City Budget Drama Boils Over, TEA Extends Takeover, & New Laws

It’s Friday so we’re breaking down the biggest stories of the week that impacted YOU. Host Raheel Ramzanali is joined by Abby Church, city hall reporter at the Houston Chronicle, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Evan Mintz to talk about the drama surrounding Mayor Whitmire’s budget passing, the extension of the state’s takeover of HISD, big takeaways from the 89th State Legislature, and some big career news for Evan!  Stories we talked about on today’s show:  ⁠High-tension Houston City Council meeting ends with greenlight of Mayor John Whitmire’s $7B budget⁠ ⁠Whitmire supports Texas bill that would reverse some Houston pension reforms, alarming experts⁠ ⁠Chris Newport, Houston Mayor John Whitmire’s chief of staff, to leave administration⁠ ⁠Houston ISD takeover by state will continue through 2027, TEA announces⁠ ⁠Key bills that passed and failed in the Texas Legislature⁠ ⁠Will Housing in Houston Ever Be Affordable Again?⁠ ⁠Evan Mintz named Houston Chronicle editor of Opinion and Community Engagement⁠ Learn more about the sponsors of this June 6th episode: ⁠Comicpalooza⁠ ⁠Arts District Houston⁠ ⁠Visit Port Aransas⁠ ⁠Contemporary Arts Museum Houston⁠ ⁠Downtown Houston+⁠ Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter ⁠Hey Houston⁠  Follow us on ⁠Instagram ⁠ @CityCastHouston Don’t have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at [phone] with your thoughts! Have ⁠feedback or a show idea⁠? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? ⁠Let’s Talk!⁠ Photo: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices