’s. It hopes to expand with more people filling more roles.

“This allowed us to meet those goals while providing meaningful opportunities to individuals,” Grandpa Joe’s vice president of marketing and brand development, Kate Speer, said.

“It’s helped me out,” Hartley said about his job.

In the program, Hartley has a job coach who helps with resumes, interviews and settling into the job. The goal is for him and others to be independent at the workplace.

“Seeing them take on independence, acclimate themselves to the workplace, and be motivated to be in the workforce is great, and Jack’s been a true success story here,” Achieva job coach Jack Doran said, who works with Hartley directly.

With the confidence this job has given Hartley, he now has his eyes on even bigger goals.

“This has just been excellent for me. I’m thinking about going back to school,” Hartley 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.

Renee Messelin, first Black woman soldier to serve overseas, honored at Lincoln Cemetery memorial

CNN Newsource on July 20, 2026

By Noel Brennan

Click here for updates on this story

    ELWOOD, Illinois (WBBM) — A powerful ceremony on Thursday honored World War I veteran Renee Messelin, the first Black woman soldier to serve overseas for the U.S. military.

Some connections are instant. Others take a little more time. Carolyn Timbie traveled from New Hampshire to Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois for a connection two generations in the making.

Messelin served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in World War I. She was one of more than 280 who women answered the call to serve by connecting calls for the U.S. Army in France.

Timbie’s grandmother, Grace Banker, was the chief operator of the unit.

“If you missed a minute, if the lines were down, that could be lives lost,” Timbie said.

The women were called the “Hello Girls.”

“They were treated as soldiers, they were told they were soldiers, but they returned to the country told that they are not veterans,” Timbie said.

Donna Ayres’ great aunt, Olive Shaw, was also a Hello Girl. Ayres and Timbie both live in New Hampshire.

“So we have traveled many places together,” she said.

Descendants of the Hello Girls have found the perfect way to honor their connections – a mission to recognize women like Messelin.

“While she was a French citizen, she actually had been born in Chicago, Illinois; the daughter of an African American couple,” researcher Diane Boettcher said.

Messelin passed as white and kept her Black heritage hidden, according to Boettcher. She was the first African American woman to serve overseas, and she’s the latest Hello Girl to be honored with a memorial ceremony and headstone acknowledging her service.

No living relatives were at Thursday’s ceremony, but every Hello Girl has plenty of connections.

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.