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🌱 Patch AM: How Houston’s new open-address shelter is changing safety for survivors

Happening soon: Christmas deals at Diamond Exchange Houston on the Houston Patch calendar

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Greetings Houston! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How Houston’s new open-address shelter is changing safety for survivors
  • How Houston detectives outsmarted a sniper targeting armored trucks in 2016
  • Where you can legally buy and light fireworks around Houston now

Also on today's calendar: Christmas deals at Diamond Exchange Houston and 6 more events.

Find out what's happening in Houstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did the balloon say to the doctor? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Houstonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Sunday: Mist; dense fog in the a.m., with a high of 79 and low of 65 degrees.
  • Monday: A shower; fog in the morning, temps: high: 77, low: 66.
  • Tuesday: Areas of morning fog, with a high of 81 and low of 60 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. One way to empower people fleeing domestic violence? Make shelter locations public. (keyt.com) — Houston’s main domestic violence nonprofit has opened One Safe Place, a new publicly listed shelter campus in South Houston funded with $16 million from the city. The 5.5‑acre site offers apartments, on‑site services, and coordinated protection with Houston police, aiming to reduce isolation and give survivors more control over their daily lives while maintaining strong security.
   

2. The Evidence Room, Episode 42-The Sniper (click2houston.com) — Houston readers are taken inside the 2016 sniper-style armored truck robberies that terrorized local thoroughfares and prompted an intensive joint investigation by HPD and the FBI. The story explains how detectives tracked suspect Redrick Batiste, used wired vehicles and high-risk surveillance, and ultimately stopped the crew during a staged Amegy Bank sting, leading to his death and long federal sentences for his accomplices.
   

3. Fireworks sales kick off Saturday in Houston for Christmas and New Year's celebrations (click2houston.com) — Fireworks stands across Greater Houston are now open daily through Jan. 1, giving residents plenty of time to stock up for Christmas and New Year’s while following local safety rules. All cities in the Houston area ban fireworks within city limits, so buyers must head into the county and carefully soak and store used fireworks to avoid fires and fines.
   

4. The Texas Steakhouse Named Top 3 in North America (mix941kmxj.com) — A beloved Houston institution, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, has been named among North America’s top steakhouses, sharing the spotlight with Jeffrey’s in Austin and Dallas favorites Nuri and Al Biernat. The ranking, based on meat quality, technique, and hospitality, underscores how Houston’s fine-dining steak scene stacks up against hundreds of competitors across the continent.
   

5. Man arrested for woman's stabbing death in northeast Houston; bond denied (fox26houston.com) — Houston police have arrested 22-year-old Joshua Byers, who is charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of 28-year-old Ambrosia Swain in northeast Houston earlier this month. Officers say Swain was attacked during an argument near Hahlo Street and Lyons Avenue and later died at a hospital. Court records show Byers has been denied bond while the investigation continues.
   

📸 Around Houston

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Tanger Houston extends holiday shopping hours for last-minute gifting —Ashley Cameron Curtis Read on Patch
  • Local Student Athletes Get Major Boost from JJ Watt Foundation —sally magnuson Read on Patch
  • I want to share with you all the most amazing thing that happened to me today.
    When I got off work I went to Walmart in Pearland to do the last of my Christmas shopping . I had my list in hand and was getting the things i need… (Nextdoor Dumbarton)
  • By God’s Grace
    Wednesday morning as I was leaving the neighborhood to go to work, I look to my left to see an elderly woman walking along Windsong Trail towards… (Nextdoor Windsong)
  • Lincoln Property Company, Inc. posted a job opening for Porter in Houston. Apply here.
  • Jacobs posted a job opening for Associate Material Controller in Houston. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Houston here.

Ok Houston! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I feel lightheaded!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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