Category: CNN Regional

By Francis Page Jr.

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    May 26, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — GALVESTON, Texas — Some celebrations entertain. Others educate. But the very best ones do something far more powerful: they remind a people who they are, where they come from, and why their song still matters.

On Sunday, June 14, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, the NIA Cultural Center will proudly present the 5th Annual Emancipation Gospel Celebration Concert at the historic The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas — the sacred shoreline city forever known as the birthplace of Juneteenth. The event is listed by The Grand 1894 Opera House for June 14, 2026, at 4 PM, and Visit Galveston also highlights the celebration as part of Galveston’s 161st Juneteenth Anniversary observances.

This year’s celebration promises an unforgettable afternoon where gospel music, Black history, community pride, and spiritual joy rise together in one mighty chorus. And in true Galveston fashion, the event does not merely mark a date on the calendar — it honors a defining moment in American history. Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston learned of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Headlining the evening is Karen Clark Sheard, the four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning gospel powerhouse, multi-Stellar and GMA Dove Award-winning legend, and beloved member of the iconic Clark Sisters. Known for her breathtaking vocal range, unmatched church-rooted artistry, and ability to make every note feel like testimony, Sheard brings more than music to the stage — she brings ministry, memory, and majesty.

Joining her is award-winning gospel artist Byron Cage, affectionately known as the “Prince of Praise.” Cage has long helped shape the sound of contemporary gospel worship, blessing congregations and concert halls with praise anthems that have become Sunday morning standards. His celebrated recording of “The Presence of the Lord Is Here” helped carry Praise and Worship music deeper into the heart of the African American church experience.

The celebration will open with the youthful and inspiring sounds of The Brown Four, a gifted sibling group from Memphis, Tennessee. Featuring Daelin, Daniya, Deanna, and Davion Brown, the group reflects a new generation carrying forward the sacred tradition of gospel harmony — proving that the roots of faith music remain strong, fresh, and future-facing.

Adding to the afternoon’s significance, the NIA Cultural Center will present its Champions of Freedom Award, recognizing individuals whose work has made meaningful contributions to community empowerment, cultural preservation, and the ongoing journey toward justice. The award presentation is led by Sue Johnson, Executive Director of the NIA Cultural Center.

“The Emancipation Gospel Celebration is more than a concert — it’s a celebration of our history, our culture, and our freedom,” said Sue Johnson, Executive Director of the NIA Cultural Center. “We are thrilled to welcome Karen Clark Sheard, Byron Cage, and The Brown Four to Galveston, and to honor those who continue to champion freedom and empowerment in our community.”

Alex Thomas, spokesperson for the NIA Cultural Center, added that the event reflects the unifying power of gospel music.

“This event is a testament to the power of music to unite and inspire,” Thomas said. “Bringing together such incredible artists in the birthplace of Juneteenth allows us to celebrate Black heritage in a way that is both uplifting and unforgettable.”

Founded to preserve and promote African American art, culture, and history, the NIA Cultural Center continues to serve as a cultural anchor in Galveston. Its Juneteenth Month programming includes lectures, concerts, cultural events, and its signature Emancipation Celebration, which also honors Champions of Freedom Award recipients.

Tickets for the 5th Annual Emancipation Gospel Celebration Concert start at just $35, with proceeds supporting the NIA Cultural Center’s mission to uplift the community through art, culture, education, and engagement.

For Houston Style Magazine readers, this is more than a pre-Juneteenth concert. It is a call to gather. A call to remember. A call to rejoice. A call to stand in Galveston — where the news of freedom finally reached Texas — and let gospel music remind us that liberation has always had a soundtrack.

And on June 14, that soundtrack will be sung with power, praise, and purpose.

Event Details WHAT: 5th Annual Emancipation Gospel Celebration Concert WHO: Presented by NIA Cultural Center FEATURING: Karen Clark Sheard, Byron Cage, and The Brown Four WHEN: Sunday, June 14, 2026, 4:00 PM–7:00 PM CT WHERE: The Grand 1894 Opera House, Galveston, Texas TICKETS: Starting at $35 INFO & TICKETS: niaculturalcenter.org CONTACT: (409) 765-7086

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 Matthew Ablon, Sergio Candido

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    DALLAS (KTVT) — Democrats in Texas have selected their candidate in the race for Texas Attorney General as they vie for the seat soon to be left open by Republican Ken Paxton as he seeks to represent the Lone Star State in the U.S. Senate.

Tuesday’s runoff elections saw former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and current State Senator Nathan Johnson compete for the nod. This contest was not as contentious as the one between their Republican counterparts: current Congressman Chip Roy and current State Senator Mayes Middleton.

In the March 3 primary, Jaworski almost won with more than 48% of the vote; he needed 50% plus one vote to avoid the runoff. He also edged out Dallas attorney Tony Box, who told CBS News Texas he would not endorse either Jaworski or Johnson and instead remain neutral.

In a previous interview with CBS News Texas, Johnson claimed the state’s Ten Commandments law violated the U.S. Constitution.

“I will not defend the legislature’s passage of unconstitutional laws and laws that violate individual rights. I will not defend the legislature’s passage of a requirement that schools place the Ten Commandments in classrooms because it’s unconstitutional,” he said at the time.

Johnson also indicated the state might have to hire private attorneys to defend the law.

“That might be a good conversation for me to have with the legislature before they pass the next ill-advised and unconstitutional law,” he added.

Johnson also said his goal is not to sue the administration of President Donald Trump, but did say he’d protect Texas from federal overreach.

“I probably would have already sued the Trump administration literally dozens of times. It’s just because he’s so prolific and violating the constitution and the Administrative Procedures Act and state law and individual rights,” Johnson said. “It’s not because I want to sue the president, but whether it’s a Democratic president or a Republican president, there is a temptation, a tendency right now in the United States, globally, for the executive to be overly assertive. I believe in the separation of powers.”

Johnson also said one of his priorities is rebuilding the culture of the Attorney General’s Office.

“My top priority is to populate the Attorney General’s Office with really good people. Four thousand employees, 800 lawyers. The ideologues can go somewhere else. People with institutional expertise who are committed to public service, whether they’re currently working in the Ken Paxton Attorney General’s Office or new,” he said.

Johnson also promised to ensure that the marketplace will remain competitive.

“Quality has gone down. Prices have gone up, and consumers are being manipulated and taken advantage of in the commercial sector,” he said. “Attorneys General are supposed to make sure that the competitive market is competitive. It is the natural tendency of powerful corporations to try to get more powerful. It is the duty of government to make sure that they don’t control the rules of the game and are forced to compete.”

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 Francis Page Jr.

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    May 26, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston’s creative community just added another bright, shiny reason to take a bow.

KSRC Media Plus, the Houston-based media, advertising, and production powerhouse led by Kim Gagné and Cristina Kooker, has earned an impressive 12 honors in the 47th Annual Telly Awards, including five Silver and three Bronze awards for the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s “Keep It Moving” 2026 television campaign, along with one Silver and three Bronze awards for the locally loved digital series The Now with Cris.

For Houston, this is more than a trophy-case moment. This is a creative victory lap for a city that knows how to build, move, hustle, connect, and tell a story with heart.

The Telly Awards, one of the world’s premier honors for video and television across all screens, announced its 47th annual winners on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, after receiving nearly 14,000 entries from 55 countries—the most in the competition’s history. This year’s winners included major names such as Paramount TV, Warner Bros. Discovery, FOX Entertainment, Sony Music, TED, ABC News, Harvard Business School, and more.

That makes KSRC Media Plus’ 12-award achievement especially significant. In a global field packed with media giants, national brands, production studios, nonprofits, newsrooms, agencies, and digital innovators, a Houston-born creative team stepped forward and stood tall.

The award-winning HCTRA “Keep It Moving” campaign centered on what Houston understands all too well: mobility matters. Whether commuting to work, running errands, getting children to school, or crossing county lines for opportunity, transportation is part of the daily rhythm of life across Harris County. KSRC Media Plus transformed that everyday reality into a polished, people-centered campaign with energy, clarity, and community purpose.

The creative team’s success shows that public-facing messaging does not have to be stiff, forgettable, or buried under bureaucratic fog. When done right, civic communication can be smart, stylish, accessible, and memorable. It can inform residents while still respecting their time, their intelligence, and their lived experience.

Meanwhile, The Now with Cris continues to shine as a digital showcase for Houston’s culture, business, events, and community flavor. Produced by KSRC Media Plus in partnership with FOX Local, the show highlights the exciting and dynamic happenings across Houston right now—exactly as the title promises.

And let’s be honest: Houston has plenty happening.

From entrepreneurs and entertainers to neighborhood gems and cultural moments, The Now with Cris gives Houston another platform to celebrate itself without waiting for someone outside the city to “discover” what locals already know. This city has style, substance, soul, and stories for days.

“We are incredibly honored to receive 12 Telly Awards,” said Kim Gagné and Cristina Kooker of KSRC Media Plus. “We’re deeply grateful to the HCTRA team for trusting KSRC Media Plus with the ‘Keep It Moving’ campaign, and we’re equally thankful to everyone who has embraced The Now with Cris. Celebrating this city and its incredible people each week is something we truly love doing.”

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Founded and led by two accomplished women with more than 65 years of combined media, advertising, and production experience, KSRC Media Plus has built its reputation on strategy, storytelling, and execution. The agency is known for turning client missions into compelling visual narratives—work that does not merely fill airtime but connects with real audiences.

In a media world where attention is precious and authenticity is everything, KSRC Media Plus continues to prove that Houston creativity belongs in the national and international conversation.

For Houston Style Magazine readers, this win is also a reminder that excellence is not always imported from New York, Los Angeles, or Atlanta. Sometimes it is produced right here at home, by women-led creative teams who understand Houston’s pace, personality, diversity, and drive.

KSRC Media Plus did not just “keep it moving.”

They kept it winning.

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 Kaitlyn Ross

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    ATLANTA (WXIA) — At 80 years old, Vietnam veteran Charlie Whaley walked across a college graduation stage this spring, earning the degree he left behind more than six decades ago.

The journey back to the classroom started with a conversation with his grandson.

“Oh, yes, my grandson and I were talking about schooling,” Whaley said. “He said, ‘Grandpa, you ought to go back to school.'”

Whaley laughed off the idea at first.

“I said, ‘Oh, I don’t need to go back to school, I’ve already retired three times,'” he said.

Not long after, Whaley received a letter from Georgia Highlands College.

“Well, lo and behold, I get a letter from the school saying, ‘You’re going to be a freshman!'” he said.

For Whaley, returning to school after 63 years came with a steep learning curve. He enrolled in the college’s criminal justice program, but said adapting to modern technology was one of the biggest challenges.

“When I was in school, the word computer was not in existence, so I had to learn the computer and my curriculum,” he said.

Still, he embraced the process.

“It’s been a challenge, but it’s been a good challenge,” Whaley said.

His son, Chuck Whaley, said there were long nights helping his father navigate everything from computers to FaceTime calls.

“There were many a nights where boy, we tried to do the FaceTime call,” he said. “And man, it was three hours, and all we got was the power turned on. But he kept going. And I am so proud of him.”

Inside the classroom, Charlie Whaley quickly realized he stood out among his much younger classmates.

“When I first walked into the classrooms, I felt really intimidated,” he said.

But instead of feeling isolated, he said the students embraced him.

“They seemed to rally around me, being as old as I am,” he said.

Some students were shocked by the age gap.

“They said, ‘Well, you’re older than my grandfather!'” Whaley recalled. “And I said, ‘Well, your grandfather can learn, just like me!'”

His life experience also brought history lessons to life for classmates studying events he lived through firsthand.

“An 18-year-old kid who is studying U.S. history from 50 or 60 years ago, they’re considering way ancient history,” he said. “In Vietnam, and my dad was there.”

For his son, watching his father graduate carried deep emotional weight.

“To know that he came from where he came from and went through a war and raised a family, put me through school,” Chuck Whaley said.

“This is the culmination of him wanting to do something and setting his mind to it and not letting a 60-year gap between classmates and technology and all the things that could’ve gotten in his way.”

Whaley not only completed the program, but he also excelled in it.

“My grades are good, and that’s surprised me,” he said through tears. “More than anything else in my schooling is that my grades, I have made a 3.55 and above. Yeah, I am proud of that.”

Georgia Highlands College is proud of him, too.

“Charlie Whaley embodies the very spirit of Georgia Highlands College: resilience, determination, and a lifelong commitment to growth. As an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran earning his degree, Charlie has shown our students and community that it is never too late to pursue your goals and invest in your future. His ambition, humility, and perseverance are truly inspiring, and he represents the heart of what GHC stands for: where talent meets purpose through opportunity, service, and the courage to keep moving forward no matter the obstacles,” said Georgia Highlands College President Dr. Mike Hobbs

Now, degree in hand, Whaley hopes his story encourages others not to give up on education or personal goals, no matter their age.

“Just to hang in there and do his very, very best,” he said.

“Do your best, and we will be proud of you, son. And you can hold your head high.”

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 Ontaria Woods, Aisha Howard

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    ATLANTA (WXIA) — The crisis facing Black maternal health in Georgia is driven by a stark combination of geographic shortages, systemic dismissals, and rising chronic illnesses, according to local medical experts.

“For Black women, the cause is multifactorial,” said Dr. Crystal Welch, a local OB-GYN at Oasis Women’s Wellness Center.

In Georgia, one of the steepest hurdles is the rapid expansion of “care deserts,” defined as vast geographic areas where medical infrastructure is entirely lacking.

Dr. Welch noted there is often “no access to good maternity care for miles, sometimes 45, 60 miles between hospitals that can care for maternities.”

But reaching a hospital is only half the battle. Once there, Black women frequently face a system that fails to support them.

“Sometimes they’re not listened to,” Dr. Welch said. “Sometimes they don’t know how to advocate for themselves.”

Compounding these systemic hurdles is a rise in underlying medical conditions.

“They are facing higher comorbidities that also can complicate their pregnancy outcomes,” Dr. Welch explained.

Chief among those complications is preeclampsia, a serious blood pressure disorder that she warns is “getting more and more common amongst Black women and Hispanic women.”

To protect patients, Dr. Welch counsels women and their families to look out for critical red flags, including “headaches that do not resolve if you take any type of pain medicine like Tylenol,” blurry vision, pain in the upper right side of the belly, and “any non-dependent edema, meaning swelling in your face or your hands.”

To move the needle on maternal mortality, Dr. Welch is calling for widespread education and standardized hospital protocols, particularly at facilities that are not traditionally equipped for birth.

“Once they get to these healthcare systems, if they’re not maternity equipped, to just know protocols,” Dr. Welch said.

She urged facilities to adopt clear guidelines that dictate: “If a woman presents with this, this is what you should be looking for, this is what you should be evaluating for, and this is how you would treat it and getting her to the proper places that she needs to be.”

For an expectant mother, questioning a doctor can feel intimidating.

“You feel so small,” Dr. Welch acknowledged, but she stressed that finding a trusted provider is a critical first step.

“It’s more important for you to find a doctor that you can talk to that you feel comfortable with, that if you say something to them, you know they’re going to listen. If you see that’s not who your doctor is, you should change doctors.”

Because a laboring patient may be too overwhelmed to fight for herself, family members and partners must step up as primary defenders.

“You can speak up for this patient as well,” Dr. Welch advises partners. “If she’s saying, ‘My head’s been hurting for two days,’ and I said that but they didn’t hear me, you say, ‘Hey, she is complaining of a headache that has not gone away. Can we get a little bit more?”

If immediate providers shrug off those concerns, Dr. Welch says families must remain persistent.

“There are always other people you can ask. There are managers on the units, there are managers in office, there are other doctors, they’re mid-levels, there are different people that you can just keep asking and persisting to listen to you.”

While national attention spikes annually during Black Maternal Health Week in mid-April, local providers emphasize that addressing these systemic disparities requires a year-round commitment.

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 John Dodge

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    ATLANTA (WXIA) — Atlanta remains one of the nation’s most traffic-clogged metro areas, according to a new ConsumerAffairs report that ranks the region among the 10 worst in the country, even as its weekday congestion is lower than some of the other biggest traffic trouble spots.

The analysis, released this month, found that Atlanta is one of only two metros in the top 10 with less than five hours of weekday congestion.

That puts metro Atlanta in a somewhat unusual category: still heavily burdened by traffic but not as gridlocked as places such as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Atlanta ranks No. 8 in the report, with an average commute time of 31.2 minutes, 4 hours, 56 minutes spent per week in congestion, and 9.64 fatal crashes per 100,000 people. The fatality figure is below the national average of 10.84, but drivers here spend an hour more a week in traffic than the U.S. average.

Drivers in Los Angeles spend 8.5 hours a week in traffic, by far the worst in the country.

ConsumerAffairs ranked the 50 largest U.S. metros using average solo commute times, weekday congestion hours, and fatal crash rates. Los Angeles ranked No. 1 overall, followed by Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, and Houston.

The report also points to a broader picture of Southeastern traffic. Houston, which rounds out the top five, had the highest fatal-crash rate among the five worst metros, underscoring that the region’s traffic problem is not just about delays but also about safety.

ConsumerAffairs said congestion often rises with economic growth, since more jobs and more households mean more cars on the road. Smith said the most effective long-term solution is reducing the need to drive by expanding transit and making shorter trips possible without a car.

Atlanta urban planner Madalyn Smith said cities now have too much traffic for the infrastructure to absorb efficiently.

“The way to address traffic is to make cars less necessary,” Smith said. “You can really cut out a lot of cars by making shorter trips much more possible (without them).”

To do that, cities need robust, convenient public transit and safe options for walking and biking.

Cities may also experience less congestion because their footprint helps spread out the traffic burden. When there’s a lot of “redundancy” in the roadways, or multiple ways to reach the same destination, “you have a lot more ways to disperse traffic,” Smith explained.

The report’s five worst traffic metros were Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, and Houston.

At the other end of the list, Rochester, New York, had the least traffic, while St. Louis had the shortest weekday congestion time at 47 minutes.

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 Francis Page Jr.

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    May 26, 2026 (Houston Style Magazine) — Houston’s business community is preparing for a milestone moment wrapped in purpose, progress, and unmistakable Pride. The Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce has announced Francisco Sánchez, Jr. as another Co-Chair of the 2026 Pride In Business – A Decade of Impact Celebration Luncheon + After Party, a signature event set for Friday, June 12, 2026, from 11:00 AM–1:30 PM CT, followed by the After Party beginning at 1:30 PM CT, at the Hilton Americas-Houston Grand Ballroom. The 10th annual celebration is expected to welcome 1,000 attendees, expanding the Chamber’s hallmark luncheon into a larger milestone experience that includes the Pride In Business Expo, awards recognition, networking, and an afternoon celebration of LGBTQ+ and Allied business and community leadership.

For Houston, this is not just another luncheon on the calendar. This is a decade-deep declaration that inclusion is good business, visibility is economic power, and opportunity grows stronger when every entrepreneur, executive, professional, and community leader has a seat at the table. The Chamber describes the 2026 celebration as a tribute to ten years of building a thriving LGBTQ+ economic ecosystem across Greater Houston—strengthening visibility, expanding opportunity, and championing inclusion for LGBTQ+ and Allied communities.

That makes the appointment of Francisco Sánchez, Jr. especially fitting. Sánchez brings a rare blend of public service, disaster recovery leadership, small business advocacy, and Houston-rooted civic commitment. Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden in January 2022, Sánchez served as Associate Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, overseeing the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience; multiple public bios note that he was the first non-banker and presidential appointee to hold that leadership role.

His work has not been theoretical. In moments when storms, floods, and disasters tested communities, Sánchez helped lead economic recovery efforts designed to support small businesses, families, and local economies. In May 2024, the SBA announced a Portable Disaster Loan Outreach Center in Houston for those affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding, with Sánchez quoted in connection with the outreach effort.

Now, as Co-Chair of the 2026 Pride In Business Celebration, Sánchez’s leadership connects national small business experience with Houston’s hometown spirit of resilience. “I am proud to serve as a Co-Chair of the 2026 Pride in Business Celebration because this work is deeply personal to me,” Sánchez said. “Houston’s greatest strength is its people—our diversity, our resilience, and our willingness to create opportunity for one another.”

That message lands with power in a city that understands both celebration and struggle. Houston is an international business hub, a cultural capital, an energy powerhouse, and one of America’s most diverse metropolitan regions. But the real magic of Houston has always been its people—neighbors who build, rebuild, innovate, organize, and show up for one another. Pride In Business captures that Houston DNA and places it under the bright lights where it belongs.

Sánchez emphasized that his service at the SBA reinforced a central truth: when barriers are removed and people are empowered, economies grow. “Pride in Business is about more than a luncheon,” he said. “It is about bringing people together, focusing on business, and creating the kind of economic opportunity that ensures Houston’s economy is strong and resilient.”

That is the heart of this 10th annual celebration. The Pride In Business Awards will honor LGBTQ+ and Allied businesses, leaders, and organizations driving economic inclusion, visibility, and opportunity across the region. New for 2026, the Expo expands visibility for Chamber members, while the After Party extends the milestone moment into a high-energy afternoon of connection and celebration.

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In true Houston fashion, this celebration is bigger than a ballroom. It is a bridge—between legacy and future, entrepreneurship and equity, boardrooms and community rooms, Pride Month and year-round economic empowerment.

For Houston Style Magazine readers, the announcement of Francisco Sánchez, Jr. as Co-Chair is a reminder that history is not only made by speeches and headlines. It is made by leaders who roll up their sleeves, open doors, widen pathways, and help communities prosper.

And on Friday, June 12, 2026, at the Hilton Americas-Houston, the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce will not simply celebrate ten years of impact. It will launch the next ten—with style, strategy, and a room full of people ready to keep Houston stronger, bolder, and unstoppable together.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit houstonlgbtqchamber.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