Good morning, Houston. Time to flex your democratic muscle again: Early voting begins today for the Nov. 6 election. You can check out a map of early voting locations here and get more information on where and how to vote from the Harris County elections website — so now, you can't say you haven't been informed. See you at the polls!
>> For some, a flood of bad news: If you're a property owner in Houston, chances are you've heard about the city's year-old ordinance prohibiting construction on vacant land in floodways. The ordinance is designed to protect structures against future floods, but some people have found out it had an effect they didn't expect: It drained their vacant land of most of its value. An example is Floyd E. Sumrall Jr., who owns a vacant lot in the White Oak Bayou floodway that dropped in appraised value to $8,300 from $131,000 between April 12 and May 10. Officials say the ordinance represents one of those tough political choices that comes with future planning, but the people it affects say it's unfair: "My personal problem is a very small part of this," Keith Hammond, whose back yard is partly in a floodway, told the Chronicle. "This is not right. It's just not right."
>> Holy hand towel: We've already established that Jesus likes hanging out in people's entry halls, but did you know that he also favors bathroom towels? Apparently so: Lucille Lopez of Houston claims that Christ has projected his image on one of her linens. Lopez said she used the towel to clean an air conditioner, which left a stain; she washed and bleached the towel twice, then gave it to her granddaughter to use drying her hair. It was the granddaughter, Desiree Ramos, who noticed the image of Jesus: "It kind of scared me, because I was going to dry my hair," she told KTRK. "But then I just threw it. And then I went to go tell my grandma." The image on the towel is a series of grayish smudges that kind of resemble the eyes, nose and mouth of a sad-looking human face, which Lopez says signifies that Jesus is crying. "Maybe he wants to show the world that he is mad or that he is hurting also," she said. Lopez said she'll keep the towel in her prayer room so that friends and neighbors can come see it anytime they want to.
>> Texans drop game to Titans: Augh!
>> This week's weather: Finally, we're in for a change: We should be experiencing today's high temperature right about now, and temps will fall amid intermittent showers and gusty wind throughout the day. By 5 p.m., we should be in the mid-to-upper 50s; tonight, look for a low around 50. The rest of the week should be absolutely wonderful: lots of sun, highs in the 70s and cool, crisp fall mornings with lows near 50. Ah, fall.
Before you break out the sweaters, check out these headlines ...
- A man burned to death Saturday night when his vehicle exploded as he was pumping gas at a station on the Northwest Freeway
- Former TSU President Priscilla Slade will be retried next March, a judge ordered last week
- Authorities have charged 10 people and are looking for others in connection with a string of local pharmacy burglaries
- Four people in a van that had been stolen from a funeral home were injured this weekend when they crashed into a car while trying to run from the police
- Photos stored on a Cinco Ranch High School student's cell phone led police to a gun and marijuana hidden inside the school
- A suit claiming the North Harris Montgomery Community College District blocked access to a blog criticizing its chancellor has been dropped because officials restored access to the website
- Officials are standing behind the actions of Brian Bueno, the HPD officer who shot a naked man during a confrontation on T.C. Jester last week ...
- ... but a witness to the incident says that the victim, Raymond Smith Jr., didn't have to die
- The Coast Guard rescued a man and woman from a sinking boat in the Ship Channel on Saturday evening
- Though Houston's economic figures have slipped from a year ago, they're still great compared to the national average, the Federal Reserve says
- Bart Whitaker, the Sugar Land man convicted of arranging the murders of his mother and brother, is writing a blog from Death Row — and some people aren't happy about it
- Mmm, stadium food: It may be tasty, but is it safe?
- Daniel Toole, a Houston man attending the University of Texas, fell to his death early Sunday morning from his dorm room's balcony
- Could rapper Big Moe's death be a turning point in the trend of cough-syrup abuse?
- In an effort to trim its budget, oil giant BP will relocate some Chicago employees to its U.S. headquarters in Houston
- How did Texas get its ice houses? Well, from the sale of ice, of course — but as long as ice house owners had all that ice sitting around, they decided they'd better sell some beer, too
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