The Houston-Galveston Area Council has been embroiled in a dispute over whether the city and county should have more representatives on the board.
McKenna Oxenden
McKenna Oxenden is a reporter covering Harris County for the Houston Landing. She most recently had a yearlong fellowship at the New York Times on its breaking news team. A Baltimore native, she previously covered criminal justice and breaking news at the Baltimore Sun. Prior to working for her hometown paper, McKenna worked at the Tampa Bay Times in a variety of roles including, reporter, social media/homepage editor and podcast producer. Her work has also appeared in the Washington Post, USA Today and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. McKenna is a graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a degree in journalism, photography and digital media. She is a self-proclaimed “horse girl” who competes in three-day eventing. McKenna is also an avid ultimate frisbee player, firmly believes that being the cool aunt is a personality trait and is always looking for a new brewery to try.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Expanded priorities, years of increased spending put Harris County budget on ‘razor’s edge’
Four years ago, the county ended its fiscal year with more than $150 million in surplus funds. Last year, the leftover funds dwindled to $6.4 million.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Friday is last day to join 70,000 who have applied for Harris County guaranteed income program
Nearly 60 percent of the applications submitted for the program, called Uplift Harris, came from households eligible to participate.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Harris County’s guaranteed income program application opens Friday. Here’s how to get started.
Uplift Harris will provide a no-strings-attached $500 monthly stipend to over 1,900 Harris County residents for 18 months to help close the wealth gap.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Harris County delays launch of program to provide $500 a month to low-income households
Harris County Public Health, which is overseeing the pilot program, said during court Tuesday that it now plans to launch the application on Friday.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Delayed: Harris County pauses plan to provide $500 a month to 1,900 low-income households
The program, Uplift Harris, will provide $500 a month to more than 1,900 households that live below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.
Posted inAround the Region
‘I know he hears me’: Wind phones help Houstonians talk with departed loved ones
The wind phone in Cypress is one of more than a hundred worldwide that help mourners bridge the gap between the living and the dead.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Will Harris County have a civilian law enforcement board? Commissioners could decide soon.
After three years of discussion, Harris County will request input from law enforcement and the community about the possibility of a review board.
Posted inPolitics & Government
Harris County OKs $11M contract to send 360 inmates to Mississippi to ease jail overcrowding
Harris County has struggled to ease jail overcrowding in the face of a criminal court backlog. More than 70 percent of inmates are awaiting trial.
Posted inElections
Judge upholds 2022 Harris County election results, throws out GOP lawsuits
A judge threw out all but one of the remaining GOP lawsuits against Harris County and upheld the results of the 2022 election.