POSSIBLE TOPICS: VOTETEXAS.GOV—Voter Information; Going fishing in Houston’s bayous? You should think twice before eating your big catch of the day.; Fort Bend County sets public hearing, discuss $4.66M in housing, community programs for low- to moderate-income residents; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announces decision to move forward with 11th Street Bikeway project; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announces decision to move forward with 11th Street Bikeway project; Judge Lina Hidalgo proposes $48 million for early childhood education; There was definitely an improvement in mail ballot acceptance for the primary runoffs; More than 165,000 people in Odessa still without water after aging line breaks; HIGH AND DRY: Toxic coal ash could be the next opportunity — or broken promise — for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe; Out With Oklahoma Flag; Cherokee Nation Flag Takes Prominence On Its Reservation; Ukraine war brings peace — between Canada and Denmark; More. 

POSSIBLE TOPICS: VOTETEXAS.GOV—Voter Information;  Going fishing in Houston’s bayous? You should think twice before eating your big catch of the day.; Fort Bend County sets public hearing, discuss $4.66M in housing, community programs for low- to moderate-income residents; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announces decision to move forward with 11th Street Bikeway project; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announces decision to move forward with 11th Street Bikeway project; Judge Lina Hidalgo proposes $48 million for early childhood education; There was definitely an improvement in mail ballot acceptance for the primary runoffs; More than 165,000 people in Odessa still without water after aging line breaks; HIGH AND DRY: Toxic coal ash could be the next opportunity — or broken promise — for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe; Out With Oklahoma Flag; Cherokee Nation Flag Takes Prominence On Its Reservation; Ukraine war brings peace — between Canada and Denmark; More.

Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio) is now on Wednesdays at 11AM (CT) on KPFT-HD2, Houston’s Community Station. You can also hear the show:

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Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig where we discuss local, state, national, and international stories. My co-host and show editor is Andrew Ferguson.

• An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.
• You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EwrSlzZC31w

1. Make sure you are registered to vote! VoteTexas.GOV – Texas Voter InformationTEXAS SoS VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOT APPLICATION (ALL TEXAS COUNTIES) HarrisVotes.com­ – Countywide Voting Centers, (Election Information Line (713) 755-6965), Harris County Clerk
   1. Harris County “Vote-By-Mail’ Application for 2022
      1. Fort bend County Elections/Voter Registration Machine takes you to the proper link
      2. GalvestonVotes.org (Galveston County, TX)
      3. Liberty County Elections (Liberty County, TX)
      4. Montgomery County (TX) Elections
      5. Brazoria County (TX) Clerk Election Information
      6. Waller County (TX) Elections
      7. Chambers County (TX) Elections
      8. For personalized, nonpartisan voter guides and information, Consider visiting Vote.ORG.   Ballotpedia.com and Texas League of Women Voters are also good places to get election info.
      9. If you are denied your right to vote any place at any time at any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
      10. HarrisVotes.com – Countywide Voting Centers, HARRIS COUNTY – IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR VOTING: Do not possess and cannot reasonably obtain one of these IDs?
          1. Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
          2. A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
          3. Current utility bill
          4. Bank statement
          5. Government check
          6. Paycheck
          7. A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
          8. You may vote early by-mail if:You are registered to vote and meet one of the following criteria:
             1. Away from the county of residence on Election Day and during the early voting period;
             2. Sick or disabled;
             3. 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
             4. Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
             5. Make sure you are registered:
             6. Ann Harris Bennett, Tax Assessor-Collector & Voter Registrar
             7. CHECK REGISTRATION STATUS HERE
             8. CLICK How to register to vote in Texas
             9. Outside Texas, try Vote.org.
2. BE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and if eligible, REMEMBER TO FILL OUT AND MAIL YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT APPLICATIONS FOR 2022
   1. You can track your Mail Ballot Activity from our website with direct link provided here https://www.harrisvotes.com/Tracking
3. Going fishing in Houston’s bayous? You should think twice before eating your big catch of the day.; Ryan Nickerson, Staff writer | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM | June 13, 2022
   1. Many anglers know if you catch a fish in one of Houston’s plentiful bayous, the right thing to do is to release it back into the water.
   2. Still, curious minds wonder: can you instead eat what you catch?
   3. Technically, the answer is yes — it’s not illegal … State health officials wouldn’t recommend it, though. …
   4. Many bayous in the area, including Buffalo Bayou, are part of the Houston Ship Channel, where DSHS [Texas Department of State Health Services] has found water containing potentially unsafe levels of pollutants.
   5. In 2015, DSHS issued an advisory against eating fish and crabs from the Houston Ship Channel and Upper Galveston Bay after finding unacceptable levels of PCBs, pesticides and other contaminants in the water. … PCBs can negatively impact a person’s immune system and vital organs …
   6. The risk is even greater for expectant mothers. Eating large amounts of fish [containing] PCBs can cause infants to have delayed physical development and learning difficulties …
   7. Because of the potential health impacts, DSHS advises [that] children and women of childbearing age entirely avoid eating fish and crabs from Houston’s bayous.
   8. As for adult men and women past childbearing age, DSHS recommends only consuming eight ounces of fish a month, at most. …
4. Fort Bend County sets public hearing, discuss $4.66M in housing, community programs for low- to moderate-income residents; By Asia Armour | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 5:06 PM Jun 9, 2022 CDT | Updated 5:06 PM Jun 9, 2022 CDT
   1. Fort Bend County [conducted] a public hearing June 14 … for developing the fiscal year 2022 Consolidated Annual Action Plan for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding … [Aside from this event. public comment will be accepted by phone or email until June 30.] …
   2. The purpose of the hearing [was] to receive comments regarding the plan’s proposed projects, the most expensive of which include a $743,825 countywide housing rehabilitation program, a $630,000 countywide Community Development Block Grant program [CBDG] for administration and planning, and $600,000 for Phase 2 of sanitary sewer improvements in Rosenberg. …
   3. These overall goals for these programs … are to provide decent housing; to establish and maintain a suitable living environment; and to expand the economic opportunities for each resident of the county, particularly for low- and moderate-income persons.
   4. The amount of monetary assistance available from HUD totals $4.66 million for CDBG, HOME Investment Partnerships and ESG programming.
   5. A breakdown of funding per program in each category [is included in the article].
   6. Mike: Somewhat more specific detail is included in the actual article.
   7. REFERENCE: Community Development Block Grant program [CBDG]
5. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announces decision to move forward with 11th Street Bikeway project; By Sofia Gonzalez | COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM | 5:10 PM Jun 14, 2022 CDT | Updated 5:10 PM Jun 14, 2022 CDT
   1. Following a previous announcement from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on a proposed 11th Street Bikeway project in the Heights, Turner announced his decision to allow the project to move forward on June 14.
   2. Turner decided to take “ownership” of the project after hearing multiple residents from the Heights come forward at Houston City Council public sessions with concerns regarding the scope of the project.
   3. As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, the project will make improvements along a 1.5-mile stretch of 11th Street from Shepherd Drive to Michaux Street as well as on Michaux from 11th Street south to Stude Park. The project will reduce the number of lanes through what is called a “road diet” and implement new protected bike lanes.
   4. Despite pushback from some community members, others have come out in support of the project, as has the cycling advocacy group Bike Houston.
   5. The 11th Street Bikeway project is a part of Turner’s Vision Zero—a commitment to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Houston by 2030. According to the city’s 7 presentation, the city wants to address dangerous speeds seen on the road, where vehicle speeds average 38.5 mph despite the 30 mph speed limit.
   6. According to the presentation, the project will also address a problem with crashes. The Texas average for undivided roads of four or more lanes—the current configuration of 11th Street—is 356, while the average on 11th Street from Shepherd to Heights is 385.
   7. In his announcement video, Turner said the street encourages fast driving, with crashes at every intersection between Michaux and Shepherd. …
   8. According to a group known as the Alliance for Reasonable Traffic Solutions—a group made up of residents who are against the project—the street already meets Vision Zero requirements, with crashes being concentrated primarily at three intersections: Yale Street, Heights Boulevard and Studewood.
   9. Officials with the ARTS said they would rather see targeted improvements at key intersections instead of revamping the entire roadway. They have also called on officials to consider finishing bikeways on 14th Street and putting a bikeway on 19th Street instead of 11th.
   10. Opponents said they believe the plan will lead to fewer customers for businesses and could also result in more traffic conflict for bicyclists from cars entering and exiting driveways on 11th.
   11. Other concerns include the effects of narrowing 11th on delivery trucks and the potential for cars to resort to neighborhood side streets to get around if congestion worsens, increasing risk to pedestrians on those streets.
   12. Despite the fight against 11th Street, Stacey Seals, a member of the ARTS and longtime Heights resident, emphasized the group is not opposed to bike lanes. …
   13. Turner said the city will continue to monitor the area once the project is completed to see if traffic goes to neighborhood streets. If the data shows cut-through traffic is an issue, he said they will have treatment budgeted to fix it. …
6. Judge Lina Hidalgo proposes $48 million for early childhood education; Author: Gerald Harris | KHOU.COM | Published: 6:15 PM CDT June 14, 2022, Updated: 6:15 PM CDT June 14, 2022
   1. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wants to invest millions of dollars into early childhood education. 
   2. She is proposing spending $48 million to provide additional resources for parents and communities, but the plan needs approval from county commissioners.
   3. [The money could provide some relief for parents struggling to find affordable childcare. Early learning centers would also benefit if the plan is approved.]
   4. Resources would also be crucial as childcare centers are bouncing back from the COVID disruptions. …
7. There was definitely an improvement in mail ballot acceptance for the primary runoffs; by Charles Kuffner | OFFTHEKUFF.COM | Jun 14th, 2022
   1. The last time I looked, I was largely unable to find any news stories about mail ballots and their rejection rates for the May primary runoff elections, with the exception of one story about Bexar County and how they were leading the field in getting rejection rates down to something akin to pre-SB1 levels. I still can’t find any stories about this, but it (finally) occurred to me that the new reconciliation reports that election officials now have to publish would contain the data I’m looking for. So with that in mind, off I went. I obviously don’t have the time to go looking everywhere, and some of those smaller county elections webpages are just awful, but I did have a look at a few places of interest.
   2. Harris County, Democratic: 19,081 total mail ballots, of which 1,128 were rejected, for a rejection rate of 5.9%.
   3. Harris County, Republican: 15,053 total mail ballots, of which 1,169 were rejected, for a rejection rate of 7.8%
   4. That’s a clear improvement of the 20% rejection rate from March and the 12% rejection rate of the May special election. It’s still too high, but it’s not take-your-breath-away too high. And it pleases me no end to see Republicans have a harder time with it than Democrats. It’s unlikely to be enough to matter if that’s still the case in November, but it would be a rich piece of karma if more of their votes got tossed as a result of this malicious law. …
   5. Montgomery County, cumulative: 4,366 total mail ballots, of which 25 were rejected, for a rejection rate of 0.6%. Republicans knew what they were doing here. They were 70% of mail ballots.
   6. Fort Bend County, cumulative: 4,382 total mail ballots, of which 187 were rejected, for a 4.3% rejection rate. Closest one yet to Harris. About two thirds of mail ballots were Democratic. Would have been nice to see the breakdown by party here. …
   7. So it’s clear there was a lot of improvement, and while Harris did a much better job there’s room for us to do better as well. It’s also important to remember that there are still a huge number of people who have not yet tried to vote by mail, so there’s no guarantee that the improvements will continue or be maintained. There’s still a lot of work to be done. But at least it looks like that work will have a payoff.
8. More than 165,000 people in Odessa still without water after aging line breaks; Officials haven’t specified what caused the break, but say the broken line is about 60 years old. by Jayme Lozano | TEXASTRIBUNE.ORG | June 14, 2022, 10 hours ago
   1. More than 165,000 residents in Odessa have gone nearly 24 hours without water as a major water line break occurred in the West Texas town — and may need to boil water once service is restored. The break occurred at 6 p.m. Monday …
   2. The system will be turned back on when the repair is fixed, which is expected to be around 9 p.m [Wednesday]. The system will [then] need at least 10-12 hours to fully restart. …
   3. TAGS: water main break odessa Texas
   4. MIKE: I bet that the causes of the break are only partly the age of the pipe. There are much older ones around the country. I would likely blame subsidence from groundwater pumping and drought; both cause shifting of soil that breaks pipes over time. So my speculation is that this is at least partly a climate change story.
9. HIGH AND DRY: Toxic coal ash could be the next opportunity — or broken promise — for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe; By Kelsey Turner | NATIVENEWSONLINE.NET | June 10, 2022
   1. [I]n the small southeastern Montana town of Colstrip, [is the] Colstrip Steam Electric Station … [T]he plant’s two remaining coal-fired generating units, … are capable of producing up to 1,480 megawatts of electricity.  The other two units shut down in 2020 – two years ahead of schedule – because their owners, Talen Montana and Puget Sound Energy, could not cover their costs.
   2. Colstrip has provided power to cities across the Northwest since the 1970s. Now, as state environmental regulations in Washington and Oregon require four of the plant’s six owners based in these states to pull out of coal-fired power by 2025 and 2030, respectively, the plant’s future is uncertain. …
   3. The plant’s closure would mean job losses for locals … But unemployment is not the only legacy the plant would leave behind: Questions remain about how five decades-worth of coal ash – the toxic byproduct that contains dangerous elements like arsenic, lead and mercury – will be cleaned up.
   4. Coal ash presents a serious environmental challenge, as well as threats to the spiritual and cultural history of Native Americans on the 690-square-mile Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation where … 5,000 other tribal members [live]. …
   5. Under the federal Coal Ash Rule adopted in 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency requires plant owners to submit written closure plans detailing how their coal ash will be safely stored. Over 700 coal ash units in 43 states and Puerto Rico are regulated under this law. Almost all of these units are polluting groundwater with unsafe levels of toxins, according to an analysis of company documents performed by the nonprofit groups Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project. 
   6. The safest closure option is generally to remove coal ash from unlined ponds where it is stored and place it in lined landfills. But many companies are proposing instead  to cap their unlined ponds in place to prevent rainwater infiltration. Environmentalists argue this “cap-in-place” strategy does not do enough to prevent contamination, as it leaves ash in contact with the earth and often with groundwater. 
   7. Colstrip Steam Electric, the second-largest coal-fired plant west of the Mississippi, has an enormous coal ash pond complex covering more than 800 acres. Colstrip’s coal ash is disposed of by mixing it with water and storing it in ponds at three areas near the plant.
   8. One of these areas involves nine ponds storing waste from the plant’s first two units. These Units 1 and 2 ponds  hold enough ash to fill over 2,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. They have been leaking sulfates, boron, selenium and other toxic heavy metals into the local aquifer for decades, releasing 43,000 gallons of contaminated water per day, according to [Montana’s] DEQ [Montana Department of Environmental Quality]
   9. The consequences of leaving coal ash in the groundwater here could be deadly, said Anne Hedges, director of policy and legislative affairs at the Montana Environmental Information Center. “There are dozens of contaminants. They cause cancer, they cause neurological disorders, they cause cardiovascular disease. These are not things you want to mess around with.” …
   10. Talen Energy filed for bankruptcy in May, citing $4.5 billion of debt, the Billings Gazette reported. This is alarming for environmentalists like Hedges who think the financial assurance Talen is required to pay DEQ for ash cleanup is not enough to cover those costs should Talen disappear. …
   11. MIKE: For a sense of scale, an acre is 43,560 square feet. The typical single family detached home is on a lot of about 5000-7000 square feet. So, one acre might subdivide into about 8 home lots. Now multiply that by 800 acres. So, this coal ash sits on land equal to about 6400 home lots. That’s more homes than the neighborhood of Oak Forest of the North Loop.
   12. MIKE: I’ve said for years that under our current system, profit is private, but pollution is public. Large energy corporations have found many ways of avoiding cleanup costs for the pollution they cause. Bankruptcy is one. Spinning off polluted areas into separate corporations that later go bankrupt is another. In one form or another, this is a national problem.
   13. MIKE: So it’s not just a story about exploited Native Americans. It’s about exploited people everywhere.
   14. REFERENCE: Oak Forest, Houston — From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: “Oak Forest is a large residential community in northwest Houston … As of 2011 Oak Forest has 5,480 houses.”
10. Out With Oklahoma Flag; Cherokee Nation Flag Takes Prominence On Its Reservation; By Levi Rickert | NATIVENEWSONLINE.NET | June 09, 2022
    1. In a move to display the prominence of tribal sovereignty, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. issued an executive order on Wednesday limiting the use of state of Oklahoma flags on the Cherokee Nation reservation. 
    2. The executive order notes that the Oklahoma flag “should not ordinarily be displayed” on Cherokee Nation property or at Cherokee Nation public events, but also outlines when the state flag can or should be displayed.    
    3. As leader of Indian Country’s largest tribe, Hoskin said it is time for the Cherokee Nation to show its strength and determination when it comes to tribal sovereignty.  Hoskin is quick to clarify that Wednesday’s order is not the result of frayed feelings between the Cherokee Nation and the state of Oklahoma.
    4. “The Cherokee Nation remains a close partner and ally of the state of Oklahoma, and the executive order is not intended to send any message to the contrary,” Hoskin said in a statement to Native News Online.
    5. “The Cherokee Nation is a sovereign entity with jurisdiction over our reservation, and the use of the Cherokee Nation flag on our land should reflect the strength and determination of the Cherokee people over these 113 years,” Hoskin said.
    6. The Oklahoma state flag remains in use at events involving Oklahoma government leadership or honoring visiting dignitaries and service in the Oklahoma National Guard.
    7. The executive order reads: “The flag of the State of Oklahoma should not ordinarily be displayed on Cherokee Nation property or at Cherokee Nation public events.”
    8. [The executive order lists exceptions where the Oklahoma state flag can or should be flown.]
    9. The executive order extends to properties owned by the Cherokee Nation, including the Hard Rock Cafe in Tulsa, Okla., and other casinos at various locations on the Cherokee Nation Reservation. 
    10. The executive order also calls for flags flown by the Cherokee Nation to be made on the reservation or domestically.
    11. MIKE: The photo accompanying the article shows 3 flagpoles in front of the Cherokee Casino. The US flag is tallest center. The Cherokee flag is on the left. An empty flagpole is on the right.
    12. MIKE: So, two Native American stories back-to-back. What’s up with that? First, they’re both American stories, and nationally relevant. Second, the first story is not only a Northern Cheyenne story. It’s a story that might apply equally well to West Virginia or any other part of the US with coal-burning power plants.
    13. REFERENCE: Are Native Americans Dual Citizens? — unitedstatesnow.org. “[T]ribal territories are not recognized as separate and sovereign nations. They are considered “domestic dependent nations …”]
    14. REFERENCE: Indian Citizenship Act [1924] – Wikipedia
    15. FYI REFERENCE: “Dark Winds” on IMDb
    16. FYI REFERENCE: Dark Winds is an American psychological thriller television series created by Graham Roland based on the Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman. The first season will consist of six episodes. It premiered on AMC and AMC+ on June 12, 2022.^[1] — Wikipedia
    17. REFERENCE: ‘Dark Winds’ carries a moody Native-American crime thriller onto AMC — Review by Brian Lowry, CNN | Updated 7:52 PM ET, Sun June 12, 2022
11. Ukraine war brings peace — between Canada and Denmark; By Amanda Coletta | WASHINGTONPOST.COM | June 14, 2022 at 4:49 p.m. EDT
    1. It’s a barren and inhospitable rock plopped in a frigid channel in the Arctic. One geologist who visited characterized it as “not a very exciting island.” A Canadian legal analyst once tried to point it out on a map in a presentation he had prepared for lawmakers but conceded that its size made it “very difficult to see.” …
    2. Nevertheless, for some five decades, Canada and Denmark have squabbled — mostly, but not always, politely — over the not-very-exciting Hans Island, a 0.5-square-mile mass in the Kennedy Channel of the Nares Strait that’s home to neither vegetation nor wildlife. The craggy outcropping — Tartupaluk in Inuit — lies between Canada’s Ellesmere Island and Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
    3. Now, at long last, there’s rapprochement in the dispute dubbed the “Flag war” or “Whisky war.”
    4. Officials from both countries, as well as Greenland, signed an agreement on Tuesday to resolve the long-standing fracas — the last remaining disagreement over a land border in the Arctic — with the Solomonic solution of dividing the island in two. Denmark gets about 60 percent of the island; Canada gets the rest. …
    5. Both Canada and Denmark cast the “historic” agreement as an example of how border disputes can be resolved peacefully, without warfare or bitter legal wrangling, at a time when the rules-based international order is under strain — a reference in part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    6. “As we stand here today, we see gross violation of international rules unfold in another part of the world,” said Jeppe Kofod, Denmark’s foreign minister. “In contrast, we have demonstrated how long-standing international disputes can be resolved peacefully and playing by the rules.”
    7. The dispute dates back to 1973, when Canadian and Danish diplomats were drawing up a maritime boundary in the Arctic. The line cut straight through Hans Island. The diplomats left the question of what to do about it unresolved. …
    8. [T]here is a “pretty remote” possibility that there are natural resources such as oil and gas on the island, but … there haven’t really been serious efforts to look. Canada … has several other disputes in the Arctic that are unresolved, including with the United States over the Northwest Passage.
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