🌱 Cameroon Grassfields + Spring Break Parks

Hello all. It's me, Chris, your host of the Houston Patch newsletter. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening locally, including...

• A new art exhibit at the Menil Collection.
• Rice Village eateries you need to visit.
• Playgrounds to visit for spring break.

But first, today's weather:

Not as warm. High: 69 Low: 50.

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Here are the top stories in Houston today:

1. "Art of the Cameroon Grassfields" is a new art exhibit at the Menil Collection that was inspired by a Houston West African restaurant. The exhibit features two separate galleries in conversation with one another. While one gallery looks to the area's past for its artistic inspiration, the other focuses on a more modern day interpretation. However, both are tied together by the themes of ceremony, royalty, and reluctant colonialism. Some of the art on display includes royal seats, animal depictions that stand for previous rulers, musical instruments, and masks and headdresses. (Houston Chronicle)
2. Aside from being a cute, walkable historic district, Rice Village is also home to some of the best restaurants in Houston. The patio at Badolina Bakery & Cafe provides a gentle reprieve from the summer heat where you can enjoy fresh baked breads such as smoked sourdough with sour cherry and their challah bread Friday special. Coppa Osteria is an Italian restaurant with a modern twist that allows patrons to witness the chefs at work thanks to its glass-enclosed kitchen. Diners can watch chefs toss pizzas, prepare ravioli, and more while perusing the eateries significant and affordable wine selection. For more restaurants like these, check the link attached. (Chron)
3. Mayor Sylvester Turner's anti-gentrification proposal known as conservation districts is facing heat from critics. The idea is to allow residents of an area to apply to make their neighborhood a conservation district. These districts would enjoy benefits that are supposed to slow the gentrification process including regulating building design, parking, fences, demolition, and more. However, critics say the idea doesn't answer the issue of who is living in these communities. Clinical professor at Yale Law School Anika Singh Lemar said, "You can stop the buildings from looking different, but you cannot stop the change of who will end up living in those buildings." (Houston Chronicle)
4. Spring break is in session, and Houston has no shortage of awesome playgrounds for parents and children to enjoy together. Bendwood Park features toadstools for kids to jump across, a mini-zipline, and structures to climb as well as swings beneath a covered pavilion. In addition, the park is circled by a half-mile trail perfect for running or skating while the kids play. For a more extensive playdate experience, the six-acre Levy Park in the Upper Kirby Area will keep children entertained for hours. Aside from planned activities such as live music and crafts, the park houses game areas for foosball, ping pong, mini-golf, and more. Check out more Houston parks by following the link. (Chron)
5. A crash on the North Freeway near Little York road last night involved four children who weren't wearing seat belts. Three adults, including the children's mother, were also in the vehicle. The crash saw the mother, her 1-year-old child, and another one of her children ejected from the vehicle. The 1-year-old was pronounced dead at the hospital while the other kid and mother remain in critical condition. A car seat was found in the trunk of the vehicle. The vehicle's driver was detained as police continue to investigate, but it's unclear whether any charges will be filed. (KPRC Click2Houston)

Headlines you need to see:

• Houston weather: Expect gloomy, cooler start to week after recent heat (Houston Chronicle)
• 'Dino-Mite!' Spring break happenings at the Children's Museum Houston (KPRC Click2Houston)
• Sheriff: Houston man fatally shoots self after living with corpse (Chron)
• Houston’s Miller Outdoor Theatre set to throw itself a free 100th anniversary party (Houston Chronicle)
• Child shot and killed by 3-year-old after gaining access to gun inside northwest Harris County apartment complex, HCSO says (KTRK-TV)

Today in Houston:

• Spring Break Week at Discovery Green (12 p.m.)
• Dungeons & Dragons with Circle of Barhaven at Brass Tap (6 p.m.)
• Houston Rockets vs. Boston Celtics at Toyota Center (7 p.m.)
• Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night at Pimlico (8 p.m.)
• Concert: Cody Jinks at the Houston Rodeo (9 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A student from Lamar had her painting sell for nearly $300,000 at the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo. The painting of a cowboy rancher next to his horse and some cattle set the new Rodeo record for most expensive painting ever sold. (FOX 26 Houston via Facebook)
• Brendan Fraser won the Oscar award for Best Actor last night thanks to his performance in "The Whale". He commented that things had not come easily to him in the business and thanked everyone for the acknowledgement. (KHOU 11 News via Facebook)
• The Houston Zoo is adding Humboldt penguins to its brand new Galapagos exhibit. The penguins are well-suited for Houston's warm weather climate and will also be joined by giant tortoises, seahorses, sharks, and more. (FOX 26 Houston via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Free Zoom meeting about Houston fibroid treatment! (March 18)
• STEM Adventures at Kiddie Academy of Cypress (March 18)
• STEM Adventures at Kiddie Academy of Grand Harbor (March 18)
• STEM Adventures at Kiddie Academy of Rosenburg (March 18)
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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update.