BIG LEAP JUSTICE’S WIFE THE DIVE

FOR TCU REGRETS TEXTS CLOSES

Frogs eye win, respect Clarence Thomas’ wife, Ginni, tells Jan. 6 City’s electronic music
in college playoffs. panel she pushed for investigation. scene left with a void.
PAGE B1 PAGE A4 PAGE A10

HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022 • VOL. 122, NO. 79 • $2.00

Returns lift veil on Trump finances

Records reveal how ex-president limited his
tax liability, foreign holdings, charitable gifts
By Michael R. Sisak
and Jill Colvin
AS S OC IAT E D PRE SS
Democrats in Congress re-
leased thousands of pages of for-
mer President Donald Trump’s
tax returns Friday, providing
the most detailed picture to date
of his finances over a six-year
period, including his time in the
White House, when he fought to
keep the information private in a
break with decades of prece-
dent.
The documents include indi-
vidual returns from Trump and
his wife, Melania, along with
Trump’s business entities from
2015-2020. They show how
Trump used the tax code to low-
er his tax obligation and reveal
details about foreign accounts,
charitable contributions and the
performance of some of his
highest-profile business ven-
tures, which had largely re-
mained shielded from public
scrutiny.
The disclosure marks the cul-
mination of a yearslong legal
fight that has
played out every-
the post-Watergate era. The re-
cords release comes just days
where from the before Republicans retake con-
presidential trol of the House and weeks af-
campaign to ter Trump began another cam-
Congress and the paign for the White House.
Supreme Court The records show how
Trump as Trump persis- Trump limited his tax liability
tently rejected ef- by offsetting his income against
forts to share details about his fi- corporate losses as well as mil-
nancial history — counter to the lions of dollars in businesses ex-
practice of transparency fol- penses, asset depreciation and
lowed by all his predecessors in Trump continues on A8

State wins
case on
tax break
program
Texas justices won’t
intervene for firms
as deadline nears
By Eric Dexheimer
AUSTI N BU REAU

The Texas Supreme Court

said Friday that it could not
help two renewable energy
companies that asked it to force
a state agency to process their
applications for millions of dol-
lars in property tax breaks be-
fore the program expires at the
end of 2022.
In a lawsuit filed this month,
Stetson Renewable Holdings
and Ogallala Renewable Proj-
ect said Texas Comptroller
Photos by Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Glenn Hegar was unfairly de-
Chef Justin Yu, center, preps a dish Thursday at his restaurant Theodore Rex, which succeeded Oxheart after it closed in 2017. nying their requests for a tax
break on their wind energy
projects through the controver-
FOOD sial Chapter 313 program,
which over a decade erases

4 trailblazers elevated city

2012 openings set foundation for today’s acclaimed dining scene
By Bao Ong
STA F F W RIT E R
If a city is defined by its res-
taurants, Houston is diverse
and entrepreneurial.
Not long ago, however, many
outsiders painted America’s
fourth largest city as a desert of
steakhouses and Tex-Mex, de-
spite its history of harboring an
array of global cuisines and
can-do spirit.
Tables started to turn in the
year 2012, arguably the most
pivotal period in Houston’s food
scene history. National media
began to take notice. A younger
generation of chefs introduced
more modern restaurant expe-
riences similar to offerings in
cities like Chicago or Copenha-
gen. Houston Chronicle critic
Alison Cook awarded more
four-star reviews in this span of
12 months than in any other
year.
“There was a lot of energy at
the time,” said chef Justin Yu,
who debuted his groundbreak-
Yu plates a dish of cresc’tajat pasta with ing Oxheart in 2012. “It felt like
fermented radish, mushroom and dill. Dining continues on A7
most school property taxes of
qualifying companies. The
state backfills the lost revenue
to the local districts.
The Legislature voted to let
the incentive program die at the
end of 2022, after a Houston
Chronicle investigation raised
questions about whether it was
fulfilling its goal of creating
jobs and persuading companies
to move to Texas instead of oth-
er states. The looming deadline
created a land rush of appli-
cants seeking to lock in the
valuable tax breaks.
In their lawsuit, the two
wind energy companies
claimed that their projects had
been denied even though they
qualified for the tax break be-
cause the comptroller’s office
said it ran out of time to process
them. Yet the denial was arbi-
trary, they asserted, because
other applicants that applied
Ruling continues on A7

Unusual outbreaks and politics

in medicine mark year in health
By Julian Gill
STA F F W RIT E R
The COVID-19 pandemic
dominated headlines in the early
part of 2022, but new health con-
cerns arose as the record-break-
ing winter surge tapered off.
Monkeypox arrived in the
United States. Other respiratory
viruses made an unusual come-
back. Infant formula disap-
peared from store shelves. Im-
portant medical procedures be-
came caught in political contro-
versy.
Here’s a closer look at the big-
gest health stories of the year:
Omicron
January
Around this time last year, the
world was introduced to a new
COVID variant that proved
more contagious than all its pre-
decessors. First identified in
South Africa, omicron drew
widespread concern for the
number of mutations it con-
tained, allowing it to dodge anti-
bodies and vaccines. At its peak,
omicron infected more than
800,000 Americans per day,
shattering the previous daily in-
fection record and further
stressing an already exhausted
health care workforce.
Descendants of omicron, BQ.1
and BQ.1.1, now dominate world-
wide. Experts do not predict an- Staff file photo
other record-breaking wave this A devastating COVID infection forced Jesus Ceja Ceja to have a
Health continues on A8 lung transplant at Houston Methodist Hospital.

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A2 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM

ONLINE

IN MEMORIAM
As the year nears its end, we bid farewell to a
handful of artists and cultural figures who
made a significant impression on Houston.
HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM/INMEMORIAM2022

AROUND THE REGION

If fans agree, Texans could change look

By Matt Young
STA F F W RIT E R
The Texans have been
through plenty of changes since
their inception in 2002, but
they’ve done little to adjust how
the players look on the field
when it comes to uniforms and
helmets. That could change by
2024.
When Texans chairman and
CEO Cal McNair took questions
from fans on Reddit in Septem-
ber, he hinted at possible chang-
es, and on Thursday, the team
sent out a survey to fans in an
effort to judge interest in a
switch.
“It’s definitely on the table!”
McNair wrote on Reddit when a
fan asked if he’d ever consider
changing his team’s uniform
design. “In fact, we have al-
ready engaged the NFL to better
understand the process to for-
mally start a fan research study
and the timeline and guidelines
if the fan research steered to-
wards change. No promises,
but we will challenge every-
thing, and we won’t be afraid to
evolve.”
Along with the survey that
went out Thursday, the team al-
so has set up focus groups with
fans and will consult with for-
The Texans sport red helmets during the Nov. 3 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. If results
from fan surveys back it up, an all-new look could be in the works for uniforms in 2024.
mer Texans players to get their
opinion.
The biggest change the Tex-
ans have made to their gear
came this season when the team
introduced a red helmet when it
played the Eagles in November.
The Texans cite fans’ positive
response to that move as the
motivation to find out if fans
would like more transforma-
tion.
The survey includes ques-
tions about the makeup of the
team’s roster and front office,
but most of the questionnaire
Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer
seeks opinions on the uniforms,
including team colors, jersey
and helmet design. Even if the
team decides to switch things
up, the earliest it could happen
would be the 2024 season, be-
cause everything would have to
be signed off on by the NFL.
Although the Texans have
gone with what they call Deep
Steel Blue, Battle Red and Lib-
erty White from the beginning,
one of the questions asks if fans
would prefer different colors al-
together and lists a familiar
shade of blue as an option. Old-
school Houston sports fans
would immediately recognize
the hue as the Oilers’ tried and
true Columbia Blue.
When Bud Adams moved the
Oilers to Tennessee, he took all
of the Oilers history — the uni-
forms, the logo, the record
books, all of it — with him. That
Oilers logo that you still see a
few people wearing around
Houston belongs to the Tennes-
see Titans, and the Texans ab-
solutely can’t do anything about
it. Titans quarterback Ryan
Tannehill even went through
pregame warmups last season
in a shirt sporting the Oilers
logo, including in a game at
NRG Stadium. The Titans likely
will wear the old Oilers uni-
forms as their throwback duds
at some point in the future.
Now, the Texans, who
wouldn’t be able to use the Oil-
ers logo, are asking fans if they
would be open to a change that
could include at least a subtle
nod to the Luv Ya Blue era.

Officials launch efforts to stop Christmas trees to boost

New Year’s Eve drunken driving Lake Conroe ecosystem
By Michael Garcia
STA F F WRIT E R
Law enforcement agencies
throughout the Houston area
are launching initiatives aimed
at curtailing drunken and im-
paired driving on New Year’s
Eve.
From boosting the number of
officers and deputies on patrol,
to issuing warrants for anyone
who refuses a blood draw or
breathalyzer, to offering dis-
counts for ride-share compa-
nies, agencies hope to stem the
annual holiday weekend uptick
in injuries and deaths on roads.
During a news conference
this week, Houston Police Chief
Troy Finner noted that Harris
County leads the nation in
deaths caused by drunken driv-
ers — an assessment backed up
by county officials.
“Historically, Harris County
is either first or second place. ...
It’s pretty much a race between
(Harris) and L.A. County in
numbers of DWI events (annu-
ally),” said Lt. Simon Cheng of
the sheriff’s office vehicular
crimes division, noting Harris
County’s dense population of 4.5
million and 1,800 square miles.
“The population is extensive,
and then (people) move out-
wards, away from the city,”
Cheng added. “And that means
there’s a lot of ground to cover
when they have to reach places.”
This also is a factor when it
comes to drunken drivers, he
said. That’s why the sheriff’s of-
fice is deploying more deputies
in targeted areas around the
county.
In 2021, the Texas Department
of Transportation reported,
there were 174 fatalities caused
by impaired drivers in Harris
County, with more than 4,000
crashes. The county had the
most crashes and fatalities in
Texas because of drunken driv-
ers. Statewide, there were 1,077
fatalities and 25,283 crashes in-
volving impaired drivers.
Harris County Precinct 8 Deputy Constable Jonathan Toliver
gives a sobriety test in 2018 on the Gulf Freeway Service Road.
Other neighboring counties
such as Montgomery County re-
ported 433 crashes caused by
drunken drivers, with 17 fatali-
ties. Fort Bend County reported
323 crashes, with eight fatalities.
Several officials from these
counties urged people looking
to celebrate the new year to look
for alternatives if they decide to
drink, such as finding a desig-
nated driver or using ride-hail-
ing companies such as Uber and
Lyft.
“Folks need to be really mind-
ful,” said Suzanne Garofalo,
public affairs officer for the Har-
ris County District Attorney’s
Office. “If they are planning to
enjoy some drinks ... plan ahead
for it. Make sure you’re doing it
at a place where you can stay
and you don’t have to ... get
home. And if you do need to
travel ... just make a plan. Do it
responsibly. So that you don’t
encounter law enforcement or
hurt someone.”
Wesley Wittig, executive as-
sistant for the Fort Bend County
District Attorney’s Office, said
that while the county does see
its share of drunken drivers, it’s
not a chronic issue.
“Montgomery County has
Staff file photo
(chronic issues),” he said.
“They’ve been very much ... the
frontier of that kind of trou-
ble.”
Montgomery County First
Assistant District Attorney
Mike Holley said the agency
anticipates higher-than-aver-
age numbers of impaired driv-
ers on the road this weekend,
particularly Saturday.
“For this reason, law en-
forcement will be actively at-
tempting to locate impaired
drivers in Montgomery County
in hopes of avoiding the very
avoidable deaths associated
with this dangerous and seri-
ous crime,” Holley said.
The Montgomery County
Sheriff’s Office will be posting
DWI awareness public service
announcements on its social
media pages as well as a promo
code that gives a discount for
Lyft. The PSAs will be posted
through New Year’s Day.
All agencies in the area will
have officers working over-
time, paid by TxDOT grants.
Additional officers will be on
patrol on top of regular patrol
and traffic personnel.
michael.d.garcia@chron.com
By Michael Garcia
STA F F W R ITER
As a means to improve the
Lake Conroe ecosystem, the
San Jacinto River Authority is
continuing its annual post-
Christmas tree drive, where
live trees are collected and
dropped into the lake to spur
fish habitats.
Residents are asked to do-
nate their discarded live
Christmas trees to enhance the
lake’s fishery while also reduc-
ing landfill waste, according to
a release by the river agency
that manages the lake.
The trees mimic some of the
lost natural wood to provide a
stable habitat, said Alice Best
with the Texas Parks and
Wildlife. The agency has part-
nered with SJRA for several
years to help organize the
drive.
“When Lake Conroe first
filled, a lot of the area was
heavily forested and had many
native shrubs,” she said. “Over
time, all that wood begins to
rot.”
The tradition had been done
in the past and was revived in
2020. The first year gained
some interest while the second
year ramped up, said Joe Wil-
lard, operations technician for
SJRA’s Lake Conroe Division.
“It’s starting to gain some
traction again,” Willard said.
Between 30 to 50 trees were
collected in 2020, while 70 to
100 trees were collected in 2021,
he said.
As for the aquatic life in the
lake, fish were seen by TPWD
staff benefiting from the pro-
gram.
“Last year, we dropped off
(trees) in a couple of sites,”
Willard said. “And (TPWD)
went back over when we were
CORRECTION
A story on page B1 on Thursday misidentified Exxon Mobil’s Ca-
sey Norton. He is a spokesman for the company.
Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer
The San Jacinto River
Authority and Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department are
collecting live Christmas trees
until Jan. 28.
done. And they could already
see fish starting to migrate to-
wards the pile of trees under the
water.”
SJRA will accept discarded
Christmas trees until Jan. 27.
Those looking to get rid of
their trees are asked to drop
them off on the west end of the
lake’s dam, near Texas 105 and
Sandy Beach Drive. People are
asked that the trees are real and
not artificial.
The trees will then be at-
tached to concrete blocks and
thrown in pre-determined loca-
tions throughout the lake. Once
deployed, the locations are pub-
licized on SJRA’s social media so
anglers can use them as fishing
destinations.
“Recycled Christmas trees
make great fish habitat and Tex-
ans have shown strong support
for this initiative,” said Bret Ra-
ley, manager for SJRA’s Lake
Conroe Division Manager, in a
release.
michael.d.garcia@chron.com

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Safety is key for
New Year’s fireworks
Walter Young holds up a “Victory Sword” as he and Money Young shop Friday at Top Dog Fireworks in Harris County.
Experts advise caution with firecrackers, which can be louder
than a jet, and sparklers that are hotter than a blowtorch
By Julian Gill
and Claire Goodman
STA F F W RIT E RS
Whether you stick to snakes
and sparklers, or, as the lovable
drifter in “Joe Dirt” would say,
the stuff that goes boom, fire-
work safety is key to enjoying
the New Year’s holiday at home
and not in a hospital.
“Whenever there’s an injury,
it’s because people aren’t being
careful,” says Sue Davis, a con-
sultant for Top Dog Fireworks
in Harris County, who has been
working in the fireworks indus-
try for more than 20 years.
Trae tha Truth charged in alleged altercation
By Matt deGrood
STA F F W RIT E R
Houston rapper Trae tha
Truth has been charged in con-
nection with an August alterca-
tion with rapper Z-Ro that was
captured on video.
The artist, whose birth name
is Frazier Othel Thompson, 42,
was charged with assault caus-
ing bodily injury, a misde-
meanor charge, according to
court records.
The charge stems from an
August attack outside a restau-
Harris County sees multiple deaths
from gun violence near end of 2022
By Bailey Gallion and
John Wayne Ferguson
STA F F W RIT E RS
Two people were killed and
at least two others injured in a
shooting Friday in north Harris
County after an argument led to
a gunfight.
The shooting was one of two
within the past two days in
Harris County, bringing a vio-
lent end to 2022 with three dead
from gun violence.
Deputies responded to re-
ports of a shooting in the 4800
block of Park Square, Sheriff
CITY/ STATE
HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022 • SECTION A
Robert Garden shops for the right package with his
sons, Connor, 16, and Luke, 12, at Top Dog Fireworks.
rant in the 2000 block of Jeffer-
son Street, which was captured
on video posted to TMZ’s web-
site and YouTube. The video
appears to show several men
kicking and striking Z-Ro,
whose real name is Joseph
McVey, 45, while he was lying
on the ground, according to the
criminal complaint.
Charles Adams, McVey’s at-
torney, told the Houston
Chronicle he attributes the de-
partment’s pursuit of a case to
the social media discussion in
the months since the alleged at-
Ed Gonzalez announced on
Twitter just after 12:30 p.m.
Two people were found dead at
the scene and two wounded
drove themselves to a hospital.
Speaking with Gonzalez at
the scene, Harris County Depu-
ty Tom Gill said two groups of
men, one on foot and the other
in a vehicle, had a verbal alter-
cation before drawing weapons
and exchanging fire. The men
were between 20 and 29, he
said.
Gonzalez said the investiga-
tion is ongoing and no one has
been arrested or detained.
Photos by Karen Warren/Staff photographer
Last year, at least nine people
died, and an estimated 11,500
people were injured in inci-
dents involving fireworks, ac-
cording to the Consumer Prod-
uct Safety Commission. About
1,000 of those injuries were as-
sociated with sparklers.
Doctors urge caution this
year to prevent people from be-
coming part of that statistic.
“People don’t think about
sparklers, but they can actually
get as hot as 2,000 degrees
Fahrenheit — hot enough to
melt metal — so that’s a big con-
cern,” said Dr. Benedict Ifedi, a
Memorial Hermann primary
Fireworks continues on A6
Officers on Sept. 3 contacted
McVey to provide a statement
— a day after video of the fight
was released online, according
to court documents.
McVey wasn’t home when
officers first visited him, but
Frazier Thompson, known as later provided a requested
Trae tha Truth, right, was statement, Adams said. Z-Ro
charged with assault against said he had initially offered to
Joseph McVey, known as Z-Ro. settle his dispute with Trae tha
Truth via a charity boxing
tack. match, but that offer was re-
“My client did not reach out jected, Adams said.
about filing a police report,” he An attorney representing
said. Rapper continues on A6
“It appears multiple shots
were fired at the intersection,
which is pretty crazy because
it’s, again, right before noon,”
Gonzalez said. “This is a fairly
quiet neighborhood for the
most part.”
Besides the two people who
drove themselves to a hospital,
“it’s our understanding that a
third wounded individual was
also transported from the loca-
tion, I believe by ambulance,”
Gonzalez said. “There could al-
so be a fourth one. We’re trying
to confirm those details.” Tareka Lockhart’s family embraces after news of one of her
Gun deaths continues on A6 son’s death following a shooting on Friday in Humble.
Saying
‘salmon’
high on
searches
Term was a top 10
for Houston in 2022
By Ana Goodwin
STAF F WRI TER
Each year, Google publishes
its Year in Search — a roundup of
the top-trending phrases on the
search engine for the year. The
lists cover a variety of topics
from news events to TV shows
and provide a window into
what’s on our collective minds
throughout the year.
This year, Google also re-
leased a Local Year in Search to
highlight the unique character-
istics of different metropolitan
areas. Google’s local hub offered
a few interesting tidbits about
Houston’s search history, but we
were left wanting more.
One important thing to know
about our analysis: There’s a dif-
ference between “most
searched” and “top trending.”
Trending searches are those that
have accelerated the fastest in a
given time frame — such as 2022
in our case, while “most
searched” are the most
searched-for keywords overall.
Trending searches help give us
insight into how things have
changed during a given time.
Searches continues on A6
Search for
missing in
Gulf crash
suspended
By Sara Cline
AS S O C I ATE D P RE S S
BATON ROUGE, La. — The
U.S. Coast Guard has suspended
the search for four people on
board a helicopter that crashed
into the Gulf of Mexico, while de-
parting an oil platform on Thurs-
day morning.
Although the crash is not a
closed case, crews will not re-
sume a search unless they re-
ceive new information, Petty Of-
ficer Jose Hernandez, a spokes-
person for the Coast Guard’s 8th
District, which is headquartered
in New Orleans, said Friday. New
information includes additional
debris or a body.
The oil platform is operated by
Houston-based Walter Oil and
Gas. A spokesperson for the
company did not return a re-
quest for comment.
The helicopter’s pilot and
three oil workers went down
around 8:40 a.m. Thursday
about 10 miles offshore of South-
west Pass, a shipping channel at
the mouth of the Mississippi Riv-
er southeast of New Orleans. He-
licopters routinely transport
workers to and from oil plat-
forms in the Gulf.
Helicopter continues on A6
Karen Warren/Staff photographer
A4 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM

NATION & WORLD

Justice’s wife tells Jan. 6 panel about texts

By Mary Clare Jalonick
and Lisa Mascaro
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Virginia
Thomas, the wife of U.S. Su-
preme Court Justice Clarence
Thomas, says she regrets send-
ing texts to then-White House
chief of staff Mark Meadows af-
ter the 2020 election, telling the
House Jan. 6 committee that “I
would take them all back if I
could today.”
Thomas — known as Ginni —
is a longtime conservative activ-
ist. In a transcript of the inter-
view released by the panel on
Friday, she told investigators she
was “emotional” after the elec-
tion when she sent several texts
to Meadows urging him to stand
firm with then-President Donald
Trump as he falsely claimed that
there was widespread fraud in
the election.
In the texts,
she bemoaned
the state of Amer-
ican politics and
called the election
a “heist.” Thomas
Thomas told the panel she
still feels there
were irregularities, but she does
believe that Joe Biden is the presi-
dent of the United States.
“You know, it was an emotion-
al time,” Thomas said. “I’m sorry
these texts exist.”
The nine-member panel
sought Thomas’s interview, and
she appeared voluntarily. While
Thomas urged Meadows to act,
and she is married to one of nine
Supreme Court justices who
were at the time reviewing
Trump’s election challenges, in-
vestigators did not believe she
played a major role in Trump’s
efforts to overturn the election or
his inaction as the violent insur-
rection unfolded. Her name does
not appear once in the commit-
tee’s final report released last
week.
Still, the committee sought to
speak to her as it built a compre-
hensive account of the Jan. 6,
2021, insurrection and the weeks
beforehand. The committee’s
chairman and vice chairwoman,
Democratic Rep. Bennie Thomp-
son of Mississippi and Republi-
can Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyo-
ming, said the panel wanted to
speak to her after her name came
up in communications with oth-
er witnesses.
Thomas’ attorney Mark Pao-
letta said in a statement Friday
that her absence from the report
was a conclusion that “was obvi-
ous from the beginning" and that
her post-election activities were
“minimal and mainstream.”
In the interview, Thomas
characterized herself as an “insti-
gator” of Groundswell and other
conservative advocacy groups
that have met as a coalition for
years. She and her husband are
longtime associates of conserva-
tive lawyer John Eastman, an ar-
chitect of the scheme to have sev-
eral 2020 battleground states
send alternative electors for
Trump, rather than Biden.
Thomas said that while she
was interested in pursuing
claims of voter fraud, she had
largely stepped aside during the
aftermath of the election because
she felt her presence as the wife
of Justice Thomas often “chilled”
the discussion. She insisted she
operated separately from her
husband.
“It’s laughable for anyone who
knows my husband to think I
could influence his jurispru-
dence,” she said. “The man is in-
dependent and stubborn.”
Thomas said she stays in the
“political” lane at home and her
husband stays in a “legal” lane.
“He’s uninterested in politics,”
she said. “I did not speak with
him at all about the details of my
post-election activities, which
were minimal.”
The Thomases faced scrutiny
after her text messages to Mead-
ows and other communications
turned up. Some have suggested
her husband should have re-
cused himself from election-re-
lated cases given her involve-
ment.
Bloomberg News contributed to this
report.

AROUND THE NATION

AND WORLD
WASHINGTON, D.C.
6 who served out
terms get pardons
President Joe Biden has
pardoned six people who
have served out sentences
after convictions on a mur-
der charge and drug- and
alcohol-related crimes, in-
cluding an 80-year-old wom-
an convicted of killing her
abusive husband about a
half-century ago and a man
who pleaded guilty to using
a telephone for a cocaine
transaction in the 1970s.
The pardons, announced
Friday, mean the criminal
record of the crimes is now
purged. The White House
said those pardoned are
people who went on to serve
their communities. It said
the pardons reflect Biden’s
view that people deserve a
second chance.

SYRIA
Rocket attack kills
oil workers on bus
A militant rocket attack in
Nicole Tung/New York Times eastern Syria on Friday
The mother of Ukrainian service member Ihor Lykhonyn, who was killed in November, visits his grave in Kharkiv on Friday. targeted a bus with oil in-
Russia fired one of the largest missile barrages in weeks on towns and cities across Ukraine on Thursday. dustry employees, killing at
least 10, the government

Ukraine says it thwarted drone strike on Kyiv
By Cassandra Vinograd
N EW YORK T IME S
Ukraine’s military said Fri-
day that it had thwarted anoth-
er drone swarm targeting Kyiv
in the morning, a day after Rus-
sia fired one of the largest mis-
sile barrages in weeks on towns
and cities across Ukraine.
Kyiv, the capital, was one of
several cities rocked by explo-
sions Thursday when Russia
unleashed a wave of Iranian-
made exploding drones fol-
lowed by scores of cruise mis-
siles.
Early Friday, authorities in
Kyiv said Russia had followed
the previous day’s missile
strikes with seven more drones
— all of which were shot down
by Ukrainian air defenses.
“The enemy continues to
launch massive air attacks on
Ukraine’s capital city,” the Kyiv
military administration said in
a statement posted on the Tele-
gram messaging app, adding
that the city had “withstood an
attack by Iranian-manufac-
tured” Shahed drones.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of
Kyiv, said that falling debris
had damaged a building but
that there were no casualties
from the overnight attack.
Ukraine’s air force said a total
of 16 drones had been launched
overnight across the country
and that all had been intercept-
ed.
Utility crews were still work-
ing Friday to repair the damage
from the strikes a day earlier,
which caused further power
outages amid freezing winter
temperatures. Russia’s large
volleys of cruise missiles and
drones have for the past three
months targeted Ukraine’s en-
ergy grid, in what military ana-
lysts say is a strategy of plung-
ing the country into cold and
darkness to lower morale.
Ukrenergo, the national elec-
tric utility, said Friday that the
power supply was back at the
levels it was before the latest
strikes.
Volodymyr Kudrytsky, the
head of Ukrenergo, said Rus-
sia’s attempt to shut down the
power system had failed but
cautioned that there was “sig-
nificant damage” from the
overall attacks in recent
months.
President Volodymyr Zelen-
skyy of Ukraine reiterated late
Thursday his recent refrain
that Russia could be planning
more strikes timed to the New
Year holiday.
“Perhaps the enemy will try
once again to make us celebrate
the new year in darkness,” he
said in his overnight address.
“Perhaps the occupiers are
planning to make us suffer
with the next strikes at our cit-
ies. But no matter what they
plan, we know one thing about
ourselves: We will endure.”
PUTIN , XI DEEPEN TIES
WITH VIDEO SESSION
Vladimir Putin and Chinese
President Xi Jinping hailed
deepening ties between their
countries in talks Friday.
Russia-China ties are the “best in
history,” the Russian president
said in the video call. Russia
would seek to strengthen military
cooperation with China, he said.
China stood ready to expand the
“strategic partnership,” Xi said.
Chinese state television
reported Xi told Putin that Beijing
would continue to play a
constructive role in seeking to
resolve the Ukraine “crisis” and
that China and Russia should
cooperate on trade, energy,
finance and agriculture.
Beijing has refused to publicly
condemn the invasion of Ukraine,
instead accusing the U.S. of
provoking Russia.
Bloomberg News
said. To the north, Syrian
Kurdish-led forces an-
nounced they arrested 52
militants in an operation
against the Islamic State
group’s sleeper cells.
According to Syria’s pe-
troleum ministry, the rocket
struck in the Al-Taym gas
field in eastern Deir el-Zour
province. There was no
immediate claim of responsi-
bility but the Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Hu-
man Rights, an opposition
war monitoring group, said
ISIS was behind the attack.
MYANAMAR
Suu Kyi’s sentence
is increased 7 years
A court in military-ruled
Myanmar convicted the
country’s ousted leader
Aung San Suu Kyi of cor-
ruption Friday, sentencing
her to seven years in prison
in the last of a string of
criminal cases against her, a
legal official said.
The court’s action leaves
her with a total of 33 years
to serve in prison after a

Suspect in 4 Idaho student killings arrested in Pa. series of politically tinged

By Marc Levy,
Rebecca Boone
and Mike Balsamo
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Au-
thorities in Pennsylvania arrest-
ed a suspect in the killings of
four University of Idaho stu-
dents who were found stabbed
to death in their beds more than
a month ago, Moscow Police
Chief James Fry said Friday.
The killings initially mysti-
fied law enforcement and shook
the small town of Moscow, Ida-
ho, a farming community of
about 25,000 people that had not
had a murder for five years.
Bryan Christopher Kohberg-
er, 28, was arrested early Friday
morning by the Pennsylvania
State Police at a home in Chest-
nuthill Township, authorities
said. Latah County Prosecutor
Bill Thompson said investiga-
tors believe Koh-
berger broke into
the students’
home “with the
intent to commit
murder.”
He was being
Kohberger held for extradi-
tion to Idaho on a
warrant for first-degree murder,
according to arrest paperwork
filed in Monroe County Court.
An extradition hearing was
scheduled for Tuesday. He was
also charged with felony burgla-
ry in Idaho, Thompson said.
Kohberger is a Ph.D. student
in the Department of Criminal
Justice and Criminology at
Washington State University, a
short drive across the state line
from the University of Idaho.
He graduated from North-
ampton Community College in
Pennsylvania with an associate
of arts degree in psychology in
2018, said college spokesperson
Mia Rossi-Marino. DeSales Uni-
versity in Pennsylvania said
that he received a bachelor’s de-
gree in 2020 and completed
graduate studies in June 2022.
The Idaho students — Kaylee
Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xa-
na Kernodle and Ethan Chapin
— were stabbed to death at a
rental home near campus some-
time in the early morning hours
of Nov. 13. Investigators were un-
able to name a suspect or locate
a murder weapon for weeks.
But the case broke open after
law enforcement asked the pub-
lic for help finding a white
Hyundai Elantra sedan seen
near the home around the time
of the killings. By mid-Decem-
ber, investigators were working
through nearly 12,000 tips and
had identified more than 22,000
vehicles matching that make
and model.
“We are still looking for the
weapon,” Fry said. “I will say
that we have found an Elantra.”
Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum,
Idaho; Mogen, 21, of Coeur d’A-
lene, Idaho; Kernodle, 20, of
Post Falls, Idaho; and Chapin,
20, of Conway, Wash., were
members of the university’s
Greek system and close friends.
Mogen, Goncalves and Kerno-
dle lived in the three-story rent-
al home with two other room-
mates. Kernodle and Chapin
were dating and he was visiting
the house that night.
Autopsies showed all four
were likely asleep when they
were attacked. Some had defen-
sive wounds and each was
stabbed multiple times. There
was no sign of sexual assault,
police said.
Fry said they’re still “putting
all the pieces together” to deter-
mine motive.
prosecutions since the army
toppled the former Nobel
Peace Prize winner’s elected
government in February
2021.
CAMBODIA
26 confirmed dead
in casino, hotel fire
The search for bodies in
the wreckage of a burned-
out casino hotel complex in
western Cambodia has con-
cluded with 26 people con-
firmed dead, a senior official
said late Friday.
Banteay Meanchey prov-
ince Gov. Um Reatrey said
by phone that after 39 hours
of rescue and search opera-
tions, there were also 57
injured survivors from the
Wednesday night fire at the
Grand Diamond City casino
and hotel in the town of
Poipet.
From wire reports
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM A5
A6
FIREWORKS
From page A3
care physician who specializes
in sports medicine.
Children should always be
supervised around fireworks,
including sparklers, which
should be kept outside and
away from faces, clothing and
hair, public safety officials say.
Revelers also need to remem-
ber: Fireworks should only be
lit one a time, and the person
lighting the fireworks should
immediately move away when
they’re lit. Never point fire-
works at anyone. It’s also rec-
ommended to keep a garden
hose or bucket of water nearby,
in case of a fire.
One of the most important re-
minders is to never try to pick
up or re-ignite a “dud” firework,
or one that failed to explode.
That’s a major cause of injury,
says Davis.
“If a firework doesn’t go off,
don’t walk over and look at it
and think you’re going to figure
out what’s wrong,” she said,
“because that’s when it’s going
to go off.”
If a firework fails to launch,
Davis says, leave the firework
alone for about 15 minutes. If
there’s no further action on the
fuse, douse the firework in wa-
ter to make sure it’s fully extin-
guished before disposing of it.
All trash from fireworks
should be doused in water, too,
GUN DEATHS
From page A3
One of the injured men is in
critical condition after taking a
bullet in the neck, Gill said. He
added that the men may have
been involved in conflicts with
each other in the past. A wom-
an who identified herself as the
mother of two men involved
said she lived nearby, and her
sons did previously have run-
ins with others involved.
In Crosby, woman shot,
killed while cleaning up
Christmas decorations
In another gun death, a 17-
year-old was arrested Friday
and charged with manslaugh-
ter after being accused of acci-
dentally shooting and killing
his friend while playing with a
gun.
Cayman Wilson, 17, of Cros-
by, is accused of killing Marissa
Dikeman, 19, also of Crosby, late
Thursday night while she was
cleaning up Christmas decora-
tions in front of her home, ac-
cording to the Harris County
Sheriff ’s Office.
Deputies were called to a re-
port of a shooting just before 9
p.m. in the 4400 block of Sherri
RAPPER
From page A3
Thompson did not immediately
respond to a request for com-
ment.
Z-Ro told police he had
walked out of the restaurant and
was taking photos with fans
when Trae tha Truth ap-
proached him and asked to
meet, according to the com-
plaint. When McVey went to
meet Thompson, Thompson
sucker punched him, according
to documents.
Several other men then
jumped into the fray and they
took McVey’s sunglasses, watch
and bracelet when he fell to the
HELICOPTER
From page A3
Weather didn’t appear to be a
factor in the crash, Hernandez
said, as there were no reports of
storms in the area Thursday. The
National Transportation Safety
Board said it is investigating the
crash. NTSB officials said they
should have a preliminary report
in a few weeks.
Crews in a boat and a helicop-
ter searched for eight hours, cov-
ering an area of roughly 180
square miles (460 square kilome-
ters). Hernandez said that crews
did find debris, but no people.
Photos of the debris released by
the Coast Guard showed a clus-
ter of cylindrical yellow objects
bobbing in the water.
“It is always a difficult deci-
sion to suspend a search,” said
Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Keefe, Coast
Guard Sector New Orleans
Search and Rescue Mission Co-
ordinator.
One of the missing workers is
Experts say children should always be supervised by adults, even for sparklers, and it’s smart to
keep a bucket of water handy. Safety officials say “duds” often go off when least expected.
and fireworks should never be
placed in trash cans in enclosed
spaces.
“People will throw the fire-
works in the trash can, put the
can in the garage, and shut the
garage,” Davis said. “That’s
when you get a major house
fire.” Instead, she said, trash
cans containing fireworks trash
should be kept on the street as
Lane and found Dikeman unre-
sponsive, Sgt. Greg Pinkins
told reporters for the On Scene
news service. She was pro-
nounced dead at the scene.
Dikeman had been with two
of her coworkers and they were
taking down Christmas decora-
tions at her home when, at
some point, a gun one of the
men was handling discharged,
striking her, Pinkins said.
In court documents, prose-
cutors said Wilson was “play-
ing” with the gun before it fired.
The gun was believed to belong
to one of Dikeman’s room-
mates.
The other 17-year-old co-
worker was questioned at the
scene but hasn’t been charged
Wilson was in custody at the
Harris County Jail on Friday af-
ternoon, according to court re-
cords. His bond was set at
$50,000. Wilson had no previ-
ous criminal history in Harris
County. He did not have a de-
fense attorney listed in court
records.
He is scheduled to appear in
court on Jan. 3 for a preliminary
hearing.
Matt deGrood contributed to this
report.
bailey.gallion@chron.com
ground, according to docu-
ments. The bracelet was worth
about $19,000, while the watch
was worth about $15,000, ac-
cording to court filings.
A video posted to Instagram
appears to show Thompson sur-
rendering to authorities.
Two other men have been
charged in connection with the
alleged assault, according to
court records. Dewayne Buggs,
32, has been charged with rob-
bery, according to court records.
Johnathan Steen, 36, has been
charged with assault causing
bodily injury.
One of the defendants helped
facilitate the return of McVey’s
jewelry after the alleged assault,
Adams said.
36-year-old David Scarborough
of Lizana, Mississippi, according
to his wife, Lacy Scarborough.
She told the Sun Herald newspa-
per that they are expecting a ba-
by, and that her husband recent-
ly got a job promotion.
On Thursday, she said her
family was praying that her hus-
band and the others would be
rescued safely. “He enjoyed his
job and his coworkers,” she said.
The Coast Guard said the heli-
copter is owned by Rotorcraft
Leasing Company, which did not
respond to requests for more in-
formation.
Two weeks ago, another of Ro-
torcraft’s helicopters crashed off
the Louisiana coast while at-
tempting to land on an oil rig
platform. The Coast Guard res-
cued three people. That Dec. 15
crash occurred south of Terre-
bonne Bay, roughly 60 miles (97
kilometers) west of the area the
Coast Guard was searching
Thursday.
Associated Press writer Russ Bynum
contributed to this report.
far away from homes as possi-
ble.
When popping fireworks, it’s
also a good idea to protect your
ears, according to the Universi-
ty of Texas Health Science Cen-
ter at Houston. Fireworks can
be louder than a jackhammer or
a jet airliner at takeoff. Expo-
sure can cause a ringing in the
ear, or temporary or permanent
According to Google searches made across the United States, the Houston area searched
“public library near me” more than anywhere else in the country.
SEARCHES
From page A3
1. Houstonians struggled to
pronounce salmon (among
other things)
Sometimes we come across a
written word that we don’t
know how to say out loud, so we
turn to Google for help to save
us some embarrassment. The
top 10 terms Houstonians need-
ed a little assistance pronounc-
ing this year broke down into
three categories: foods, foreign
countries and cities, and one
specific last name: “Nguyen.”
Trending “how to pro-
nounce” searches:
• How to pronounce Nguyen
• How to pronounce Qatar
• How to pronounce charcu-
terie
• How to pronounce pho
• How to pronounce salmon
• How to pronounce gif
• How to pronounce acai
• How to pronounce gyro
• How to pronounce pecan
• How to pronounce Kiev/
Kyiv
For some context, “Nguyen”
is the most-common Vietnam-
ese surname in the world, and
Houston is home to the second-
largest Vietnamese population
in the United States. In fact,
Nguyen was the second-most-
common last name for voters
who cast their ballots in Harris
County in 2020, behind only
Smith.
2. New restaurants piqued
Houston’s interest
When it came to eating out,
new restaurants led Houston’s
trending searches.
Top trending “restaurant”
searches:
• Flora restaurant
• Juliet restaurant
• Take the Wheel restaurant
• Hamsa restaurant
• Marmo Houston
• Warwick restaurant
• Elite restaurant
• Lava restaurant
• Amore restaurant
• Aga’s restaurant
3. Rap dominated
Houston’s music-related
searches
It’s a fact at this point: Hous-
ton loves its rap music. As a city,
we listened to rap more than
any other genre on Spotify this
year, so it’s no surprise that the
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
Karen Warren/Staff photographer
hearing loss. The American
Speech-Language Hearing As-
sociation recommends foam ear
plugs or headphones for protec-
tion.
If you do get injured, it’s im-
portant to know how to re-
spond, Ifedi said. For eye inju-
ries, do not touch the eye or
flush it out with water. Ifedi rec-
ommends covering the eye with
genre dominated our Google
search history, too. The Hous-
ton area searched for rap nearly
twice as much as any other
genre in 2022, while rock and
country music were neck and
neck for the second-most-popu-
lar genre.
4. Houstonians searched
for libraries more than any
other place in the country
According to Google searches
made across the United States,
the Houston area searched
“public library near me” more
than anywhere else in the coun-
try, with interest peaking dur-
ing mid-June. Though libraries
appeared on our top 10 local
trending list for “near me”
searches as well, they were a bit
lower, at No. 9. Other trending
“near me” searches were driven
by people looking for polling lo-
cations, — unsurprising, given
that 2022 was an election year —
and cheap gas as prices at the
pump soared.
Top trending “near me”
searches:
• Early voting near me
• Voting near me
• Gas prices near me
• PNC bank near me
• Pilates near me
• Sex offenders near me
• Plasma center near me
• Raising Canes near me
• Library near me
• Chiropractor near me
5. ‘Elvis’ was the
top-trending movie in
Houston this year
In June, Baz Luhrmann
brought his over-the-top style
back to the big screen with the
biopic “Elvis.” The film, which
chronicles the relationship be-
tween Elvis Presley and his
manager Colonel Tom Parker,
caused quite the buzz among
movie-goers, and film fans in
Houston were no exception.
Top trending movie
searches:
• Elvis movie
• Weird Al movie
• Barbarian movie
• Easter Sunday movie
• Nope movie
• One Piece Film: Red
• Smile movie
• Amsterdam movie
• Where the Crawdads Sing
movie
• The Black Phone movie
6. Houston’s top recipe
household material — like the
bottom of a foam cup — before
going to the emergency room.
For burns, remove clothing
from the burned area and seek
medical attention. First- or sec-
ond-degree burns can usually
be treated in the emergency
room with weeks or months of
outpatient care, Ifedi said.
Third-degree burns, however,
can require a prolonged hospi-
tal stay.
Law enforcement officials
emphasize that fireworks can-
not be discharged in Houston
city limits. Fines range from
$500 to $2,000 for each fire-
work, according to the Houston
Fire Department. It is legal to
pop in unincorporated parts of
the county, except near church-
es, hospitals, schools or daycare
centers.
Police have also called on
people to celebrate without
shooting firearms, which is a
class A misdemeanor. For those
who want to report noise and
other nuisances, officials ask
people to call non-emergency
lines instead of 9-1-1. In Hous-
ton, the non-emergency num-
ber is 713-884-3131, while the
number for Harris County is
713-221-6000.
When the celebration ends,
Davis said people shouldn’t for-
get to pick up any bits of debris
left behind.
“One of the things I always
tell people,” she said, “is to be
courteous to your neighbors.”
Elizabeth Conley/Staff file photo
came with an unfortunate
name
Houston’s top-trending reci-
pe search this year was for
“crack chicken” — a dish that
derives its name from the re-
grettable trend of referring to
delicious foods as “crack,” as in
crack cocaine. Recipes for the
meal typically involve cooking a
combination of chicken, bacon,
ranch and cheese in a slow cook-
er or Instant Pot.
• Crack chicken recipe
• Overnight oats recipe
• Salmon patties recipe
• Cucumber salad recipe
• Cosmopolitan recipe
• Dump cake recipe
• Chocolate chip cookie reci-
pe
• Blueberry muffin recipe
• Salisbury steak recipe
• Chia pudding recipe
7. The war in Ukraine
dominated news searches
Google News searches from
the Houston area reflected big
world events. The top-trending
News search was for stories
about the war in Ukraine, while
second highest was for stories
about Uvalde, where an 18-year-
old gunman killed 19 fourth-
graders and two adults in one of
the deadliest school shootings in
modern U.S. history on May 24.
Top trending Google News
searches:
• Ukraine news
• Uvalde
• Chris Rock
• Recession
• iPhone 14
• Wordle
• India news
• Interest rates
• Nadal
• Cristiano Ronaldo
8. And lastly, Houston’s
top search was …
Wordle. The simple word-
guessing game created by Josh
Wardle was not only the most
searched keyword in the Hous-
ton area, it was also the most-
searched keyword in the world
in 2022.
• Wordle
• World Cup
• Ukraine/Ukraine news
• World cup
• iPhone 14
• Amber Heard
• Johnny Depp
• Super Bowl 2022
• Bob Saget
• Russia
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
DINING
From page A1
this weird microcosm of
all things happening at
once.”
Oxheart — joined by
Uchi, Underbelly and The
Pass & Provisions — was
one of four key openings
that helped transform
Houston’s scene 10 years
ago. The collective influ-
ence of these restaurants
— and the talent from
their kitchens — set a
strong, resilient founda-
tion that continues to
shape local dining today.
Even the challenges of
the pandemic have not
curtailed the city’s eating
enthusiasm. The number
of operating dining-and-
drinking businesses in
Greater Houston has
jumped from about 7,000
to just over 10,000 in the
past decade, according to
the Texas Restaurant As-
sociation.
Since 2012, local restau-
rants and bars have won
national awards and land-
ed on “best” lists. Out-of-
town chefs are opening
ambitious kitchens in the
city’s trendiest neighbor-
hoods and growing sub-
urbs.
“People are coming in
and seeing Houston as an
opportunity,” Yu said. “I
think the things we’re
opening now are more re-
flective of our city.”
These are the stories of
how those four trailblaz-
ing restaurants set Hous-
ton on a path toward be-
ing widely recognized as a
dining destination.
February 2012: Uchi
Kata Robata and MF
Sushi, both still going
strong today, were already
serving top-notch sushi
before the arrival of the
Austin import lauded for
its contemporary take on
Japanese cuisine. But the
wildly successful Uchi
opened its first offshoot in
Houston — not Dallas —
to much buzz, further
boosted by its chef-owner
Tyson Cole winning a
James Beard Award for
Best Chef Southwest in
2011.
“Houston was an obvi-
ous choice because, one,
it’s an international hub,”
said Kaz Edwards, the di-
rector of culinary opera-
tions at Hai Hospitality,
the group behind Uchi
and its spinoffs. “It’s a
true melting pot. We
looked for places and
areas that mimicked our
brand.”
Uchi was also outgrow-
ing Austin’s smaller res-
taurant scene, Edwards
said, and expanding al-
lowed the company to
promote its employees.
Houston’s currently
booming sushi scene,
which ranges from pricey
omakase dinners to more
casual hand roll spots,
can be traced back to
Uchi. The Houston out-
post served as an incuba-
tor for a new generation of
local chefs: Hidden Oma-
kase, Aiko, Neo and Aya
are now all led by men and
women who worked at
Uchi. Some of them lik-
ened the experience to
boot camp.
“I was working my ass
off,” said Niki Vongthong,
the executive chef at Hid-
den who was part of the
opening team. “You felt
like you could work any-
RULING
From page A1
around the same time
were approved for their
tax breaks.
For example, the com-
panies cited two projects
— a lithium refinery facil-
ity from Tesla and a solar
energy facility in Ander-
son County built by Skull
Creek Solar — that were
approved despite being
submitted during the
same period.
In its opinion, however,
the state’s highest civil
court said the dispute be-
longs in the hands of the
Legislature, which could
adjust the end-of-year
where after Uchi.”
Uchi’s modern style of
sushi and inventive riffs
on Japanese cuisine in-
spired chefs to branch out
beyond traditional raw-
fish preparations, too. At
Hidden, the menu fea-
tures dishes nodding to
Vongthong’s Thai heri-
tage with items such as
duck larb hand rolls or
bowls of noodles swim-
ming in a coconut broth.
“The Houston dining
scene was already well es-
tablished and 2012 was
just the next iteration of
it,” said Edwards, who
was the chef de cuisine for
the Houston debut. “It
was like lightning in a bot-
tle to have all these restau-
rants opening up. It was a
pretty amazing time.”
March 2012:
Underbelly
Long before Chris
Shepherd became a Hous-
ton ambassador of sorts
on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and
appeared in breathless
glossy magazine features,
all he wanted was to open
his own restaurant.
In the early aughts,
chefs in Shepherd’s realm
didn’t cook much beyond
what the more high-
profile restaurateurs be-
lieved were safe bets for
Houstonians: steak,
Western European fare
and “New American”
fine-dining cuisine.
“Halfway through 2010,
I realized I needed to open
my own place,” he said.
The locally-trained
chef, who had worked at
institutions like Bren-
nan’s, saw the opening of
his Underbelly in 2012 as a
chance to “tell the story of
Houston through food.”
One way Shepherd did
that, he said, was to
source all ingredients
within 150 miles of the res-
taurant.
Shepherd and his team
would change the menu
daily, sometimes in the
middle of dinner service,
as they figured out clever
uses for incoming pro-
duce or after farmers
dropped off a 1,000-
pound steer, whole goat or
pig to butcher.
The menu also pulled
from the city’s diverse res-
taurants. One of Under-
belly’s most popular
dishes, which Shepherd
cooked on “Jimmy Kim-
mel Live,” was Korean
braised goat dumplings. It
was a shareable plate that
could pique the interests
of meat lovers while intro-
ducing a new audience to
Korean pantry staples like
tteokbokki, or rice cakes,
doused in a sweet-and-
spicy gochujang sauce.
Underbelly cooks were
encouraged to go beyond
Euro-centric recipes.
They freely used fish
sauce, turmeric and hou-
semade balsamic vinegar
to create one of the 20
dishes on the single-page
menu.
“We had to be on our
toes at all times,” said
Ryan Lachaine, who was a
sous chef at Underbelly
for about two years. “You
couldn’t be a robot at Un-
derbelly.”
Houstonians proudly
introduced out-of-town-
ers to Shepherd’s cooking.
When he won the James
Beard Award in the Best
Southwest Chef category
in 2014, Shepherd ended a
22-year drought of Hous-
ton chefs not winning
deadline to accommodate
applicants if it chooses to
do so.
“The Legislature im-
posed, but is not itself
constrained by, the cur-
rent deadline,” Justice Ev-
an A. Young wrote in the
opinion. “Even after Dec.
31 passes, the Legislature,
if it chooses, could re-
quire that all timely filed
applications be deemed
approved. Or it could ret-
roactively waive the Dec.
31 deadline for any appli-
cation that was otherwise
timely filed and direct the
comptroller to continue
processing those applica-
tions. Or the Legislature
could revive access to the
program for everyone, ei-
Chefs Terrence Gallivan, left, and Seth Siegel-Gardner, shown in 2013, won
praise for The Pass & Provisions, which featured two concepts under one roof.
Chef and owner Tyson Cole, left, chose Houston to
open his first offshoot of Austin restaurant Uchi.
Chef Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for
his work at Underbelly in 2014.
what many consider the
Oscars of the food world.
For Petter Pettersen,
who started dining at Un-
derbelly in its first month
and ate there nearly every
week, the experience was
unique. The staff talked
with customers about the
origins of the produce and
even dropped off local
mom-and-pop restaurant
recommendations with
the bill.
“It was this whole col-
lective uplifting of a dif-
ferent food scene,” said
Pettersen, who is now the
board president of Shep-
herd’s nonprofit Southern
Smoke Foundation.
Shepherd is no longer a
part of Underbelly Hospi-
tality, the restaurant
ther for a set period or
permanently.”
In short, he added,
“The reason that the
coach turns into a pump-
kin at midnight on New
Year’s Eve … is because
the Legislature so willed
that result long ago. If the
pumpkin is again to be a
coach, that too must fol-
low from the Legislature’s
will.”
Lawmakers said they
were persuaded not to ex-
tend Chapter 313 last year
because many of the com-
panies securing the tax
break produced few new
high-paying jobs relative
to the cost, even though
job creation was a goal of
the program.
Brett Coomer/Staff file photo
Staff file photo
group he co-founded that
spawned a mini empire
including steakhouses
and a burger joint. But the
50-year-old chef cement-
ed his spot as one of Hous-
ton’s most notable cheer-
leaders.
At Riel, Lachaine’s res-
taurant in Montrose that’s
an ode to the Gulf Coast,
he still sources many in-
gredients from the same
farmers Shepherd intro-
duced him to at Underbel-
ly.
“It’s a big city and
there’s room for all of us to
do our own thing,” La-
chaine said.
March 2012: Oxheart
Justin Yu opened Ox-
heart within weeks of Un-
Under the law, appli-
cants also were supposed
to demonstrate that they
would take their business
elsewhere if they didn’t
receive the tax break. Yet
the comptroller’s office
rarely rejected any of the
applications, even when
it appeared that the com-
panies had no intention of
taking their business
elsewhere or, in some cas-
es, had already begun
building in Texas. The
cost of the tax breaks to
Texans had ballooned in
recent years as more com-
panies qualified.
In the year after law-
makers voted to let the
Chapter 313 program sun-
set, the agency received
Staff file photo
derbelly’s debut.
It was a perfect storm of
ambitious chefs ready to
take a risk and a favorable
real estate market, Yu
said. Oxheart garnered
press even before Yu
opened the quirky corner
space in the Warehouse
District on the edge of
downtown.
GQ ran a piece in Feb-
ruary 2012 on that year’s
most highly anticipated
openings and included
Oxheart: “You’ve never
heard of Justin Yu and
vegetarian is not your
thing. Last year, the same
thing could be said of 90
percent of Houston, be-
fore Yu wooed diners with
a series of sold-out veggie-
centric pop-up dinners.”
Yu, a native Housto-
nian, had just come back
after cooking in Europe
and felt he was ready to
open his own restaurant.
The Copenhagen restau-
rant Relae was a strong in-
fluence, from its vegeta-
ble-forward cooking to
the tables with drawers
holding utensils.
Oxheart felt fresh for
Houston: It served only a
set tasting menu, but it
was not fine dining with a
buttoned-up dress code or
white linen tablecloths.
The wine menu was a pio-
neer in championing nat-
ural wines.
“It could easily turn in-
to a destination restau-
rant, one that looks to the
future of fine dining,”
wrote the Chronicle’s
Cook in her four-star re-
view.
Still, Oxheart was po-
larizing. Some diners
loved it, but Yu also said
he’s “never heard so much
vitriol.” One point of con-
tention: The portions
were too small.
“It was hard doing
something that everyone
thought would fail,” said
Willet Feng, who cooked
alongside Yu for about 10
months. “It built a lot of
discipline.”
The success of Oxheart,
which Yu said he opened
with less than $100,000,
paved the way for another
cadre of chefs who could
stick to their vision — to-
day’s Nancy’s Hustle, No-
bie’s and Neo, for exam-
ple.
Feng, who opened Bur-
ger-Chan in 2016 with his
wife Diane, said the most
notable restaurants from
2012 have evolved or died
off (Oxheart closed in 2017
and reopened as Theo-
dore Rex) — and that’s a
good thing.
nearly 500 applications
for it, many seeking the
relief for projects not
scheduled to be built for
decades. Before that, the
comptroller’s office had
processed about 90 appli-
cations annually.
Stetson filed applica-
tions for 11 projects within
weeks of each other in
May, most scheduled to
be built in 2028. Ogallala
filed one application at
the same time, for a proj-
ect to be completed in
2025. The comptroller’s
office said it rejected 57 of
413 proposals this calen-
dar year because of the
limited time frame. It de-
clined to say why some
companies were ap-
A7
“It kicked their asses
and they grew,” Feng said.
Fall 2012: The Pass &
Provisions
Houstonians still talk
about chef Terrence Galli-
van and Seth Siegel-Gard-
ner’s ambitious The Pass
& Provisions more than
three years after it closed.
The city had never seen
anything quite like it: The
Montrose restaurant,
which featured two con-
cepts under one roof by
chefs with Michelin cre-
dentials, didn’t open until
fall 2012 with the more ca-
sual Provisions debuting
in September and Pass a
few months later.
It was not a blind leap
of faith for Gallivan and
Siegel-Gardner. In 2010,
the duo threw a series of
pop-up dinners, includ-
ing some with Yu, and
quickly found a following.
“It gave us a good idea
that something was about
to happen in Houston,”
Siegel-Gardner said. “We
were ready to say, ‘Let’s
kick the front door
down.’”
Provisions offered
more affordable pizza and
pasta options while The
Pass featured splurge-
worthy tasting menus.
The national press once
again deemed another
Houston restaurant wor-
thy of critical praise —
Bon Appétit named it the
sixth best restaurant in
the country.
“We knew that it was
important and that we
were breaking the mold,”
said Martha Wilcox, who
cooked at The Pass for
about two years. “We
wanted to be known for
more than steak and
steakhouses.”
The city’s most in-de-
mand restaurants foster-
ed a “friendly competi-
tion” among chefs, who
would grab drinks togeth-
er after working long
hours. They would keep
tabs on each other’s
menus, but also share ad-
vice and resources.
Still, Wilcox and other
chefs said the kitchens
were filled with pressure
as there was a sense that it
was a race to put the res-
taurants out there for
awards, reviews and na-
tional recognition.
“It was a place where if
you’re not the last one
walking out the door, you
were not working hard
enough,” said Wilcox,
who’s currently chef de
cuisine at Indianola in Ea-
Do. “That took time to un-
learn for a lot of us, but I
don’t blame the chefs for
their ambition at the
time.”
The higher price points
and chef-driven menus at
restaurants like The Pass
helped usher in a more
modern fine-dining era.
“Without those restau-
rants, there was no way
we could have opened
March,” said June Rodil,
the co-owner and master
sommelier behind Hous-
ton’s newest acclaimed
tasting-menu spot.
When Gallivan, who’s
opening his own crudo-
and-pizza joint in 2023,
dines out in Houston, he
often sees the influence of
The Pass & Provisions.
“I’m still amazed at the
amount of restaurants
this town can support,”
Gallivan said.
bao@chron.com
proved and others were
denied.
In a written response
to the Stetson and Ogalla-
la lawsuit, however, He-
gar was unapologetic.
“Even though my office
will certify more than 300
projects this year alone, it
was apparently not
enough,” he said. “This is
a frivolous attempt to get
the Texas Supreme Court
to force my office to put
even more resources to-
ward the program in the
final two weeks of its exis-
tence. My office has fully
complied with the law
and will vigorously de-
fend our position.”
eric.dexheimer@chron.com
A8
TRUMP
From page A1
other deductions.
While Trump paid $641,931 in
federal income taxes in 2015, the
year he began his campaign for
president, he paid just $750 in
2016 and 2017, according to a re-
port released last week by Con-
gress’ nonpartisan Joint Com-
mittee on Taxation. He paid
nearly $1 million in 2018, but on-
ly $133,445 in 2019 and nothing in
2020, the year he unsuccessfully
sought re-election.
The records also detail
Trump’s foreign holdings.
Trump, according to the fil-
ings, reported having bank ac-
counts in China, Ireland and the
United Kingdom in 2015 through
2017, even as he was commander
in chief. Starting in 2018, howev-
er, he only reported an account
in the U.K. The returns also
show that Trump claimed for-
eign tax credits for taxes he paid
on various business ventures
around the world, including li-
censing arrangements for use of
his name on development proj-
ects and his golf courses in Scot-
land and Ireland. In 2018, ac-
cording to Joint Committee on
Taxation figures, Trump paid
more in foreign taxes than he
did net federal income taxes.
The documents show that
Trump’s charitable donations
fluctuated during his presiden-
cy but, in his final years, repre-
sented only a sliver of his in-
come. In 2020, the year the coro-
navirus ravaged the economy,
Trump reported no charitable
donations at all. In 2019 and 2018
he reported writing checks for
about $500,000 in donations. In
earlier years the numbers were
higher — $1.8 million in 2017 and
$1.1 million in 2016.
It’s unclear whether the re-
ported sums included Trump’s
$400,000 annual presidential
salary, which he had said he
would forgo and claimed he do-
nated to various federal depart-
ments.
The release marks the latest
setback for Trump, who has
been mired in investigations, in-
cluding federal and state inqui-
ries into his efforts to overturn
the 2020 election. The Depart-
ment of Justice also has been in-
vestigating reams of classified
documents found at his Mar-a-
Lago club and possible efforts to
obstruct the investigation.
In a statement Friday, Trump
lashed out at Democrats and the
Supreme Court for the release.
“It’s going to lead to horrible
things for so many people,” he
said. “The radical, left Demo-
crats have weaponized every-
HEALTH
From page A1
holiday season, but they urge
caution as cases again begin to
rise.
Transplanted
February
The story of Jesus Ceja Ceja —
a three-part series that chroni-
cled his lung transplant after a
devastating COVID infection —
was a stark reminder of CO-
VID’s impact on otherwise
healthy young people. The
transplant meant Jesus, a 29-
year-old from Mexico who spent
most his days insulating pipes at
chemical plants and oil refiner-
ies throughout the Gulf Coast,
would have a dramatically
shorter life expectancy. But he
did not have a choice. The sur-
gery was the only way he could
go home again with his wife,
Perla, and two young children.
Texas Children’s pauses
hormone treatment
March
The largest pediatric hospital
in the country temporarily
stopped prescribing gender-af-
firming hormone therapies fol-
lowing a controversial directive
from Republican state leaders to
investigate medical treatment
for transgender youth as child
abuse.
The decision to pause treat-
ment showed the directive’s
widespread chilling effect
among health providers. Court
rulings have blocked investiga-
tions for many families, but
transgender health care contin-
ues to be a target for the GOP at
the state and national levels.
In an updated statement in
mid-December, the hospital said
it has “continued to provide
high-quality care for our trans-
gender patients while also en-
suring that we safeguard them,
Former President Donald Trump lashed out at Democrats and the Supreme Court for the release
of his tax records, accusing his political rivals of “weaponizing” them.
thing, but remember, that is a
dangerous two-way street!”
He said the returns demon-
strated “how proudly successful
I have been and how I have been
able to use depreciation and var-
ious other tax deductions” to
build his businesses.
Presiding over a routine pro
forma session of the House on
Friday, Rep. Don Beyer, chair-
man of the Joint Economic Com-
mittee, said great care had been
taken to ensure the returns were
treated with sensitivity, with
personal and other identifying
information redacted.
“We’ve been trying to be very
careful to make sure that we
weren’t ‘weaponizing’ the IRS
returns,” said Beyer, D-Va. He
also is a member of the tax-writ-
ing House Ways and Means
Committee, which held a party
line vote last week to make the
returns public.
The returns detail how
Trump used tax law to minimize
his liability, including carrying
forward massive losses from
previous years, as allowed by
tax law. Trump said during his
2016 campaign that paying little
or no income tax in some years
“makes me smart.”
His tax returns show he did
that by structuring his company
as a massive sole proprietor-
ship, with nearly every dollar,
pound, euro and yuan passing
through his golf courses, hotels
and other assets affecting — and
in many cases helping — his
own bottom line.
For instance, in 2020, more
than 150 of Trump’s business en-
tities listed negative qualified
Synquise Winston mixes up a bottle of formula while holding her son Jaiore Carter in May. The
Katy mom had to drive as far as College Station to find formula due to a shortage.
their families and our provid-
ers.”
Formula shortage
May
Mothers looking for baby for-
mula in May found bare store
shelves, months after bacterial
infections forced one of the larg-
est formula manufacturers to re-
call defective brands and shut
down a key factory.
Pandemic-related supply
chain issues compounded the
problem. At one point, 90 per-
cent of the formula supply was
out of stock in Houston, accord-
ing to the retail-tracking firm
Datasembly. The federal govern-
ment has since taken steps to im-
prove distribution, but families
in some parts of the country still
struggle to find formula, accord-
business income, which the IRS
defines as “the net amount of
qualified items of income, gain,
deduction and loss from any
qualified trade or business.” In
total for that tax year, combined
with nearly $9 million in carry-
forward loss from previous
years, Trump’s qualified losses
amounted to more than $58 mil-
lion for the final year of his term
in office.
Another of Trump’s money
losers: the ice rink his company
operated until last year in New
York City’s Central Park. Trump
reported a total of $2.6 million in
losses from Wollman Rink over
the six years made public. The
rink, an early Trump Organiza-
tion jewel run through a con-
tract with New York City’s gov-
ernment, reported a loss of $1.3
million in 2015 despite taking in
$9.3 million in revenue, accord-
ing to the tax returns. The rink
turned a $298,000 profit in 2016,
but was back to melting cash in
each of the next four years.
Aspects of Trump’s finances
had been shrouded in mystery
since his days as an up-and-
coming Manhattan real estate
developer in the 1980s.
Trump, known for building
skyscrapers and hosting a reali-
ty TV show before winning the
White House, did provide limit-
ed details about his holdings
and income on mandatory dis-
closure forms and financial
statements he provides to banks
to secure loans and to financial
magazines to justify his place on
rankings of the world’s billion-
aires.
Trump’s longtime accounting
ing to reports.
Roe v. Wade
June
The overturning of Roe v.
Wade rolled back five decades of
abortion protections and cleared
the way for Texas to implement
multiple bans on the procedure.
Texas had already restricted
most abortions by allowing pri-
vate citizens to sue providers.
The Supreme Court decision let
the state go a step further, with
stringent criminal penalties tar-
geting doctors who terminate a
pregnancy. Texans seeking
abortions have been forced to go
to other states. In some cases,
vague exemptions in the law
have led to treatment delays for
pregnant patients who face po-
tentially life-threatening com-
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
Andrew Harnik/Associated Press file
firm has since disavowed the
statements, and New York At-
torney General Letitia James
has filed a lawsuit alleging
Trump and his Trump Organi-
zation fraudulently inflated as-
set values on the statements.
Trump and his company have
denied wrongdoing.
In October 2018, the New York
Times published a Pulitzer
Prize-winning series based on
leaked tax records that contra-
dicted the image Trump had
tried to sell of himself as a self-
made businessman. It showed
that Trump received a modern-
day equivalent of at least $413
million from his father’s real es-
tate holdings, with much of that
money coming from what the
Times called “tax dodges” in the
1990s.
A second series in 2020
showed that Trump paid no in-
come taxes at all in 10 of the pre-
vious 15 years because he gener-
ally lost more money than he
made.
In its report last week, the
Ways and Means Committee in-
dicated the Trump administra-
tion may have disregarded a re-
quirement mandating audits of
a president’s tax filings.
The IRS only began to audit
Trump’s 2016 tax filings on April
3, 2019 — more than two years
into his presidency — when the
Ways and Means chairman,
Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass.,
asked the agency for informa-
tion related to the tax returns.
Every president and major-
party candidate since Richard
Nixon has voluntarily made at
least summaries of their tax in-
Karen Warren/Staff photographer
plications.
RSV and flu
July
COVID-19 changed the timing
of common respiratory virus
outbreaks, with both flu and
RSV seeing an earlier-than-usu-
al surge in 2022. Experts trace
the change back to masking and
social distancing, which pre-
vented widespread exposure to
both COVID and the more typ-
ical seasonal illnesses.
Now, as people’s behavior re-
turns to normal, many children
are becoming infected for the
first time. Both viruses create
cold-like symptoms and can be
severe for infants and young
kids. Houston pediatricians
have reported a consistently
high number of children hospi-
TAKEAWAYS
Some takeaways from a review of
Donald Trump’s tax documents:
Account in China: Trump was
asked during a 2020 presidential
debate about having a bank
account in China. He said he
closed it before he began his 2016
campaign — a statement his tax
returns show was not true. Trump
had a bank account in China in
2015, 2016 and 2017.
Foreign investments: He
reported $38 million in overseas
gross income in 2016 and $55
million in 2017, from countries
including Azerbaijan, India,
Indonesia, Panama, the
Philippines, Turkey and the
United Arab Emirates. This sort of
information about potential
conflicts of interest is one reason
presidents normally release their
tax returns.
Working the system: It’s been
long known that Trump, like many
rich people, has been able to
exploit the country’s complex tax
code to avoid paying as large a
percentage of his income to the
federal government as working
families do. When he was pressed
on not paying federal taxes in a
2016 debate, Trump retorted,
“That makes me smart.” In 2020,
for example, Trump reported
owning more than 150 private
corporations that claimed losses,
sometimes worth millions. Partly
by claiming those losses, Trump
reduced his federal tax income
liability to zero that year.
No charitable giving in 2020:
That was in contrast to the prior
two years, when Trump reported
making about $500,000 worth
of donations.
Film/TV money: Trump collected
a $77,808 annual pension from
the Screen Actors Guild, as well
as a $6,543 pension in 2017 from
another film and TV union, and
reported acting residuals as high
as $14,141 in 2015, according to the
tax returns.
Payback: Trump broke political
tradition by not releasing his tax
returns as president. Now
Republicans warn that
Democrats will pay a political
price. Notably, the GOP cannot
disclose President Joe Biden’s tax
returns because they’re already
public. Biden disclosed 22 years’
worth of his filings during his
presidential campaign.
Associated Press
formation available to the pub-
lic. Trump bucked that trend as
a candidate and as president, re-
peatedly asserting that his taxes
were “under audit” and couldn’t
be released.
talized with either virus. It’s un-
clear when the viruses may re-
turn to their familiar patterns.
Monkeypox
July
When Americans put the om-
icron surge in the rear view, a
new global health threat
emerged. Monkeypox, endemic
to Central and West Africa,
started spreading international-
ly in May, again challenging U.S.
health officials’ ability to contain
an outbreak. Most of the cases
were among men who have sex
with men. The national vaccine
supply was not enough to meet
the demand. Confusion and
frustration over eligibility re-
quirements marred the rollout.
In the months since the initial
outbreak, monkeypox infections
have slowed dramatically. The
virus, however, has not been
eliminated, and Harris County
health officials urge people to
follow guidance from the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Pre-
vention for preventing further
spread.
Maternal death report
September
State health leaders said the
release of an important analysis
of 2019 pregnancy-related deaths
would be delayed until the mid-
dle of 2023, after the midterms
and legislative session. This de-
cision drew criticism from law-
makers, who wanted the analy-
sis to draft policy, and maternal
health advocates, who accused
state leaders of intentionally
withholding the report.
The state did release the anal-
ysis on Dec. 15, which showed
that Texas continues to struggle
to care for women during and af-
ter pregnancy, especially Black
women, who are three times as
likely to die as their white coun-
terparts.
julian.gill@chron.com
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
F o u n d e d 1 9 0 1 • A H e a r s t N e w s pa p e r
Nancy A. Meyer • PUBLIS H ER & PR E SI D EN T
EDITORIAL
Thumbs: Cruz to
Mattress Mack,
best of 2022
January: Two-year-old Brandon
Dahl woke up one night in his
family’s home in Alvord, northwest of
Fort Worth, and smelled smoke. His
parents were fast asleep and fire detec-
tors failed to sound. So the little boy
toddled to his mother’s bedside, tugged money online to pay the Haitian gov-
on her foot and drew from his limited
vocabulary to sound the alarm: “Ma-
ma, hot,” he said. She quickly realized
the house was on fire, called 911, and
Dad, a volunteer firefighter, got their
five children out safely. Kayla Dahl
credited the grace of God for guiding
her young son to save the family. Dad’s
family fire drills may have helped, too.
February: When Russia invad-
ed Ukraine, every living former
president but one — can you guess
which? — firmly denounced Vladimir
Putin. Donald Trump, apparently still
crushing on the tyrannical autocrat,
praised Putin as “pretty
smart” for his real estate
investment: “taking over a
country,” a “vast location,”
Plus, a
that he described as “a life-saving
great piece of land with a
lot of people.”
toddler, Elmo
March: Who says gets a shot and der, billionaire Elon
Texas beaches are all
tar balls, tire tracks and
H-E-B grows. Musk,
gravy-hued waves? OK, a
lot of people. But not Tri-
pAdvisor. The travel website ranked
one Texas beach among its 2022 “Trav-
elers’ Choice — Best of the Best.” Port
Aransas Beach came in at No. 20 on a
list of 25, recognized for its “18 miles of
uninterrupted public shoreline” and as
a haven for wildlife. One Chronicle
commenter wasn’t persuaded: “Tri-
pAdvisor is on a real trip alright!” Our
only question: Is brown the new blue?
April: In perhaps his gaffiest
gaffe ever, George W. Bush sug-
gested he may not have forgiven him-
self for America’s invasion of Iraq.
Referring to Russia’s aggression in a
speech at his presidential center in
Dallas, Bush condemned the “decision
of one man to launch a wholly un-
justified and brutal invasion of Iraq.”
He quickly corrected: “I mean, of
Ukraine.” Rather than leaving us to
merely infer the Freudian machina-
tions of the slip-up, Bush promptly
muttered under his breath, “Iraq, too.”
June: A so-called “Unidentified
Amarillo Object” caught on sur-
veillance camera outside the local zoo
was either chasing his next meal or
some viral attention on social media.
The city of Amarillo asked Twitter
users to help identify a “strange image”
caught in the early morning hours. “Is
it a person with a strange hat who likes his desire to continue with the team: “If
to walk at night? A Chupacabra?”
Twitter users ticked off a list of hairy
horror and sci-fi characters that re-
sembled the wolf-like frame. One per-
son suggested a predator more terrify-
ing: an unshaven Ted Cruz out walk-
ing, after midnight, searching for you.
July: A real tortilla flap en-
sued when first lady Jill Biden
gave a speech at the UnidosUS confer-
ence seemingly intended to celebrate
Hispanic contributions by describing
their diversity “as distinct as the bode-
gas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the
blossoms of Miami and as unique as
the breakfast tacos here in San Anto-
nio.” She chuckled and the audience
applauded. But many soon decried the
offensive “stereotype,” and the National since 2011, sending it blazing toward the
Association of Hispanic Journalists
declared: “We are not tacos.” Biden
apologized. Republican candidates
struck while the comal was hot, with
one congressional hopeful touting a
picture of herself in a T-shirt reading,
“unique as a taco.”
Elmo was was such a good sport
in getting a COVID shot as soon
as it was approved for kids and furry
monsters. “It was a little pinch,” he told
his dad, “But it was OK.” With a great
attitude like that, he wasn’t about to let
another little prick get under his skin.
Still, Ted Cruz had to try, immediately
accusing Elmo of “aggressively” ad-
vocating for the vaccine while citing
“ZERO scientific evidence.” While
Elmo himself is a class act, Stephen
Colbert’s parody Elmo was something
else, clapping back at Cruz to the tune
of “Elmo’s Song.” It began: “Feckless
OPINION
Jack Sweeney
C H A I R MA N
Jennifer Chang
MA NAG I N G ED I T O R
buf-FOON. Flees to Can-CUN. TED-
Cruz soooong. …”
August: Some people in Texas
say they care about saving babies.
And some do it. San Marcos college
student Jimmy Amisial began raising
ernment a costly sum to adopt a wide-
eyed toddler he stumbled upon on his
way to a party on New Year’s Eve in
2017. A crowd was gathered around a
crying 3-month-old boy, covered in ants
and lying on top of garbage. Amisial
was 22. Fatherhood should have been
the last thing on his mind. Luckily his
heart had other priorities.
September: Welcome to the
cult, Frisco. News reports esti-
mated the crowd outside the grand
opening of the Dallas-Fort Worth Met-
roplex’ first H-E-B grocery store at
1,500 but the calorie space must have
been infinite for the de-
voted followers who
waited as many as 12
hours to enter the temple
of Texas culinary kitsch.
October: Texas’
adopted boy-won-
made good on his
schoolyard threat to buy
Twitter. “Let the good
times roll,” he tweeted
soon after. Carrying the banner of free
speech throughout his off-again, on-
again $44 billion acquisition, Musk
assured advertisers that he won’t let
the digital town square for some 238
million users around the world de-
scend into a “hellscape.” On cue, hell
escaped. Haters let loose a triumphant
confetti of Nazi memes and racist slurs.
It only got worse from there. Musk
kicked journalists off the platform
alleging falsely that they’d endangered
his safety by divulging his where-
abouts. He did reinstate some but still,
“free speech” just doesn’t have the same
ring when you attach self-serving con-
ditions to it.
The Astros’ World Series repeat
inspired several Thumbs items,
including one where we asked if a
certain U.S. senator was “Cruzin’ for a
bruisin” when he got hit by a flying can
of alcohol on the celebratory parade
route. We didn’t cheer Cruz’s alleged
assault but we did cheer the decision of
Astros’ owner Jim Crane to sign leg-
endary manager Dusty Baker for an-
other year. As many boos as Cruz re-
ceived from paradegoers — that’s how
many cheers the decision earned from
Astros fans, who have lionized the
73-year-old Baker. He had expressed
I win one, I want to win two.” Why
stop there? A fist-full of championship
rings sounds good to us.
Probably sounds good to Jim
“Mattress Mack” McIngvale, too.
“You can’t win all the bets,” County
Judge Lina Hidalgo said gleefully after
November’s election, referring to the
Gallery Furniture owner and philan-
thropist as a “furniture salesman” after
he unsuccessfully supported her Re-
publican opponent. But you can win
some, and in Mack’s case he won big:
more than $70 million on his winning
wagers on the Astros.
November: NASA’s fiery come-
back was something to behold
when it launched its first orbital rocket
moon. Lest anyone downplay the dra-
ma of Artemis 1’s liftoff because it was
uncrewed, there was drama aplenty at
Kennedy Space Center when the read-
ied rocket, chock-full of explosive liquid
hydrogen, sprung a leak that required
the so-called “red crew” of three men to
approach the launch pad on their own
mission to save the long-awaited
launch. They did and the rest is history.
December: “Tiger King,” the
Netflix documentary series that
once boasted “murder, mayhem and
madness” in episodes exposing the
seedy, dangerous and abusive under-
world of exotic animal exploitation, can
now boast a more respectable claim to
fame: catalyst for the long-sought pas-
sage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act.
Across Texas, which has one of the
highest populations of big cats, we
heard roars of approval.
Maria Reeve
EXE C U TI V E E D I TO R
Chris Fusco
M ANAGI N G E D I TO R
LETTERS
Omnibus bill pork
Regarding “House passes $1.7 tril-
lion spending bill with Ukraine aid,”
(Dec. 23): The Line Item Veto Act,
Public Law 104-130 was a federal law
of the United States that granted the
president the power to line-item veto
budget bills passed by Congress, but
was soon ruled unconstitutional by
the Supreme Court.
Congress has the power of veto if
its members only had the guts to use
it. It’s called committees and sub-
committees that decide which bills
are voted out of committee for a floor
vote and which ones die in commit-
tee. Committee members should be
held accountable to show more com-
mon sense in reducing the amount of
waste in bloated bills like the spend-
ing bill just passed. Most of those
attached pork rider bills in the omni-
bus bill should have died in commit-
tee. It would result in passing legiti-
mate spending bills instead of pre-
senting a ridiculous 4,000-page docu-
ment likely no member read before
voting on it. The passage of the pork-
bloated bill is unconscionable in light
of the $31 trillion national debt, in-
flation and our own border crisis that
received no funding to truly reform
immigration policy. If all the wasteful
and unneeded pork was cut and
spent on resolving our southern bor-
der catastrophe, there would be less
criticism of the $45 billion spent on
Ukraine and NATO allies. Shame on
Congress for needlessly saddling us
with more unnecessary debt and
waste that our grandchildren will be
paying for decades to come.
Dick Brown, Conroe
The current omnibus bill is dis-
gusting. What’s done is done and
American citizens are the ones who
constantly are being thrown under
the omnibus. Most of them have no
idea what the ruling party and the
rest of D.C. politicians are doing to
us, our children and our grandchild-
ren. Most of the nation is focused on
other nonsense pushed in front of
our faces while this tragedy plays out
until we Americans become totally
lost and under the thumb of the hier-
archy, simply trying to survive. I
think we are going over the edge of
the proverbial cliff and basically are
doomed.
Peter Stern, Driftwood
Regarding “Texas Sens. Cornyn,
Cruz split on spending bill as border
policy divides GOP,” (Dec. 22): Good
for Ted Cruz. He’s on the right side.
As for John Cornyn, apparently being
part of Mitch McConnell’s overlord
apparatus is more important than
supporting the conservatives who
sent him to D.C. Both Cornyn and
McConnell must be retired and re-
placed by real conservatives.
J. Jones, La Porte
Immigration and Title 42
Regarding “U.S. Supreme Court
stops Biden from ending Title 42
border expulsions in win for Texas,
red states,” (Dec. 23): I suspect many
BIBLE VERSE
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Viewpoints c/o Houston Chronicle, P.O. Box 4260, Houston, Texas 77210 or viewpoints@chron.com.
We welcome and encourage letters and emails from readers. Letters must include name, address
and telephone numbers for verification purposes only. All letters are subject to editing.
A9
Lisa Falkenberg
V P/ E D I TO R O F O P I N I O N
Raj Mankad
D E P U TY O P I N I O N E D I TO R
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
House Minority Leader Kevin
McCarthy, R-Calif., leaves Dec. 23
after voting on the spending bill to
fund the government through 2023.
in the Biden administration are se-
cretly hailing the Supreme Court’s
decision to prevent them from ending
Title 42 expulsions as a win.
This gives President Joe Biden
cover. He can say he tried hard to end
the practice but was prevented from
doing so by SCOTUS. At the same
time it prevents some immigrants
from applying for asylum, slowing
the flow. This can only help the Dem-
ocrats.
While continuation of Title 42 is
inhumane and a real danger to those
immigrants huddled at the border,
politically, it helps the Biden admin-
istration.
Orlando N. Campos, Houston
Regarding “Editorial: Give them
shelter. Houston posada offers
Christmas lesson in compassion,”
(Dec. 24): As a Catholic, this year I
was overwhelmed with pride when
my teenaged granddaughter used her
own funds to make Christmas boxes
for migrants and the homeless. She
included socks and underwear, a
T-shirt and a blanket, granola bars
and water bottles. When I asked her
why she had chosen to do this, she
shrugged and said, “Isn’t that what
Christmas is all about? Didn’t we
learn anything from the story about
there being no room at the inn?”
I juxtapose her 10 boxes for those
in need with Gov. Greg Abbott’s
smug decision to drop off dozens of
migrants — cold, hungry, needy — in
front of Kamala Harris’ home Christ-
mas Eve. When I listened to the
Christmas message of Pope Francis
this year, I was trying to imagine
Abbott’s interpretation of his words.
We do have a problem at the border.
Cruelty is not the way to solve it.
Why not sit down with a whole cote-
rie of knowledgeable people and
work on solutions? Why not include
church personnel, medical profes-
sionals, community representatives,
social service experts, anyone and
everyone who might have ideas that
could lead to solutions? I was taught
that I can be part of the problem or
part of the solution. I’ve made my
choice.
Apparently the governor has made
a much different one. I wonder what
he says in the confessional. Doesn’t
getting absolution require repenting
for the sin, and a resolution not to
commit the sin again?
Beth Gunn, Magnolia
Proverbs 23:18
 STAR
HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022 • SECTION A

The Dive’s closure leaves hole

in electronic music scene
By Sam González Kelly
STA FF WRIT E R
The cramped, hear the most subversive strains of electronic music every
weekend. That ended in October, though, when the Dive
150-person

A
s a teenager growing up in Sharpstown in
the 1990s, Suraj Kurian would spend his
nights venturing out to illicit raves in down-
venue provided
town warehouses, dancing to new kinds of
electronic music streaming out of Europe
and other American cities. So when he and his wife
opened the Dive in downtown Houston in 2017, it was to
give a new generation of dancers a safe environment to
enjoy their favorite artists, without sacrificing the un-
derground ethos that the culture was born from.
For five years (with a break in the middle for COVID),
the Dive did just that, making a name for itself as one of
dance, house and
the only places in Houston where dancers could reliably
closed its doors due to disagreements with their landlord.
Kurian, 47, who had held out a sliver of hope that they
might be able to reach an agreement, conceded the club’s
closure in an Instagram post on Dec. 16. He said that the
an alternative building was suffering from serious maintenance issues
that Kurian, a health care worker by day, and his wife
to expensive were expected to fix with their own money. They offered
clubs and was to buy the place, but the owner wouldn’t sell. A proposed
rent hike was the last straw.
a magnet for “We weren’t really pulling a profit, we were just paying
the bills, which was fine because we love the music, we’re
lifers. We were willing to do that until we had the chance
to buy the building … but it got to a point where it was
techno fans Dive continues on A12

The Dive dance club drew a diverse crowd of music fans before being shuttered on Dec. 16.
Casey Nikolich /The Dive

NATURE

Cedar waxwings flock to Houston for the new year

By Gary Clark
C O R R E S P ONDE NT
Flocks of cedar wax-
wings are gathering in
our yard like partygoers
festooned in color as if
ready to celebrate the
new year.
The bird sports a crest
that swoops over the
head and has a natty
black mask over its eyes.
A walnut-brown hue
topside contrasts with a
pale yellow belly grading
to white beneath the
yellow-tipped tail.
The waxwing gets its
name from waxy-looking
red tips on the secondary
wings; it earned its cedar
distinction from a diet of
cedar berries, more pre-
cisely called juniper ber-
ries.
As consummate eaters
of sugary fruits, the birds
in our yard crowd into a
large yaupon bush to
devour the red berries.
They flit frenetically
among the branches,
reveling with high-
pitched twittering tunes
— “screee-screee-screee.”
If freezing weather
causes some of the yau-
pon berries to ferment
and produce ethanol, the
birds could get a little
tipsy before the new year.
During past winter freez-
es, Houston-area bird-
watchers have seen wax-
wings staggering along
the ground by the yau-
pons.
Unfortunately, many
drunken waxwings per-
ish. When on the ground,
they cannot escape pred-
ators like cats or hawks.
When they try to fly, they
Kathy Adams Clark/Contributor crash to their deaths
Cedar waxwings are fruit-eating birds, often devouring all the ripe berries on a against windowpanes or
yaupon bush. Nature continues on A11
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
After freeze, gardeners will have
to learn to like ugly in the new year
By Brandi Keller
COR R E SP ONDE NT
Happy New Year to all! But
before we get to our New Year’s
resolutions, let’s focus on our
outdoor foliage friends.
You may recall the advice
after the winter storm of 2021 to
hold off on pruning trees,
shrubs and perennials until the
danger of frost/freeze is over.
The same holds true now, but
even more so, since we still have
the entire winter season ahead
of us.
A phrase that became pop-
ular was “learn to like ugly.” Do
not inflict damage on plants
because of how they appear
right now.
With so many variables, we
cannot know the extent of dam-
age to our landscape just yet.
Only time will tell. Here are
things to consider:
• Our landscape suffered a
significant drought this past
summer. Despite rain in the fall,
woody shrubs and trees are still
dealing with the effects, and
this could magnify freeze dam-
age.
• There was no gradual
cooling off period. The shock
from warm weather to cold may
affect plants differently than the
freeze in 2021.
• Soil moisture at time of
freeze, proximity to house,
location of afternoon sun, in-
tensity of wind will all vary the
results the freeze had on our
gardens.
• Signs of freeze damage
include deflated-looking leaves
drooping to the ground, discol-
ored leaves (brown or black),
bark splitting and branch die-
back.
Annuals, biennials,
perennials and tropical
plants
Herbaceous plants have flex-
ible, not woody, stems that do
not survive below-freezing
temperatures. Freezing and
thawing temperatures cause
tender plant tissue to expand
and collapse. Damage may ap-
pear as mushy tissue on foliage
and stems, as dieback to the
ground (hardy roots will grow
new stems after winter), or as a
complete plant loss.
Remove the mushy, slimy
tissue. After letting the soil dry
out a few days, add mulch in
case of another freeze event.
Leave everything else alone
until the danger of winter has
passed. Dried plant material
serves as protection to the rest
of the plant if there is another
cold snap.
Cool-season annuals, like
pansies and ornamental kale
and cabbage, may be fine. Give
them time to recover and water
the soil if dry.
Pentas, blue daze and angelo-
nia are likely done. I waited in
vain for angelonia to come back
after the freeze in 2021.
Tender perennials will exhib-
it the most damage in the form
of mushiness. Begonia, society
garlic, agapanthus, canna, gin-
ger, banana, philodendron and
succulents are examples of
plants that may soften in a
dreadful way. Clean mushy
parts out as soon as possible,
otherwise, the rot can continue
downward to healthy plant
parts, causing fungal infection
NATURE
From page A10
get killed on roadways by
oncoming cars. They could
also die of alcohol poisoning.
Yet waxwings are endowed
with exceptionally large livers
that may help them ward off
intoxication, assuming they
don’t engorge themselves on
the fermented berries.
Hopefully, on New Years
Eve, they instead will be roost-
ing so they can wake up on the
first day of 2023 twittering in a
yaupon bush or other fruit-
bearing vegetation. The birds
will readily devour fruits from
deciduous holly, hawthorn,
pyracantha, wax myrtle, hon-
eysuckle and cedar.
Of course, the joy of seeing
flocks of cedar waxwings is
offset by the aggravation of
The freeze damaged sago palms, but they could come back from the crown.
FROZEN PLANT STEPS
• Leave plants ugly. It is advice
solely for the well-being of the
plant.
• Cut foliage that has turned
mushy, gooey or oozy to prevent
the spread of disease.
• Wait to see if cool-season
annuals bounce back.
• Leave woody
perennials/tropicals alone for
now. Prune in spring after new
growth appears.
• Leave woody shrubs and trees
alone. Prune in the spring.
and disease. Clean up to, but
not into, the healthy tissue.
Remove leaves on banana
plants, but avoid pruning the
trunk yet.
Hardy perennials will die
back to the ground. Leave their
dried stems until spring.
Woody tropical plants, such
as hibiscus, ixora, croton and
angel trumpet, all look fried,
but wait until spring to prune.
Dead leaves can be cleaned up
off the branches.
Plumbago, pride of Barbados
Wedelia ground cover looks dead, but it should come back from
the roots.
their messy globs of poop on
the car or driveway. Abundant
poop is the result of a special-
ized digestive tract that rapidly
absorbs nutrients from sugar-
rich fruits while excreting
waste, including seeds.
That’s great for propagating
plant seeds but unsightly when
splattered on a driveway.
Cedar waxwings are wayfar-
ers, constantly on the move in
search of berries. Flocks wan-
der south from northern U.S.
and Canadian breeding
grounds in autumn to random
winter locations. They head
back to breeding grounds in the
spring, although not necessari-
ly to the same area.
Email Gary Clark, author of
“Book of Texas Birds” with pho-
tography by Kathy Adams Clark
(Texas A&M University Press), at
Texasbirder@comcast.net.
IN THE GARDEN
Snapdragons are cold hardy.
Brandi Keller/Contributor
Cedar waxwings wander south during the winter in search of food,
including berries from yaupon, hawthorn and pyracantha plants.
Ed Reschke/Getty Images
and oleander are perennial
shrubs (evergreen in mild win-
ters) that are head-to-toe crispy
fritters now. The good news is
that they should come back
from the ground. The bad news
is that their mere existence in
this firewood state is like seeing
big chunks of peeling paint in
the living room. Resist pruning
back. Removing dead wood will
encourage new growth at the
base, and we don’t want that
yet.
Palm care
Palms grow from the apical
meristem, the central growing
point. Wintry weather affects
palms by either causing fronds
to brown, killing new emerging
Kathy Adams Clark/Contributor
A11
Brandi Keller/Contributor
leaves (spear leaf), killing the
apical meristem, or stem split-
ting.
Time will tell the extent of
damage that has occurred.
While you are sitting around
waiting, do not prune fronds
until the last chance of freeze.
As a co-worker advised, leaving
dried fronds also gives structur-
al support. Damage can take
some time to reveal itself. Avoid
watering or fertilizing post-
freeze. Fertilizing is not neces-
sary until late spring anyway.
Woody ornamental trees
and shrubs
Leave trees and shrubs alone
until spring — unless it is a
safety issue. This is the hard
part if you like a nice and tidy
appearance. But remember that
neat and tidy in January and
February are not necessarily
what is best for your landscape
plants. Any pruning of woody
ornamentals sets them up for
further freeze damage that may
come in the next couple of
months. Do not fertilize during
this time.
Roses are pruned around
Valentine’s Day, after the chance
of a severe freeze has passed
and when roses are about to
come out of dormancy.
Some broadleaf evergreens
do not have a scratch on them;
others have leaf discoloration. I
noted a camellia sasanqua with
leaf and bud damage, which is
too bad, since it was about to
bloom.
Lawn care
Warm-season grasses are
browning since the freeze. Give
them time to grow again in the
spring. Do not attempt to force
growth, especially by applying
fertilizer. The time to fertilize
the lawn is in April.
Brandi Keller is a Harris County
Horticulture Agent with Texas
A&M AgriLife Extension.
CEDAR WAXWINGS
• Cedar waxwings are highly
social, traveling in flocks of
two dozen or more.
• They primarily eat fruits but
will also eat insects.
• Members of a feeding flock
will frequently pass berries to
each other.
• Winter flocks occupy forests
and farmlands, as well as
fruiting native and
ornamental trees in urban and
suburban neighborhoods.
• They’re related to silky
flycatchers of Central
America, plus the
phainopepla of West Texas
and the Southwest.
• Other waxwing species are
the bohemian waxwing of
northern boreal forests and
the Japanese waxwing of
eastern Asia.
A12
Darksome poet Holly Lyn Walrath
takes interstellar flight
By Jef Rouner
C O R R E S P ONDE NT
When Holly Lyn Walrath
was in a Round Rock high
school in the ’90s, her English
teacher made everyone select a
poem and recite it in front of the
class. Other kids picked the
usual Walt Whitman and Emily
Dickinson and performed in
their street clothes, but not
Walrath. Instead, she cobbled
together a complete Gandalf
costume and read “Chip the
glasses and crack the plates” by
J.R.R. Tolkien.
“No one else dressed up, and
it kind of hit me for the first
time,” she says. “Oh, I’m the
weird kid. We were always
forced to read terrible poetry. I
never even liked it until I read
‘Beowulf.’ Robert Frost is OK,
but monsters? I didn’t know we
could do that. I don’t want to
build a wall between me and
my farmer neighbor. I want
dragons!”
Despite the revelation, it
would still be a decade before
Walrath moved to Houston and
found her calling as a pioneer-
ing queer horror poet and short
story author. She worked in
administrative roles in the fi-
nance industry for 60 hours a
week, she says, helping to put
her spouse, James, through
physical therapy and grad
school.
By her own admission, she
took some bad advice in college
and was stuck trying to justify
her desire to write by living life
first.
“I didn’t end up having ad-
ventures,” she says. “All I real-
ized was that not doing what I
loved was stupid. I worked a
bunch of terrible jobs that I
hated, and I realized I would
rather get paid badly for things
I loved.”
Walrath started doing free-
lance editing and got her mas-
ter’s degree in creative writing
from the University of Denver
online. By 2018, she was living
in Houston and soaking up the
local writing scene through the
Writespace Writing Center,
where she is now a board mem-
ber. That was the same year
that she would launch Interstel-
lar Flight Press and published
her first book of poems, “Glim-
merglass Girl.”
It was “Glimmerglass Girl”
that cemented Walrath’s rep-
utation for darkness and wit.
Feminist in conception, it ex-
plores gender and life through
the images of blood-stained
flowers, fairy tales, and poisons.
DIVE
From page A10
time to go,” Kurian told the
Houston Chronicle.
The property owner could
not be reached for comment.
A 150-capacity hole-in-the-
wall at Pierce and Milam, the
Dive was a dark, sweaty space
for clubgoers to dance in front
of bone-shaking subwoofers,
under an array of matte pastel
lights that rendered them
silhouettes in the fog.
Jordon Nickerson, a local
house and techno DJ who
performs as Pro Ghost, likened
the closure to that of the pop-
ular punk spot Satellite Bar in
the East End, because both
venues gave Houston talent the
opportunity to share the stage
with renowned DJs from
around the world. He said the
loss of the Dive leaves a large
hole in Houston’s electronic
music community.
“The Dive was the spot to go
to to hear underground house
and techno, or bass music and
drum and bass,” Nickerson
said, referring to electronic
subgenres that aren’t often
played at larger, commercial
nightclubs.
He said the venue was espe-
cially important for fans of the
latter genres. Drum and bass
legend Goldie, in fact, was one
of the last DJs to perform at
the Dive in mid-October. Kur-
ian said Goldie was scheduled
for a 90 minute set but ended
up playing about four hours,
until 5 a.m., because of the
energy the Houston crowd
Houston writer Holly Lyn Walrath is the founder of Intersellar Flight Press.
It was a beautiful but jagged
collection that reveled in hor-
ror.
“We think of poetry as a
form, like sonnets and limer-
icks and haikus,” says Walrath.
“Contemporary poetry is not
necessarily about form. It’s
mostly free verse. We lose the
meter, and the content becomes
far more important. Horror
and dark poetry is essentially
telling little stories using the
genre tropes, aliens and ghosts
and werewolves. It’s interesting
that we say horror is the genre
that makes you feel fear, and a
poem can do that, but it’s more
about creating a vibe and sense
of being where the reader is
able to open themselves to a
darkness.”
Walrath’s poetry career
launched like a rocket. She
published dozens of poems and
flash fiction in magazines and
anthologies. Another collec-
tion, called “The Smallest of
Bones,” was published in 2021,
and she was recently nominat-
ed for Texas Poet Laureate. In
addition, two of IFP’s titles
won Elgin Awards. In fact,
much of her recent success has
been as a publisher.
Interstellar Flight Press
started as a tribute to her fa-
ther, who died of Parkinson’s
The Dive opened in 2017 to meet the needs of a growing electronic music community.
brought to the bite-size venue.
“It was absolutely the only
place in Houston you could go
for that type of thing, and
without it, that whole scene
doesn’t really have a place to
congregate, and they had been
able to form a really close-knit
community around that
sound,” Nickerson said.
The Dive opened in 2017,
about 10 years after the build-
ing’s former tenant, a hole in
the wall called the G.R.A.B.,
went out of business. Moral
panic over drug use had forced
the rave community deeper
into the shadows by the early
2000s, but even as Kurian got
older, the bug he caught as a
teenager never went away.
LITERATURE
“Will You Sign My Tentacle?” by Brandon O’Brien and “Field
Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota” by Amelia Gorman,
published by Interstellar Flight Press, both won the Elgin Award.
disease. He was Walrath’s con-
stant cheerleader, and his ab-
sence made her want to carry
on that legacy.
“Near the end, he lost his
words, and I never got to show
him ‘Glimmerglass Girl,’” she
says. “He would have loved me
having my own press. I didn’t
have that support in my life
anymore, and I realized that
now was the time for me to be
that for others.”
Though still small, Interstel-
lar Flight Press has been mak-
The Dive featured a number of local DJs.
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
Courtesy photo
ing considerable waves. The
roster includes Bram Stoker
winner Christina Sng, who is
releasing a collection of horror
haikus called “The Gravity of
Existence,” Nebula Award win-
ner William Ledbetter and poet
Amelia Gorman. Walrath just
returned from World Fantasy
Con in New Orleans, where one
of her writers, Brandon
O’Brien, was a special guest,
thanks to his hip-hop poetry
collection “Will You Sign My
Tentacle?”
Courtesy The Dive
Casey Nikolich/The Dive
James Walrath
“‘Field Guide to Invasive
Species of Minnesota’ is my first
book, so I obviously had a lot of
nervousness over its release,”
says Gorman. “Would people
like it? Would people even read
it? So, working with IFP, a
small press that gives a lot of
time and attention to each of its
writers, was really helpful for
me. Cover design, launch read-
ings, bookstores, webcam rec-
ommendations, having Holly to
help with all the minutiae of
publishing a book and being a
great poetry editor made me
significantly less nervous.”
Walrath is working on a new
collection of poems about grow-
ing up queer in Texas in the
’90s, focusing on pop-culture
figures like Princess Diana and
Agent Scully from “The X-
Files,” played by Gillian An-
derson.
Ariel Sowers, Interstellar
Flight Magazine co-captain and
volunteer says she has fun
working for a press that special-
izes in science fiction, fantasy
and horror.
“I have become a part of a
wonderful community, led by
Holly, who is dedicated to pub-
lishing marginalized authors
and stories,” she says.
Jef Rouner is a Houston writer.
“The idea with the Dive was
to take some of the stuff out of
the warehouse and put it into
a legal space, even if it was
more of a low-key, dark kind
of vibe,” Kurian said.
Kurian said he and his wife
are open to starting another
club in the future if they can
find the right space, and he’ll
still be hosting pop-up events
around Houston with Gritsy,
the promotional company he
helps operate. The group is
throwing a New Year’s Eve
party at Post Houston and
plans to host more events in
the future.
Hard-core ravers will keep
throwing parties at warehous-
es and other do-it-yourself
locations while other venues,
such as Bauhaus, Paradise
Palace and Reset, will contin-
ue to play electronic music in
posher settings. Boondocks, a
dive bar in Montrose, will help
fill some of the void left by the
Dive’s closure.
Houston’s electronic music
scene, however, is undeniably
losing a vital focal point.
“There is some version of
the Dive in every city around
the world … that little spot that
focuses very tightly on these
genres of music, and everyone
makes it work to a degree
where they’re known world-
wide. There were times when
people would say that about
the Dive, coming in from
wherever, and that was always
such a great compliment that
always stuck out,” Kurian
said.
sam.kelly@chron.com
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM A13

BIZARRO
ROYAL STARS
Today’s Birthday (Dec. 31). You are highly
individualistic and choose to march to the
beat of your own drum.
Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or making
important decisions from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. EDT today. After that, the Moon moves
from Aries into Taurus.
Aries (March 21-April 19) HHH Today it’s
easy to emotionally identify with your pos-
sessions, which is why you might be less
willing to part with something or lend it to
someone. Tonight: You’re admired.
Taurus (April 20-May 20) HHHH Today the
MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM Moon is in your sign, which will heighten your
emotions. It will also create a greater need
in you to belong or to relate to friends and
loved ones today. Tonight: Romance!
Gemini (May 21-June 20) HHH This is a
random day on the calendar. You don’t have
to go out and paint the town red. Tonight:
Passion!
Cancer (June 21-July 22) HHHH A number
of people are making a lot of demands
on your time right now. You’re busy with
partners and close friends, as well as groups,
clubs and organizations. Tonight: Strong
attraction.
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) HHH For two days
every month, the Moon is at the top of your
chart, bringing your focus to professional
and business concerns. Tonight: Don’t over-
indulge.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) HHHH Today you
have an urge for a change of scenery. You
want a chance to do something different
that’s adventurous. Tonight: Socialize!
Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) HHH The place-
ment of the Moon today will draw your
attention to financial matters, inheritances,
taxes, debt and shared property. Tonight:
Entertain.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) HHH For two
days every month, the Moon will sit opposite
your sign. When this occurs, you have to go
more than halfway when dealing with oth-
ers. Tonight: Conversations.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) HHH Today
you have to put your own emotional
considerations second to the demands of
someone else. You might have to work for
someone or perform a service for them. Nev-
ertheless, this can be a gratifying experience.
When we show kindness to others, we like
ourselves more. Tonight: Feeling wealthy.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) HHHH Ro-
mance might be more meaningful for you
today because the Moon is sitting in the part
of your chart that has domain over romance,
fun, social occasions and all things creative.
Tonight: Be friendly.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) HHH Today you
will enjoy the luxury of retiring to someplace
so that you can feel private and enjoy your
own solitude. It’s the perfect time to go off
by yourself and do a little navel gazing. You
might see how strongly your habits control
your life. Tonight: Enjoy solitude.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) HHHH When
talking to others today, you want a real con-
nection with them. That’s why you will feel
frustrated if the conversation is superficial.
Tonight: Creative discussions.

King Features Syndicate

BLONDIE

BREWSTER ROCKIT: SPACE GUY!

BEETLE BAILEY

GARFIELD

CURTIS

SHERMAN’S LAGOON

B.C.

Dear Abby: I’m a single such a person one of my closest friends?

man who has a close female
friend who is also single.
We live about a half-hour
apart, so for the last 25
years, much of our rela-
tionship happened on the
phone. We talked almost
daily.
Two years ago, I noticed
she had stopped calling me unless it was
to make plans to get together. Then I
noticed that when I called her, she’d let
it go to voicemail and not return my call
for days. About a year ago, she stopped
returning my voice messages altogether. I
tried reducing my calls drastically, but no
dice. I also tried switching to texts, but she
doesn’t respond to those, either.
You might conclude that she’s unfriend-
ing me, but that’s not the case. We still
get together often for dinner or a movie,
usually at her suggestion via email, and
she still acts like we are close friends and
nothing is wrong. But not returning, or
even acknowledging, my calls or texts sure
feels wrong to me. I have tried asking her
about it, but she brushes it off by saying
she “didn’t hear the phone.” Or she’s “bad
at checking voicemail and texts.”
Her latest excuse is, she’s “just not good
on the telephone.” Abby, I know phone
etiquette has changed and young people
rarely use the phone these days. But we
are in our 60s, and for 25 years our rela-
tionship was largely on the phone. It’s one
thing to want to cut back on that, or even
to stop calling me. But ignoring my (now
infrequent) calls or texts seems hurtful.
Is this normal, and should I still consider
Ghosted in the West
Dear Ghosted: A sudden change in
pattern is not normal. SOMETHING
has changed. Because you can’t get her to
explain what has caused this change in
her behavior, consider taking a page out
of her playbook. Communicate with her
via email only in response to her emails to
you, and find some other friends who will REX MORGAN, M.D.
treat you courteously.
Dear Abby: I am a widow, and I miss my
husband very much. We used to go out
to dinner together often. I have friends
I have dinners with, but sometimes I go
out by myself. Every time I do, after I say I
am dining alone, the host or hostess asks,
“Just you?” It is like an insult — just me?
Like I need a reminder that I am alone
without a husband.
I recently mentioned this to a friend
who told me he experiences the same PHANTOM
thing when he dines alone. He, too,
considers it insulting. Please share this
with readers who work in the hospitality
industry.
Just Me in Colorado
Dear Just Me: I’m printing your letter,
but I think you may be reacting to a ques-
tion that may be more about procedure
than a social commentary. Your host or
server may ask that question because they
want to know whether the extra place set-
tings should be removed from the table. ARGYLE SWEATER HOCUS FOCUS
www.DearAbby.com
Andrews McMeel Syndication

Dear Heloise: There are should be cautious. Donate, but just be

so many requests for dona-
tions lately that you may
want to advise your readers
to go to Charity Navigator
before donating, to check
them all out. Since Novem-
ber, we have received over
50 requests in the mail.
Look for the salaries
of the charities’ CEOs,
which, in many cases, is over $300,000.
The CEO’s salary is often paid by people
whose salaries are only five digits. It ap-
pears that some have turned charities into
a very lucrative business. There are some
that do not provide Charity Navigator
with salary information. For these, one
sure the money is going to help those truly
in need, not to fatten the pockets of those
in charge.
T. Russo,
via email
Dear Heloise: I liked your tip to take
Grandma to a concert as a gift, instead of
some object she may not need. Activities
can be warmly remembered long after
the gift has worn out or gathered dust in
a closet.
The same goes for life in general.
Harvey Versteeg, Augusta, Maine
Heloise@heloise.com
King Features Syndicate
A14 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM

WORD SLEUTH JUMBLE DAILY CROSSWORD

Find the listed words in the diagram. They run in all directions — forward, backward, 36 Athlete who 10 Impossible NFL
up, down and diagonally. ©2022 King Features Syndicate Inc.
ACROSS
1 Accessory that wrote the memoir score
Friday’s unlisted clue: NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION THEMES may be paired with “My Life and the 11 Chain with “all day
GARLIC. diner deals”
a smoking jacket Beautiful Game”
Saturday’s unlisted clue
6 “Euphoria” network 37 Drained of color 13 Property claim for
hint: READ MORE —.
9 Okra or orca unit 40 Poetic dusk outstanding debt
Clutter 12 Like pins and 41 “Being the 15 Held
Cooking needles Ricardos” role 17 Master of disguise?
Dentist 14 “I cleaned my 42 Robin DiAngelo 20 One whose
Donations plate!” book about race priorities are in
Education
16 Largest moon of relations order?
Family
Hobbies Uranus 45 “Very funny” 23 Winter figure
Hydration 18 Many of the 46 Shut up 24 Sash tied with a
Journal “GoodFellas” main 47 “Did not expect to butterfly knot
Kindness characters survive that” 28 Staple __
Less plastics 19 Behavioral 49 Like some passes 29 “Just like that!”
Listen psychologist’s 51 “Hm ... “ 31 “Between the
Savings
concern 52 Have the gumption World and Me”
Travel
Volunteer 21 Squash 53 Mag wheels? writer Coates
22 Account 54 Archipelago part: 32 Hazarded, as a
statement? Abbr. guess
24 Maureen presented 55 Portends 33 Schoolyard friend
with an Honorary 34 “__ who?”
Academy Award in DOWN 35 Potpourri pieces
SUDOKU CRYPTOQUIP 2014 1 Apropos 36 First, in Spanish
25 Buff 2 Careless 37 For a spell
Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains the The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for
numbers 1 to 9. ©2022 King Features Syndicate, Inc. another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the
26 Kermit sipping tea 3 Film flashbacks, 38 Brought low
puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give and Keanu playing essentially 39 Kit parts with
you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. 4 Figures of speech pedals
with puppies
©2022 King Features Syndicate, Inc. 27 Clothing store 5 Mystical text in 41 Window-switching
department Sanskrit shortcut
28 Turn in 6 Scenery chewer 43 Top picks, slangily
30 Psyche segments 7 Heck of a party 44 Apple TV+ device
31 Border dispute 8 Honoree who 48 Unadon fish
32 Corp. execs might wear a 50 “__ Espookys”:
35 Puzzle that uses vintage uniform 6-Across comedy
every letter 9 Santa hat feature series

homes, two were tied for first palace.

©2022 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc. ANSWER: In a recent list of the world’s most sumptuous royal

YESTERDAY’S ANSWERS EAT THEM VEGGIES

By Evan Mulvihill ©2022 Tribune Content Agency 12/31/22

What
Alabama vs. Kansas State in the Allstate ACES ON BRIDGE
Sugar Bowl (ESPN). The College Football ‘Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party’ By Bobby Wolff

Playoff Semifinal games on ESPN are No. For the last day of the year,

to watch
3 TCU vs. No. 2 Michigan in the Vrbo Fiesta we have one of the biggest
challenges in any column deal
Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and No. 4 Ohio I have set.
State vs. No. 1 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A When West leads the heart jack
Peach Bowl in Atlanta. against six no-trump, declarer
sees 11 top tricks. South prefers

SATURDAY Dick Clark’s Primetime

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve
December 31, 2022
With Ryan Seacrest 2022
All times Central. Start times can vary based
ABC, 7 p.m. Live
on cable/satellite provider. Confirm times on
Hosted by Ryan Seacrest and cohosted by
your on-screen guide.
actor Liza Koshy live from Times Square,
this annual celebration will feature a night
New Year’s Eve: of superstar performances and give viewers
Times Square Ball Drop a look at New Year’s celebrations from
around the globe. Performers will include
2022 Livestream Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Duran Duran,
ABC News Live on Hulu
New Edition, J-Hope and Jax, and country
artist Jessie James Decker will return as the
This livestream covers New Year’s Eve
fireworks and celebrations from across the Powerball cohost for the fourth year in a
row.
globe, including the famed Times Square ball
drop in New York City, while also revisiting
notable news happenings that occurred in New Year’s Eve Live:
2022. Nashville’s Big Bash
CBS, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. Live
College Football Country-music stars Jimmie Allen and Elle
ABC & ESPN, beginning at 11 a.m. Live
King and Entertainment Tonight’s Rachel
A big day of college football bowl Smith host this special ringing in the new
games includes Iowa vs. Kentucky in the year. Kelsea Ballerini, Brooks & Dunn, Little
TransPerfect Music City Bowl (ABC) and Big Town, Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley,
NBC
Luke Bryan, King Calaway, Sheryl Crow,
Thomas Rhett and Lainey Wilson are among
the stars appearing in the more than 50
performances during the celebration.
Miley’s New Year’s
Eve Party
NBC, 9:30 p.m. Live
Miley Cyrus is back for the second iteration
of her New Year’s Eve celebration, joined
by cohost Dolly Parton and a cast of other
A-list musicians and celebrities for a rocking,
fun night of performances. The special is
executive produced by SNL’s Lorne Michaels.
not to rely solely on the hearts.
He can see that ducking a
club may tighten the position.
However, he must also retain an
entry to the club ace. Declarer
must make it too costly for the
defenders to return a club after
taking their trick.
So declarer takes the heart ace
and then crosses to the dia-
mond ace to lead a club to the
eight. East wins with the jack
but cannot effectively return a
club. Playing the queen would
isolate West’s club guard, while
leading the club five would
force West’s king, establishing club. Now declarer lets go of
the club 10 as a menace against the spade four. At this point,
a spade to the king squeezes
East. By contrast, if declarer
played a club to the 10, East West in hearts and clubs.
could return the five to good Leading a club to the eight also
effect, as each defender would has the benefit of catching West
unawares if he started with
then retain a club guard.
the likes of king-jack-nine-low
As it is, East plays back a heart
and spade length. Would he
to the king. Declarer cashes
deduce that he needed to split
the heart queen, East pitching
a spade, followed by the spade
his honors?
ace and all the diamonds. East
can afford two spade discards
as declarer sheds a club, but
East’s final discard has to be a
LEAD WITH THE ACES ANSWER: Do you double,
overstating your hand’s offense,
while at least allowing partner to
name his longest suit? Or do you
overcall one no-trump, getting
across your values and hand

CATCH A CLASSIC Down to Rio, followed by The Gay Divor-

cee (1934), the duo’s quintessential pairing
in 1935’s Top Hat (pictured), Shall We
type but slightly overstating your
club stopper? Of course, West
may not lead clubs from a three-
Classic film fans can send off 2022 and card suit against no-trump, and
Dance (1937), Carefree (1938), and re-air-
welcome 2023 today, tonight and tomorrow he may raise clubs with four or
ings of Top Hat, The Gay Divorcee and more. So the no-trump call may
morning with a couple of terrific marathons
Carefree. be safer than it looks. I’d go for it.
on MOVIES! and Turner Classic Movies.

Dance in the New Year New Year’s Eve ©2022 Dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication for UFS

With Fred Astaire ‘Thin Man’ Marathon

TCM, beginning at 7 p.m. LOOKING BACK BIRTHDAYS
and Ginger Rogers Starting in primetime and also continuing
RKO RADIO PICTURES
1879: Thomas Edison TV producer George
MOVIES!, beginning at 10:15 a.m. into early tomorrow morning, TCM is airing lovable dog Asta for a night of all six of the first publicly demonstrated Schlatter is 93. Actor
comedy/mystery Thin Man films, beginning his electric incandescent Sir Anthony Hopkins is
Kicking off New Year’s Eve morning on what has become a traditional New Year’s 85. Actor Sarah Miles is 81.
Eve programming event that lets audiences with the 1934 original, The Thin Man. The light by illuminating some
MOVIES!, and running until well past the Actor Barbara Carrera is 81.
marathon also includes After the Thin Man 40 bulbs at his laboratory in
stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, enjoy spend New Year’s Eve with Nick and Nora Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Rock musician
a toe-tapping six-film marathon of Fred As- Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) — (1936), Another Thin Man (1939), Shadow Andy Summers is 80.
1972: Major League
taire and Ginger Rogers’ classic big-screen the witty, hard-drinking, fun-loving, high-so- of the Thin Man (1941), The Thin Man Fashion designer
baseball player Roberto
pairings, starting with the first time they ciety couple who often find themselves Goes Home (1944) and Song of the Thin Clemente, 38, was killed
Diane von Furstenberg is
Man (1947). — Jeff Pfeiffer 76. Rock musician Jason
danced together onscreen, in 1933’s Flying embroiled in solving mysteries — and their when a plane he chartered Sechrist (Portugal. The
and was traveling on to Man) is 43. Actor/singer
bring relief supplies to Erich Bergen is 37. DJ/
earthquake-devastated vocalist Drew Taggart is
Nicaragua crashed shortly 33. U.S. Olympic gold medal
after takeoff from Puerto gymnast Gabby Douglas
Rico. is 27.
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM A15

FAMILY CIRCUS ZIGGY ZITS

MUTTS

WALLACE THE BRAVE

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

BABY BLUES

DILBERT

PEANUTS

BREAKING CAT NEWS

LUANN

RHYMES WITH ORANGE

HEART OF THE CITY

WUMO

HI & LOIS

CRANKSHAFT

BALDO

FUNKY WINKERBEAN
RED & ROVER

F MINUS
SALLY FORTH
A16 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
 SPORTS
HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022 • SECTION B

UH BASKETBALL FIESTA BOWL

Younger
players
thriving
off bench
By Joseph Duarte
STA F F W RIT E R

Near the eight-minute mark

in Wednesday’s AAC opener at
Tulsa, Ja’Vier Francis and
Emanuel Sharp came off the
bench for the University of
Houston.
Sharp, a redshirt freshman
guard, made an immediate im-
pact with three quick 3-point-
ers, continuing a recent tear
from beyond the arc, and fin-
ished with 14 points. Francis, a
sophomore big man, made the
most of his 14 minutes of playing
time with four points, four re-
bounds and four blocks.
“Every minute Ja’Vier and
Emanuel get is an investment
for our program,” said coach
Kelvin Sampson, whose third-
ranked Cougars (13-1, 1-0 AAC)
host UCF (10-3, 1-0) on Saturday
at Fertitta Center.
As the Cougars begin confer-
ence play, Sampson continues to
look for the right moments to get
younger players minutes off the
bench. Those opportunities
were hard to come by in games
UH continues on B6

LM Otero/Associated Press
TCU quarterback Max Duggan, the Heisman runner-up, and coach Sonny Dykes have TCU back in the national spotlight.

Karen Warren/Staff photographer

Ja’Vier Francis has been one
of the most productive players
off the bench for the Cougars.
UP NEXT
UH VS. UCF
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at
Fertitta Center.
TV/radio: ESPN+; 950 AM.
ROCKETS
Fighting for respect
Horned Frogs aim to add new chapter for program on national stage
By Brent Zwerneman
STAFF W R IT ER
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — TCU has a
rich football history, with a national ti-
tle and a Heisman Trophy-winning
quarterback in Davey O’Brien. Both
achievements pre-date World War II.
The last 80 years or so haven’t been
as kind to the Horned Frogs, and first-
year coach Sonny Dykes has used as
CFP SEMIFINALS
FIESTA BOWL
NO. 3 TCU (12-1) VS.
NO. 2 MICHIGAN (13-0)
When/where: 3 p.m.
picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in
a preseason poll. It’s no wonder, really,
considering the Horned Frogs had a
new coach and were coming off a 5-7
finish in the last of Gary Patterson’s 21
seasons.
“Any time you’re an underdog, it
builds motivation,” said TCU line-
backer Dee Winters of Burton. “To (go)
out there and prove everybody wrong.
When we’re an underdog, that’s some-

Silas still much for a rallying point the past doz- Saturday in Glendale, Ariz. thing we enjoy.”
en months. TV: ESPN. The Horned Frogs’ joy is at its high-
“It’s always been a fight for credibil- est post-WWII, then, based on their

pushing ity,” Dykes said. “You go back and look

at the old days of the Southwest Con-
current position: One victory from
playing for a second national title. No.

for focus
By Danielle Lerner
STA F F W RIT E R
Following a discouraging loss
to the Mavericks, the Rockets
did not immediately get back on
either the proverbial horse or
the basketball court the next
day. Rather, they used Friday as
a review and recovery day with
a 30-minute film session in
which they broke down the
mistakes from Thursday’s game
and scouted ahead for Satur-
day’s home game against the
Knicks.
The Rockets have lost seven
of their last eight games, with
the difference between wins
and losses often coming down
to what players cite as a lack of
consistent focus for 48 minutes.
Focus isn’t something that
can be drilled in a traditional
sense, unlike rebounding or
out-of-bounds plays, but Rock-
ets coach Stephen Silas said he
Rockets continues on B2
UP NEXT
ROCKETS VS. KNICKS
When/where: 6 p.m. Saturday
at Toyota Center.
TV/radio: ATTSW; 790 AM, 93.3
FM (Spanish), 1010 AM (Spanish).
ference, and TCU was kind of an also- 3 TCU (12-1) takes on No. 2 Michigan
ran for a number of years. Really, for (13-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday in the College
probably three decades. PEACH BOWL Football Playoff semifinals in the Fies-
“… Ended up in a couple of different NO. 4 OHIO ST. (11-1) VS. ta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glen-
conferences and had to kind of battle NO. 1 GEORGIA (13-0) dale, Ariz.
and pull themselves up by the boot- The winner faces No. 1 Georgia or
When/where: 7 p.m.
straps, and go to work.” No. 4 Ohio State, which play on Satur-
Saturday in Atlanta.
That lack of credibility was alive day night in Atlanta, in the national ti-
and kicking in 2022, as TCU was TV: ESPN. TCU continues on B4
Texas embraces a new hope after familiar ending
SAN ANTONIO — As a
10-year-old, Quinn Ewers at-
tended an Alamo Bowl in
which Texas deemed all of this
unacceptable.
Finishing a season in San
Antonio, before New Year’s
Day. Losing five games. Getting
outschemed and outmuscled on MIKE FINGER
friendly turf by a visitor from C O M M E N TARY
the Pacific Northwest.
When it happened in 2013, And the crazy thing about
the Longhorns’ head coach the past decade is they’re prob-
walked out of the Alamodome ably right.
knowing he was finished. The The program that ended an
burnt-orange contingent in the 8-5 season with a 27-20 Alamo
stands — whose number in- Bowl loss to Washington in
cluded a grade schooler des- 2022 isn’t quite the same as the
tined to become Texas’ quarter- program that ended an 8-5
back — swore they’d never season with a 30-7 Alamo Bowl
plumb such depths again. loss to Oregon nine years ago.
But when it happened again For one thing, Texas now
Ronald Cortes/Getty Images Thursday night? knows how much worse than
UT never led in Thursday’s Alamo Bowl loss to Washington, The Longhorns called it this it can get.
but coach Steve Sarkisian said he was proud of his team. progress. Finger continues on B5
B2
Outpaced by a team that doesn’t run
Plodding Mavs won footrace as well as game thanks to Rockets failing to get back on defense
DALLAS — There are
other factors that could
be part of the problem or
solution. But at some
point, what the Rockets
lacked
Thursday
as the
Mavericks
blasted
them
could
Jonathan begin with
Feigen following
two sim-
ON T HE
RO C K E T S ple direc-
tives.
Run.
Run fast.
The Rockets didn’t.
They might not have
been able to slow the
Mavericks anyway. Luka
Doncic again looked like
he could do anything he
pleased on the way to a
129-114 rout of the Rockets
in which the Mavericks
led by as many as 25
points.
But the Mavericks also
outran the Rockets, a
failure that should be
unthinkable for an athlet-
ic young roster.
Getting outrun by the
Mavericks is like losing a
limbo contest to Boban
Marjanovic.
The Mavericks do not
run. No team averages
fewer fast-break points.
They are not built for it.
They don’t need it.
But through three
quarters, enough time for
the game to be rushing
toward blowout status,
the Mavericks outscored
the young, athletic, fast-
twitch Rockets 25-0 in
fast-break points. They
scored 12 of those points,
more than they average
per game, in the third
quarter when the Rockets
did not even attempt a
fast-break shot.
The Mavericks took
their foot off the gas in
the fourth quarter. They
had made 10-of-12 fast-
break shots through
three quarters and did
not attempt another. But
they had long since
torched the Rockets by
running to layups.
“It’s (about) run back,”
Rockets coach Stephen
Silas said. “Run back. No
talent needed. Run back.”
The Rockets give up
more fast-break points
than any team, allowing
17.8 per game. That is
ROCKETS
From page B1
strives to instill focus
with different approach-
es.
“I think it’s the repeti-
tion of the game plan,”
Silas said. “I think it is
taking days like today and
making it more of a men-
tal day, less of a physical
day. I think it’s taking
days that are completely
off where it’s not mental
or physical. And I think I
try to relate everything to
not just basketball play-
ers, but all of us. We all
get in those moments
where it’s hard for us to
focus on things and some-
times we need to take a
step away and take a step
back and refocus. We are
hypersensitive because
there’s bright lights and
there’s games and there’s
evaluation based on every
moment that you’re on
the court. But it’s no dif-
ferent than anybody else
in the world who at times
can lose focus and needs
to figure out a way to get
it back.”
The Knicks are in a
somewhat similar posi-
tion. After their eight-
game win streak ended,
they arrive in Houston
riding a five-game losing
streak that dropped their
record to 18-18 following a
loss Thursday in San
Luka Doncic unsurprisingly had a triple-double Thursday in Dallas’ win over the
Rockets. Less expected was that the Mavs outscored the Rockets 25-0 on fast breaks.
often because they aver-
age 17 turnovers per
game. That was not the
issue Thursday, though
the Rockets had 12
through three quarters
and just one in the
fourth.
Instead, the Mavericks
turned a Rockets strength
against them.
The Rockets, as always,
chased offensive re-
bounds. No team averag-
es more than the Rockets’
13.5 per game or grabs a
greater percentage of its
own missed shots.
The Rockets had 12
offensive rebounds and
scored 25 second-chance
points. But while the
Rockets crashed the glass
or just watched as team-
mates went to the offen-
sive boards, the Maver-
icks were sprinting in the
other direction, often
with big men doing the
sprinting.
“We are an offensive
rebounding team that
goes to the offensive
glass,” Silas said. “You
either have to be on the
glass or back, and we’re
finding ourselves in be-
tween. And you can’t be
in between. You have to
either be on the glass or
sprinting back to not
allow a team to get 25 fast
break points. You also
Antonio.
Here are five things to
watch for in Saturday’s
Rockets-Knicks game:
1. Get back
The Rockets were out-
scored 25-0 by the Maver-
icks in fast break points, a
lopsided statistic due as
much to the Rockets’
failure to defend as to
their failure to score in
transition, and one that
had Silas imploring his
team to simply get back.
A primary focus of
Friday’s film session was
the title of the famous
Beatles tune, though the
Rockets require such
effort from five members
playing in concert rather
than four. One challenge
for the Rockets will be
balancing effort on the
offensive boards with
transition defense, with-
out sacrificing one in
favor of the other.
“I think it all just goes
into playing hard,” for-
ward Tari Eason said.
“We’re a young team, so I
think we’re expected to
kind of be able to do both:
get back but also crash
the glass really hard. You
know, us crashing the
glass helps our offense
and it’s helped us a lot
this year. So I don’t think
we’re really going to try to
shy away from that. I
think it’s just making that
real second effort to also
Sports Editor: reid.laymance@chron.com • 713-362-2734 • sptletters@chron.com
NBA
can’t stab (attempt for
steals) in the backcourt
and try to get steals. You
have to run back.”
The Mavericks’ 25 fast
break points were a sea-
son high, if not by as
great a margin as Dallas
coach Jason Kidd as-
sumed.
“Normally we only
have zero or two,” Kidd
said, exaggerating a tad.
“It shows we can run
when we want to.”
The Rockets have al-
lowed more than Thurs-
day’s 25 fast-break points
just three times this sea-
son, with the seaso high
of 28 coming in the open-
er at Atlanta. But in the
previous two games, they
gave up 23 and 24 fast-
break points, so they
already were trending the
wrong way.
“We’re a team that
crashes a lot,” Rockets
center Usman Garuba
said. “I think the game
plan was having to re-
bound and make every-
one run. We crash the
glass really hard. It’s hard
sometimes. But we had to
adjust that. They sur-
prised us.”
The Rockets never
seemed to commit to
getting back, making the
problem more than just
their determination to get
get back.”
2. Handle Randle
The Knicks have lost
their last five games, but
forward Julius Randle
scored at least 29 points
in each, capped off with a
season-high 41 points and
11 rebounds in Thursday’s
loss to the Spurs. In that
five-game span, Randle
averaged 32.8 points, 12.4
rebounds and 4.4 assists.
Randle has been an
absolute tour de force in
his ninth NBA season,
and fourth in New York.
He leads the Knicks in
points per game (23.8) and
rebounds per game (9.7),
both of which rank him
top 20 in the league. The
Knicks’ offseason addi-
tion of point guard Jalen
Brunson has helped Ran-
dle alter his attacking
style to dribble less and
take more 3-pointers. He
attempts 7.4 triples per
game, and makes nearly
35 percent, while still
being a weapon in the
post.
In 36 games played this
season, Randle has logged
18 double-doubles, which
ties him with Anthony
Davis, Luka Doncic and
Tyrese Haliburton for
fifth in the NBA.
3. Rookie sea legs
Among all NBA rook-
ies, Rockets forwards
Jabari Smith Jr. and Ea-
LM Otero/Associated Press
to the offensive glass.
It’s one thing to get
Usain Bolted by Dwight
Powell. The Mavericks’
backup — and frequent
starting — center will run
all-out, though it is usu-
ally in pursuit of an of-
fensive rebound or loose
ball, rather than for 94
feet.
His dashes from end to
end Thursday allowed
him to make all eight of
his shots, scoring 19
points in 21 minutes, five
more than his previous
season high.
But the Rockets also
were left in the dust by
Davis Bertans, who
makes his living off what
he can do while standing
still. Bertans is known for
knocking down 3-point-
ers from the perimeter,
not for burning rubber.
He twice outran the
Rockets.
Much of that success
was Doncic-fueled. As
much as the Mavericks
are often happy to walk
the ball up the floor to let
Doncic methodically pick
apart defenses, as he did
again Thursday, he often
looked for floor-length
passes that Magic John-
son would have admired.
“That was a big em-
phasis for us coming into
tonight, to get out and
son rank second and fifth
in rebounding average.
Though his shooting has
been uneven this season,
Smith made 44.6 percent
of his shots in the last five
games and ranks fourth
among rookies in season
scoring average with 12.2
points per game. Eason
also leads all rookies in
total steals (39) and 3-
point percentage for those
with at least 40 attempts
(28 of 73).
In his first nine games
played for the Rockets,
guard TyTy Washington
has 14 assists to only one
turnover, a ratio that
ranks first among rook-
ies. Small sample size
aside, Washington has
played well and appeared
more comfortable every
game since he seized
Houston’s backup point
guard role.
4. Second chances
The Knicks are the
only team that averages
more second-chance
points than the Rockets,
scoring 17.5 per game to
the Rockets’ 17.3.
New York starting
center Mitchell Robinson
does the bulk of the work
on the offensive glass (4.3
per game), helped by
Randle (2.0) and backup
center Isaiah Hartenstein
(2.8). Commitment to
offensive rebounding is
also part of the reason the
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
AT A GLANCE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
W L Pct GB
New Orleans 23 12 .657 —
Denver 23 12 .657 —
Thursday’s game
Memphis 21 13 .618 1½
Mavericks 129, L.A. Clippers 21 16 .568 3
Rockets 114 Sacramento 19 15 .559 3½
Houston 30 21 28 35 — 114
Dallas 20 16 .556 3½
Dallas 36 29 34 30 — 129
Phoenix 20 17 .541 4
FG FT Reb
HOUSTON Min M-A M-A O-T A PFPTS Golden State 19 18 .514 5
Gordon
Smith Jr.
26:47 0-7 4-6 0-3 1 1 4
27:26 7-13 2-2 2-4 1 2 16
Portland 18 17 .514 5
Sengun 16:50 3-7 5-6 3-6 1 5 11 Utah 19 19 .500 5½
Ja.Green
Porter Jr.
31:58 7-15 5-8 0-4 4 1 23
34:08 4-12 5-6 0-4 7 2 17 Minnesota 16 20 .444 7½
Garuba 19:46 4-5 0-1 4-9 1 2 9 Oklahoma City 15 20 .429 8
Eason 18:17 3-7 0-0 1-8 1 3 6
Martin Jr. 17:12 2-3 0-0 0-4 0 3 4 L.A. Lakers 15 21 .417 8½
Mathews 15:53 1-3 2-2 0-3 1 2 5 San Antonio 12 23 .343 11
Washington Jr. 13:52 1-6 1-2 0-0 1 1 3
Fernando 9:31 1-2 1-2 0-0 0 1 3 Houston 10 25 .286 13
Marjanovic
Nix
4:10 3-4 0-0 2-3 1 0 6
4:10 2-2 1-2 0-0 2 0 7 EASTERN CONFERENCE
Totals 240:00 38-86 26-37 12-48 21 23 114
W L Pct GB
Percentages: FG .442, FT .703. 3-Point Goals: 12-
34, .353 (Ja.Green 4-7, Porter Jr. 4-7, Nix 2-2, Garuba1-2, Boston 26 10 .722 —
Mathews 1-3, Eason 0-1, Martin Jr. 0-1, Sengun 0-1, Gor-
Milwaukee 23 12 .657 2½
don 0-3, Washington Jr. 0-3, Smith Jr. 0-4). Team Re-
bounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 0
Brooklyn 23 12 .657 2½
Turnovers: 12 (Porter Jr. 4, Ja.Green 3, Martin Jr. 2, Ea-
son, Sengun, Smith Jr.). Steals: 5 (Garuba 2, Mathews, Cleveland 22 14 .611 4
Porter Jr., Smith Jr.). Technical Fouls: None.
Philadelphia 20 14 .588 5
FG FT Reb
DALLAS Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Indiana 19 17 .528 7
Hardaway Jr.
Ntilikina
32:52 5-14 5-6 1-4 1 4 18
18:48 1-4 0-0 0-3 2 2 2 Miami 18 18 .500 8
Wood 21:03 8-15 0-1 1-6 1 5 21 New York 18 18 .500 8
Dinwiddie
Doncic
34:53 6-8 0-0 0-4 6 2 15
34:17 11-21 9-12 1-12 13 1 35 Atlanta 17 19 .472 9
Wright IV 23:13 1-1 0-1 0-2 3 2 2 Chicago 16 19 .457 9½
Powell 21:19 8-8 3-5 3-6 1 4 19
Bertans 16:19 2-6 0-0 0-2 0 1 4 Toronto 16 20 .444 10
Walker 12:57 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0 3 Washington 16 21 .432 10 ½
Hardy 12:06 1-3 0-0 0-3 0 3 3
McGee 5:38 2-5 0-0 0-1 1 1 4 Orlando 13 24 .351 13 ½
Pinson
Lawson
5:38 1-2 0-0 0-1 0 1 3
0:56 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Charlotte 10 26 .278 16
Totals 240:00 47-91 17-25 6-44 30 26 129 Detroit 9 29 .237 18
Percentages: FG .516, FT .680. 3-Point Goals:18-45,
.400 (Wood 5-8, Doncic 4-9, Dinwiddie 3-5, Hardaway Jr.
Thursday’s results
3-8, Pinson1-2, Walker1-2, Hardy1-3, Lawson 0-1, Ntiliki- Dallas 129, Houston 114
na 0-3, Bertans 0-4). Team Rebounds:10. Team Turn- Charlotte 121, Oklahoma City 113
overs: 1. Blocked Shots: 8 (Wood 4, Doncic 2, Powell Indiana 135, Cleveland 126
2). Turnovers: 8 (Doncic 2, Dinwiddie, Hardy, Ntilikina,
Powell, Wood, Wright IV). Steals: 7 (Hardaway Jr. 3, Boston 116, L.A. Clippers 110
Dinwiddie, Doncic, Powell, Wright IV). Technical Memphis 119, Toronto 106
Fouls: Doncic, 3:43 third. San Antonio 122, New York 115
A: 20,307 (19,200).
Friday’s results
Washington 119, Orlando 100
L.A. Lakers 130, Atlanta 121
Toronto 113, Phoenix 104
run, put pressure on the Chicago 132, Detroit 118
rim in transition,” Powell Milwaukee 123, Minnesota 114
said. “Obviously our New Orleans 127, Philadelphia 116
guards, Luka especially, Denver 124, Miami 119
Sacramento 126, Utah 125
were looking ahead and Golden State 118, Portland 112
trusting we were going to Saturday’s games
run under some of those L.A. Clippers at Indiana, 2 p.m.
Brooklyn at Charlotte, 6 p.m.
Hail Marys.” Cleveland at Chicago, 6 p.m.
Doncic had his league- Dallas at San Antonio, 6 p.m.
high eighth triple-double New York at Houston, 6 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
of the season, getting 35 New Orleans at Memphis, 7 p.m.
points, 13 assists and 12 Philadelphia at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
rebounds. But that was to Miami at Utah, 8 p.m.
Sunday’s games
be expected. Boston at Denver, 7 p.m.
The Rockets did not Sacramento at Memphis, 7 p.m.
expect to be run off the Washington at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
floor by a team that does
not run.
“Luka (is) a great pass- NOTEBOOK
er, and I think it was just
us not sprinting back, not MCMILLAN REFUTES
RETIREMENT REPORT
playing with that in-
tensity, that energy,” Hawks coach Nate
Rockets forward Jabari McMillan said Friday he
Smith Jr. said. “It’s tough has no plans to retire in
when the ball’s not the middle of the season,
bouncing your way, we’re brushing back a report
not getting offensive re- citing unnamed sources.
bounds and they’re run- The Athletic reported
ning, getting out in tran- that McMillan is consider-
sition.” ing stepping down before
There is, however, the season ends, but Mc-
something that could Millan said that’s not true.
have been done. McMillan, 58, said he
Run. Run fast. had no immediate re-
action to the report. He’s
jonathan.feigen@chron.com in the middle of his third
twitter.com/jonathan_feigen season with the Hawks,
who are 17-18 and in ninth
place in the Eastern Con-
ference.
Knicks are one of the
NBA’s foremost paint “I read that article
scoring teams. New York briefly,” he said. “I’ve
attempts and makes more never spoke to that re-
shots between 5-9 feet porter before.”
than any team in the FRIDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
NBA, and averages 54 LeBron James scored a
points in the paint, eighth season-high 47 points on
in the NBA. his 38th birthday with
many of the sellout crowd
5. Sharing is caring at State Farm Arena in
Houston is averaging Atlanta cheering his every
24.8 assists over the past move, leading the Lakers
four games after averag- to a 130-121 victory over the
ing 20.1 the 11 games prior, Hawks. James added 10
and has recorded more rebounds and nine as-
assists than its opponent sists. ... Giannis Anteto-
in five of the past 10 kounmpo had 43 points
games after doing so four and 20 rebounds as the
times the first 25 games of Bucks snapped a four-
the season. As common game losing streak with a
sense dictates, the Rock- 123-114 victory over the
ets tend to win more often Timberwolves in Mil-
when the ball is moving waukee. Antetokounmpo
and shots are falling. The also had five assists to join
Rockets are 6-4 when Wilt Chamberlain and
having as many or more Elgin Baylor as the only
assists than the opposi- players in NBA history
tion this season. with back-to-back games
Rockets point guard of at least 40 points, 20
Kevin Porter Jr. has rebounds and five assists.
dished 34 assists with 12 ... Nikola Jokic had 19
turnovers over the past points, 12 rebounds and 12
five games, including assists for his eighth tri-
back-to-back games with ple-double of the season
nine assists in Chicago as the Nuggets beat the
and Boston last week. Heat 124-119 in Denver. ...
While Porter has not CJ McCollum hit a career-
been flawless, Silas said high 11 3-pointers on his
he thinks the point guard way to 42 points, and Zion
has been helped by better Williamson added 36 as
spacing and is able to play the Pelicans topped the
more within the offense. 76ers 127-116 in New Orle-
ans.
jonathan.feigen@chron.com Wire reports
twitter.com/jonathan_feigen
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM B3

NFL
NOTEBOOK TEXANS

QB Gabbert aids Howard to start vs. Jaguars

in water rescue By Jonathan M.
Alexander
INJURY REPORT
W IR E R E P ORT S might not have been after STA F F W R I T ER TEXANS
all. DID NOT PARTICIPATE
TAMPA, Fla. — Bucca- After center Tyler Texans offensive line- OL: Jimmy Morrissey
neers backup quarterback Biadasz was carted off the man Tytus Howard has Concussion
Blaine Gabbert became an field during a win over cleared concussion proto- TE: Teagan Quitoriano
unexpected hero Thurs- the Titans, an MRI Friday col and is expected to start Thigh
day when a helicopter revealed he suffered a against the Jaguars. LIMITED PARTICIPATION
crashed into Hillsbor- high ankle sprain, a per- Howard was evaluated
RB: Dare Ogunbowale Knee
ough Bay in Tampa. son familiar with the for the concussion after he
FULL PARTICIPATION
He and his two broth- situation told The Dallas made contact with a de-
ers were cruising nearby Morning News. fender in the first half of OL: Kenyon Green Ankle
on jet skis, checking out The Cowboys are up- last week’s game against OL: Tytus Howard
from afar some of the sail beat about Biadasz’s out- the Titans. He missed the Brett Coomer/Staff photographer Concussion
boats at a yacht club, look and the goal is for entire second half. Texans offensive lineman Tytus Howard, right, has OL: Justin McCray
when they heard a “faint him to be available for the But he progressed been cleared from concussion protocol. Hamstring
noise” south of Davis team’s first playoff game. throughout the week, and DB: M.J. Stewart
Island and rushed toward Biadasz will not play in was cleared by an inde- kle injury. Stewart also cleared con- Concussion
it. the regular season finale pendent doctor Thursday But Green is also ex- cussion protocol and is ex-
“I just remember look- against the Washington evening shortly after he pected to return to the pected to play Sunday. JAGUARS
ing to the west and seeing Commanders, according practiced in full for the lineup this week, too, Backup guard Jimmy LIMITED PARTICIPATION
it almost looked like a to a report from ESPN. first time. which would put Howard Morrissey did not clear DL: Folorunso Fatukasi
crew boat in the water “I feel fine,” Howard back at right tackle. protocol and was ruled Ankle
that had broken up in Hurts unlikely said. “I feel good. I’m Howard said he prefers out on Friday’s injury re- QB: Trevor Lawrence Toe
about four pieces and I to play vs. Saints ready to go.” to play tackle, but he’s port.
LS: Ross Matiscik Back
vaguely remember seeing Howard has been spec- willing to do whatever he Tight end Teagan Qui-
like two yellow life jackets Jalen Hurts was listed tacular for the Texans this needs to do to help the toriano was also ruled out OL: Brandon Scherff
so I was like all right we as doubtful for Sunday’s season. He played the first team. with a thigh injury. And Abdomen/ankle
gotta go check this out,” game against the Saints 13 games of the season at “I’m comfortable wher- running back Dare Ogun- OLB: Travon Walker Ankle
Gabbert said Friday at a and, according to a league right tackle and has filled ever,” he said. “I’m willing bowale is listed as ques- FULL PARTICIPATION
news conference. source, is unlikely to play in at left guard the last two to help out wherever we tionable with a knee inju- S: Andrew Wingard
The brothers arrived at because of his shoulder games, while Kenyon need.” ry. He was limited in Fri- Shoulder
the crash to find a sink- injury. Green was out with an an- Defensive back M.J. day’s practice.
ing helicopter and mul- The Eagles quarter-
tiple people in need of back, dealing with a
saving. sprained SC joint in his COWBOYS
“The youngest kid had throwing shoulder, was
just came up and said he limited in practice on
was pinned in there and I Friday and threw the ball
asked if anyone else was well the day before, but
trapped and then I called he is expected to be held
911, tried to remain as out to ensure he’s fully
calm as possible,” Gab- healthy for the playoffs.
bert said. Backup quarterback
He was able to get two Gardner Minshew is set
of the people out of the to make his second start
water and onto his jet ski, of the season.
while his brothers helped
a third person. A fourth Odds and ends
occupant was helped out
of the water by author- Dolphins quarterback
ities, who Gabbert said Tua Tagovailoa has offi-
arrived in record time. cially been ruled out for
Sunday's game at New
Cowboys’ Biadasz England after suffering a
has ankle sprain concussion against the
Packers. ... Lamar Jack-
What looked like an- son will miss a fourth
other serious blow to the straight game for the
Dallas Cowboys’ offensive Ravens because of his
line Thursday night knee injury.

NFL AT A GLANCE

AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div
y-Buffalo 12 3 0 .800 420 263 6-1-0 6-2-0 8-2-0 4-1-0 3-2-0
Miami 8 7 0 .533 365 370 5-2-0 3-5-0 6-4-0 2-3-0 2-2-0
N.Y. Jets 7 8 0 .467 284 282 3-5-0 4-3-0 5-6-0 2-2-0 2-3-0
New England 7 8 0 .467 318 291 3-4-0 4-4-0 5-5-0 2-3-0 2-2-0
South W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div
Jacksonville 7 8 0 .467 353 331 4-3-0 3-5-0 6-4-0 1-4-0 2-2-0
Tennessee 7 9 0 .438 282 339 3-5-0 4-4-0 5-6-0 2-3-0 3-2-0
e-Indianapolis 4 10 1 .300 248 357 2-5-0 2-5-1 4-6-1 0-4-0 1-3-1
e-Houston 2 12 1 .167 254 358 0-6-1 2-6-0 2-7-1 0-5-0 2-1-1
North W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div Wade Payne/Associated Press
x-Cincinnati 11 4 0 .733 391 306 5-1-0 6-3-0 7-3-0 4-1-0 2-3-0 Cowboys cornerback Nahshon Wright picked up his first career interception Thursday night against the
x-Baltimore 10 5 0 .667 321 272 5-2-0 5-3-0 6-4-0 4-1-0 3-1-0 Titans to help put the game out of reach. Dallas handed struggling Tennessee its sixth consecutive loss.
Pittsburgh 7 8 0 .467 264 319 3-4-0 4-4-0 3-7-0 4-1-0 1-3-0

Defense not worried about style points

e-Cleveland 6 9 0 .400 323 343 4-4-0 2-5-0 4-7-0 2-2-0 3-2-0
West W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div
y-Kansas City 12 3 0 .800 438 332 6-1-0 6-2-0 7-3-0 5-0-0 4-0-0
x-L.A. Chargers 9 6 0 .600 332 343 4-3-0 5-3-0 7-4-0 2-2-0 2-3-0 By Michael Gehlken ed for Tennessee. Eight Thursday’s game sive end Micah Parsons
Las Vegas 6 9 0 .400 348 350 4-2-0 2-7-0 5-6-0 1-3-0 3-2-0 DA LL A S M O R N I N G N EWS days after he was signed Cowboys 27, Titans 13 recovered despite his left
e-Denver 4 11 0 .267 232 304 3-4-0 1-7-0 2-8-0 2-3-0 0-4-0 off the Detroit Lions’ Dallas 7 3 7 10 — 27
hand being heavily
Tennessee 0 6 7 0 — 13
NATIONAL CONFERENCE NASHVILLE — No one practice squad, he com- First Quarter wrapped.
East W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div on the Cowboys defense pleted three passes of 30- Dal: Elliott 1 run (Maher kick), 4:36. Anyone looking for a
Second Quarter
x-Philadelphia 13 2 0 .867 445 308 6-1-0 7-1-0 5-0-0 8-2-0 3-2-0 was about to apologize for plus yards in the second Dal: FG Maher 36, 14:56. huge cluster of turnovers
x-Dallas 12 4 0 .750 461 316 8-1-0 4-3-0 4-1-0 8-3-0 4-1-0 how it looked Thursday quarter. The Cowboys Ten: FG Bullock 37, 1:04.
Ten: FG Bullock 29, :00.
would be dismayed, too.
N.Y. Giants 8 6 1 .567 311 339 4-3-1 4-3-0 4-0-0 4-6-1 1-3-1 evening. overcame that spark, Third Quarter That fumble and Wright’s
Washington 7 7 1 .500 285 313 3-4-0 4-3-1 3-1-0 4-6-1 1-3-1 The Tennessee Titans largely stymying the first- Dal: Schultz 6 pass from Prescott (Maher kick), 8:48.
Ten: Woods 7 pass from Dobbs (Bullock kick), 2:04.
interceptions were the
South W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div had one Pro Bowler on the time starter in a 27-13 win. Fourth Quarter Cowboys’ only take-
Tampa Bay 7 8 0 .467 266 304 4-4-0 3-4-0 0-5-0 7-3-0 3-1-0 field at Nissan Stadium, The Cowboys led 10-6 at Dal: Schultz 10 pass from Prescott (Maher kick), 11:58.
Dal: FG Maher 45, 6:24.
aways.
Carolina 6 9 0 .400 313 337 5-4-0 1-5-0 1-4-0 5-5-0 3-1-0 and it was their long halftime and 17-13 to begin A: 69,292. But the defense largely
Dal Ten
New Orleans 6 9 0 .400 303 325 4-4-0 2-5-0 2-3-0 4-6-0 2-3-0 snapper. They were with- the fourth quarter. First downs 26 17 did its part. Dobbs com-
e-Atlanta 5 10 0 .333 315 350 4-3-0 1-7-0 1-4-0 4-6-0 1-4-0 out several starters, in- Their defensive perfor- Total Net Yards
Rushes-yards
361
32-87
317
24-97
pleted those three long
North W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div cluding their quarterback mance produced few style Passing 274 220 passes — gains of 39, 33
y-Minnesota 12 3 0 .800 378 373 8-1-0 4-2-0 5-0-0 7-3-0 3-1-0 and All-Pro running points. Punt Returns
Kickoff Returns
3-29
0-0
0-0
1-25
and 30 yards — for a com-
Detroit 7 8 0 .467 392 401 4-4-0 3-4-0 2-3-0 5-5-0 3-1-0 back. And yet, they man- That was OK to them. Interceptions Ret. 1-0 2-30 bined 102 yards. For the
Comp-Att-Int 29-41-2 20-39-1
Green Bay 7 8 0 .467 313 334 4-3-0 3-5-0 2-3-0 5-5-0 2-2-0 aged to hang around, “We came here with Sacked-Yards Lost 1-8 2-12 rest of the game, he was
e-Chicago 3 12 0 .200 303 393 2-6-0 1-6-0 2-3-0 1-9-0 0-4-0 keeping things interest- one goal in mind,” line- Punts 3-40.333 5-47.4 held to 17-of-36 for 130
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1
West W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div ing for longer than many backer Damone Clark Penalties-Yards 3-35 10-124 yards, one touchdown
y-San Francisco 11 4 0 .733 375 230 7-1-0 4-3-0 2-2-0 9-2-0 5-0-0 anticipated. said. “That was to win. Time of Possession 33:26 26:34 and an interception. The
Seattle 7 8 0 .467 365 379 3-4-0 4-4-0 2-2-0 5-6-0 3-2-0 Not until Cowboys cor- We won. Now, we can go INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Titans (7-9) lost their sixth
RUSHING: Dallas, Davis10-39, Elliott19-37, Prescott 3-11.
e-L.A. Rams 5 10 0 .333 281 334 4-5-0 1-5-0 2-2-0 3-8-0 1-4-0 nerback Nahshon Wright back home, obviously Tennessee, Haskins 12-40, Ward 4-26, Burks 1-20, Dobbs straight game, failing to
e-Arizona 4 11 0 .267 308 391 1-8-0 3-3-0 1-4-0 3-7-0 1-4-0 recorded his first career watch the film and just get 3-12, Chestnut 4-(minus 1).
PASSING: Dallas, Prescott 29-41-2-282. Tennessee,
score 15 points for a third
e-eliminated from playoffs; x-clinched playoff spot; y-clinched division NFL interception, with ready for next week.” Dobbs 20-39-1-232. straight
RECEIVING: Dallas, Lamb 11-100, Schultz 7-56, Hilton 4-
Week 17 schedule about six minutes re- “I got respect for every- 50, Gallup 3-39, Davis 2-23, N.Brown 1-7, Ferguson 1-7. “A win is a win,” safety
Thursday’s game maining, did Titans fans body, no matter what Tennessee, Woods 5-39, Burks 4-66, Okonkwo 3-24, Has-
kins 2-13, McMath 1-39, Chestnut 1-33, Hooper 1-6, Jayron Kearse said. “Ev-
Dallas 27, Tennessee 13 scurry toward the park- their record says, how Swaim 1-4, Ward 1-4, Westbrook-Ikhine 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
erybody that’s ever played
Sunday’s games Time Open Current O/U TV ing lot. they’re playing,” corner- in this league under-
Jacksonville at Houston Noon Jac. 4 Jac. 3 43½ CBS “Once y’all see a game back Trevon Diggs said. stands how hard it is to
Arizona at Atlanta Noon Atl. 4 Atl. 6 41 like Minnesota, you in- “They’re still in the NFL. games combined to recap- win. That’s just some-
Carolina at Tampa Bay Noon T.B. 3 T.B. 3½ 40½
stantly think that’s how … It’s not for people to un- ture early-season form in thing, I guess, fans don’t
Chicago at Detroit Noon Det. 5½ Det. 6 52½
Cleveland at Washington Noon Was. 2½ Was. 1½ 40½
every game is supposed to derstand. They’re not go- that area would be disap- understand. It’s always
Denver at Kansas City Noon K.C. 13½ K.C. 12½ 44½ be,” said defensive end ing to understand it. They pointed. The unit man- going to be that way. It
Indianapolis at N.Y. Giants Noon N.Y. 3½ N.Y. 5½ 38½ DeMarcus Lawrence, re- just think, ‘Oh, you lost to aged two sacks. Those doesn’t really matter to
Miami at New England Noon Mia. 1½ N.E. 2½ 41½ ferring to a 40-3 road win a 2-12 team,’ or, ‘Y’all are came in a three-play span us. We care about the dub.
New Orleans at Philadelphia Noon Phi. 6½ Phi. 5½ 41½ against the Vikings last struggling.’ They’re still during the second quar- We got our 12th victory.
San Francisco at Las Vegas 3:05 p.m. S.F. 5½ S.F. 9½ 42½ Fox month. “Me personally, I good players at the end of ter. That’s all that matters.”
N.Y. Jets at Seattle 3:05 p.m. N.Y. 1½ N.Y. 1½ 42½
wish. But it’s not. You the day. You can lose any Safety Donovan Wilson Said Lawrence: “I think
L.A. Rams at L.A. Chargers 3:25 p.m. LAC 6½ LAC 6½ 42½
Minnesota at Green Bay 3:25 p.m. G.B. 3 G.B. 3 48½ CBS
have to be able to fight given Sunday.” reached Dobbs first. De- it comes with the territory
Pittsburgh at Baltimore 7:20 p.m. Bal. 3 Bal. 2½ 35½ NBC through adversity.” Anyone looking for a fensive end Dante Fowler of being a Dallas Cowboy,
Monday’s game Time Open Current O/U TV Some quarterback defense that managed one followed on third down in all honesty. Y’all ques-
Buffalo at Cincinnati 7:30 p.m. Buf. 1½ Buf. 1½ 49½ ESPN named Josh Dobbs start- sack in its past three with a strip-sack. Defen- tion every damn thing.”
B4
TCU: FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
Underdog Frogs
aim for big leap
By Brent Zwerneman
STA F F W RIT E R
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.
— The mayor of neigh-
boring Glendale, Ariz.,
wished good luck to TCU
coach Sonny Dykes and
Michigan coach Jim Har-
baugh on Friday and then
shrugged at the routine
benevolence.
“I don’t know how that
works,” Jerry Weiers said
of knowing that in the
end there will be a loser.
“But good luck to both of
you.”
Minus further ado, five
things to watch as un-
derdog TCU, the first
team from Texas to make
the CFP, is one win from
playing for a national
title:
1. Max Duggan Moxie
The Heisman Trophy
runner-up gained plenty
of fans earlier this month
with his gutsy fourth-
quarter effort in an over-
time loss against Kansas
State in the Big 12 title
game. TCU’s senior quar-
terback has overcome
heart surgery while a
collegian — the bright
lights of the CFP semifi-
nals won’t faze Duggan.
“Max is going to be on
the Mount Rushmore of
TCU guys,” Dykes said.
“… There have been a lot
of things that have oc-
curred this year that
were beyond people’s
expectations, and that’s
what Max is good at. He’s
really good at exceeding
expectations.”
2. Big Ten Brawn
Michigan is massive on
the offensive line — four
of the five starters are at
least 6-foot-5, and the
fivesome averages a long
and lean(ish) 310 pounds.
The Wolverines’ desire to
simply overpower their
opponents is not what
TCU is accustomed to
seeing in the Big 12.
The Horned Frogs run
primarily a 3-3-5 defense
— three linemen, three
linebackers and five de-
fensive backs — to count-
PEACH BOWL
Georgia, Ohio St. know all about upsets from No. 4 seeds
By Alan Blinder
N EW YO RK T IME S
ATLANTA — He does
not like to dwell on past
games, the good ones or
the bad ones, but Georgia
coach Kirby Smart knows
the College Football Play-
off’s agonies better than
most. Twice in the past
eight years, he has stood
on the sideline of a playoff
game and watched a
fourth-ranked team out-
last his.
There was the 2014 sea-
son, which for Smart end-
ed when No. 4 Ohio State
broke No. 1 Alabama,
where he was the defen-
sive coordinator. Then, on
the final play of the 2017
season, Smart’s quest for
his inaugural national
championship as Geor-
gia’s coach sputtered
against fourth-seeded Al-
abama.
Now, the prospect of a
redemption — and the
promise of a fresh data
point in sports’ eternal de-
bate over the value of his-
tory and memory — has
arrived by way of Satur-
day’s Peach Bowl, the
playoff semifinal where
Smart’s top-ranked,
reigning champion Bull-
dogs will meet No. 4 Ohio
State (8 p.m. Eastern on
ESPN). With Atlanta’s
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
about 70 miles from Geor-
gia’s campus, and with the
Bulldogs having crushed
Louisiana State and Ore-
gon in Atlanta this season,
there is no cozier setup
er the speed and spread
offenses of the Big 12.
Michigan ranks fifth
nationally in rushing
yards per game (263), and
the Big 12 doesn’t have a
team in the top 10 in that
category, so TCU must
add some brutishness to
its repertoire against the
Wolverines.
3. On the flip side
Michigan was good on
defense last year when it
made the CFP for the
first time — a 34-11 loss to
eventual champion Geor-
gia in the semifinals —
and the Wolverines are
even better this year. The
defense has allowed 13.4
points per game, tied for
third nationally and
about four points fewer
than a year ago.
Michigan also is third
nationally in rushing
defense in allowing 85.2
yards per game, while the
Horned Frogs are solid in
rushing offense with 200
yards per game.
4. Hole? No problem
TCU got here by over-
coming deficits in three
straight Big 12 games in
the middle of the season
against Kansas, Oklaho-
ma State and Kansas
State, with all three oppo-
nents ranked at the time.
The Horned Frogs not
only are not deterred by a
deficit early or late, they
thrive in such situations.
5. Intangibles
Michigan has the CFP
experience, but TCU has
the outrageousness on its
side. The Horned Frogs
were picked seventh in
the Big 12 with a first-year
coach in Dykes, who had
an 8-4 record last year at
SMU, and Duggan wasn’t
even the starting quarter-
back entering the season.
Will the Horned Frogs’
long and astonishing hop
into national relevancy
carry into early January?
The nation will know by
Saturday night.
brent.zwerneman@chron.com
twitter.com/brentzwerneman
Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, left, and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud lad a pair of high-octane offenses into this
year’s College Football Playoffs semifinal, with each attack logging around 492 total yards per game.
this playoff, the past’s
headwinds notwithstand-
ing.
“We talk all the time
about limiting regret, and
I think one of the ways you
limit regret is through a
lot of detail and thought
about the way you plan,”
Smart said Thursday as he
considered the night the
Buckeyes upset Alabama
in the Sugar Bowl.
“There’s a lot of detail and
thought into that plan,
and a lot of detail and
thought into this plan.”
Besides, he added, the
seedings at this point are
no more than “two num-
bers in front of some-
body’s name.”
On paper and in the
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
PLAYOFF SEMIFINALS
Jim Harbaugh, who played quarterback at Michigan from 1983-86, has the Wolverines in the College
Football Playoff for the second straight season. Harbaugh has led Michigan to two straight Big Ten titles.
TCU
From page B1
tle game on Jan. 9 in Ingle-
wood, Calif. The Horned
Frogs are about a touch-
down underdog to the
Wolverines, who blasted
their way through the
regular season and the
Big Ten title game against
Purdue undefeated.
“Here we are in the Col-
lege Football Playoff,”
said Dykes, whose senior
quarterback Max Duggan
was Heisman runner-up
this season. “Nobody an-
ticipated us being here.”
TCU won a national ti-
tle in 1938 when O’Brien
also won the Heisman.
Dykes, son of late Texas
Tech coach Spike Dykes,
not only is angling for re-
spect for TCU on a na-
tional stage, but the
league the Horned Frogs
compete in.
Oklahoma is the only
other Big 12 program to
make the CFP, which
started in 2014, and the
Sooners are 0-4 in the
sport’s final four. Texas,
Brett Davis/Associated Press
pregame judgments of
oddsmakers, at least, the
Bulldogs, who are 13-0 and
won the Southeastern
Conference title with ease,
face an especially formi-
dable obstacle to reach the
Jan. 9 championship game
against No. 2 Michigan or
No. 3 Texas Christian,
who will joust in Satur-
day’s Fiesta Bowl. Ohio
State, the first program to
vault from No. 4 seed to
national champion in the
playoff era, arrived in At-
lanta with an 11-1 record, its
Michigan-induced scar an
awfully big one. (“Every
game you play at Ohio
State has got huge magni-
tude,” coach Ryan Day
said, “and if you don’t
which won the league’s
last national title in 2005,
hasn’t come close to mak-
ing the CFP in its nine
seasons, and the Horned
Frogs are the state’s first
entrant among 36 oppor-
tunities.
“I do believe that there
is still that perception
that nobody in the (Big 12)
plays defense,” Dykes
said. “I don’t think that’s
the case at all. (And) you
start to look around the
Big 12, and there are a lot
of run-based offenses,
and a lot of offenses are
really good up front.
“You have to be able to
defend everything in the
league, and that’s one of
the great things about the
Big 12. There is a lot of va-
riety in schemes, whether
it’s offensively or defen-
sively.”
The Wolverines are try-
ing to win their third na-
tional title since 1948 and
their first since 1997. Jim
Harbaugh, a former Wol-
verines quarterback from
1983-86 who moved on to a
14-year NFL career as a
player, is in his eighth sea-
think so, try losing a
game.”)
But the Buckeyes, like
the Bulldogs, have very of-
ten shined.
Ohio State averaged
492.7 yards per game this
season; Georgia had 491.9.
Georgia’s defense, the best
in the Football Bowl Sub-
division at stopping rush-
ers, is far more vulnerable
through the air, where
Ohio State led the Big Ten
Conference. The Bulldogs
surrendered about 292 to-
tal yards a game, the Buck-
eyes allowed about 304,
and both defenses proved
expert on third downs.
“Those guys are great,”
Sedrick Van Pran, Geor-
gia’s starting center for
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
son at Michigan.
“It’s all about the game
(Saturday),” said Har-
baugh, who in February
2013 also coached the
NFL’s San Francisco
49ers in a Super Bowl loss
to his brother, John Har-
baugh of the Baltimore
Ravens. “Everything has
been said that can possi-
bly be said. Every ques-
tion has been asked and
every question has been
answered, and now it’s
time to go play the game
and let it rip.
“Not everybody gets
this opportunity, and it’s
the best of the best play-
ing the best. … It’s time to
line up and have at it.”
Only one coach in the
final four has previously
won a title — Georgia’s
Kirby Smart a year ago.
Around the same time
Dykes, who grew up in
Lubbock, was setting up
his office in Fort Worth
after coaching SMU to a
30-18 record over four sea-
sons about 30 miles to the
east in Dallas.
The suddenness of it all
is one reason why Dykes
David Dermer/Associated Press
this season and last year’s
championship run, said
with a measure of awe as
he freehanded a drawing
of his university’s mascot.
Overconfidence, he sug-
gested, was not endemic
in Georgia’s locker room
because the Bulldogs
knew it would be detri-
mental against a team as
fast and physical as Ohio
State.
The playoff’s top spot is
not necessarily a gift.
More No. 2 seeds have
won championships than
No. 1 teams, and teams
ranked fourth have cap-
tured just as many titles as
those seeded at the top.
Still, teams ranked No. 1
have been three times as
Tony Ding/Associated Press
perhaps was a bit more
reflective Friday than
Harbaugh, in soaking up
a golden opportunity for
TCU.
“When I was playing
high school football, my
dad might be playing Tex-
as A&M the next day, and
I would come home from
my high school game after
driving back from Ama-
rillo or wherever we were
driving back from, and I’d
walk in the living room
and my dad and (A&M’s)
R.C. Slocum were in there
having a drink, 1 a.m. the
night before a game.”
Dykes added with a
chuckle: “In that spirit, I
was going to invite coach
Harbaugh to my hotel
room (Friday) night and
see if we wanted to open
up a bottle of bourbon
and reminisce. I don’t
know if he will take me up
on it.”
Harbaugh, seated next
to Dykes, responded with
a laugh, “It’s way past my
bedtime.”
brent.zwerneman@chron.com
twitter.com/brentzwerneman
likely to reach title show-
downs. Their margins of
victory in semifinals have
averaged about 20 points.
Even though Georgia’s
closest game this year was
an intrasquad scrimmage,
few are forecasting a rout
in a game in which the
Bulldogs are favored by
roughly a touchdown.
Smart, a member of the
Crimson Tide coaching
staff when Alabama won
back-to-back national
championships under the
Bowl Championship Se-
ries model, suggested he
was applying few turnkey
lessons from that run to
this season’s pursuit of a
second consecutive title.
“There’s no, like, this
magic potion, let me go to
the book where you have a
team go twice,” he said.
“There is no book for it.
You just manage each and
every team and each and
every season as best you
can.”
Few coaches anywhere
would disagree, but Ohio
State has still been de-
lighted this month to tap
into its 2014 history. The
university’s success back
then, players and coaches
said, was a handy antidote
to narratives about Geor-
gia’s effectively unchecked
power this year.
“It’s a different time, but
I think the biggest thing is
that it can be done,” said
Larry Johnson, a member
of the 2014 Ohio State staff
who is now the associate
head coach. “There’s a
blueprint.”
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
TEXAS
Drops, defensive lapses hurt chances
By Nick Moyle
STA F F W RIT E R
SAN ANTONIO — The
30th Alamo Bowl wasn’t
the shootout so many ex-
pected.
Certainly, this year’s
game didn’t come close to
matching the breathless
madness of Texas coach
Steve Sarkisian’s first trip
to the Alamodome back in
2011, when Baylor won a re-
cord-breaking 67-56 thrill-
er over his Washington
Huskies.
But for Sarkisian, the
outcome was the same 11
years later. No. 12 Washing-
ton (11-2) wore down No. 20
Texas (8-5) in a 27-20 win
Thursday night in front of
62,730 fans.
“I’m proud of what
we’ve done from Year 1 to
Year 2,” Sarkisian said af-
ter Texas improved from
five wins to eight. “I think
we’re making really good
progress. The key for us
now is to take the next step
going into Year 3.”
Before totally flipping
the page on Texas’ 2022
campaign, some notes and
takeaways from the Long-
horns’ season finale at the
Alamodome:
Strong finish
There’s no doubt this
was a taxing year for red-
shirt freshman quarter-
back Quinn Ewers. The
“savior” label is a weighty
burden to carry around,
especially for a transfer
who hadn’t thrown a pass
in a college game prior to
this season.
After a full month of
hearing about his strug-
gles, talking to reporters
about refining his foot-
FINGER
From page B1
At long last, the Long-
horns seem less con-
cerned with being “back”
than with being realistic.
They didn’t play for a
conference championship
or contend for a playoff
berth this year. They
didn’t play particularly
well Thursday night
against the 12th-ranked
Huskies, who never
trailed and built a 17-point
fourth quarter lead before
Texas made the score
more respectable in the
closing minutes.
For second-year coach
Steve Sarkisian, all of that
almost was beside the
point. Nine years after
Mack Brown was fired
for losing five games with
an Alamo Bowl team
trending downward,
Sarkisian raved about the
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Pittsburgh shines in fourth against UCLA, wins Sun Bowl
W IR E R E P ORT S
EL PASO — Ben Sauls
booted five field goals,
including a 47-yarder
with seconds to play, to
lift Pitt to a 37-35 win
over No. 18 UCLA in a
back-and-forth Sun Bowl.
The Panthers (9-4),
playing without five
starters who opted out of
the game, took advantage
of five UCLA turnovers,
including four intercep-
tions.
UCLA (9-4) scored
what appeared to be the
game-winning touch-
down on an 8-yard run
by T.J. Harden with 34
seconds remaining. That
capped a drive that start-
ed at the UCLA 25-yard
line with less than two
minutes left, and was
keyed by a 34-yard run
by Harden.
Pitt quarterback Nick
Patti got completions of
18 and 17 yards to Jared
Wayne and Bub Means
on the ensuing drive.
After spiking the ball to
Texas receiver Xavier Worthy had a team-high seven catches for 84 yards in the
Alamo Bowl loss to Washington but also had three drops.
work and improving his
marksmanship, the na-
tion’s former No. 1 overall
recruit finished 2022 with
his best performance yet.
Ewers completed 31 of 47
passes for 369 yards with
one touchdown and no
turnovers. Those numbers
could have been even more
impressive if not for some
drops, including a few
backbreaking blunders by
sophomore receiver Xavier
Worthy.
Costly drops
This hadn’t been the se-
quel Worthy was hoping
for. A freshman All-Amer-
ican in 2021, the spindly
speedster put up solid
numbers during the regu-
lar season (676 yards, nine
touchdowns) but struggled
with drops while trying to
get aligned with Ewers.
Worthy put together an-
attitude of a five-loss
Alamo Bowl team that he
said “is fighting to win,
and fighting to win to-
gether.”
“I’m proud of our
team,” Sarkisian said,
looking and sounding
like he meant it.
Is that a sign of how
the standards for success
have changed since the
Longhorns averaged 11
victories and finished in
the national top 12 every
year from 2000 to 2009?
Sure, but context is im-
portant.
In 2013, when they
fired Brown after an 8-5
season, it had become
increasingly apparent his
recruiting mojo was slip-
ping away, and that he
lacked a clear plan to fix
it. This year, even dealing
with ugly losses to Texas
Tech and Oklahoma
State, Sarkisian assem-
bled a top-five class led
UCLA wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala catches a pass despite being tightly
covered by Pittsburgh defensive back Erick Hallett in the first half.
stop the clock, Patti
scrambled for 11 yards to
the UCLA 29-yard line.
After another spike with
10 seconds left, Sauls
came on to kick the
game-winner, which
sailed through the up-
rights with just four sec-
onds remaining.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
other good line in the Ala-
mo Bowl, finishing with a
team-high seven catches
for 84 yards. But that pro-
duction came on 14 targets,
three of which were
dropped.
Two of those mistakes
came on consecutive plays
with Texas trailing 20-10
more than halfway
through the third quarter.
On second-and-11 from
the Texas 39, Ewers lofted
a picturesque spiral to
Worthy deep down the
sideline over a pair of UW
defensive backs. The ball
plunged right through
Worthy’s hands and hit the
turf.
On the following play,
Worthy flew past the de-
fense on a fly route and
Ewers delivered the pass
where it needed to be. Wor-
thy bobbled the ball and
ultimately lost it, squan-
by Arch Manning, and he
at least can sell the idea
that things are getting
better.
Granted, part of the
reason things improved
in his second season is
that the Longhorns had
taken such a significant
step back in his first,
when they went 5-7 in
2021. And granted, nights
like Thursday — when
the Longhorns managed
just three first-half points
as Sarkisian’s early game
plan fell flat — haven’t
done much to cement his
reputation as a supposed
offensive savant.
Ewers, who transferred
from Ohio State a year
after being rated the con-
sensus top quarterback
recruit in the country,
still hasn’t done enough
to convince anyone he’s
the Longhorns long-
awaited long-term answer
at the sport’s most impor-
NO. 21 NOTRE DAME 45
NO. 19 S. CAROLINA 38
Tyler Buchner ac-
counted for five touch-
downs to help offset two
interceptions returned
for touchdowns for the
Irish (9-4) in a wild Tax-
Slayer Gator Bowl in
Jacksonville, Fla.
Tim Warner/Getty Images
dering what would have
been a game-changing 61-
yard touchdown recep-
tion.
On the ensuing posses-
sion, Washington marched
90 yards in 14 plays to take
a 27-10 lead with13:08 left in
the game.
“It’s tough, but I didn’t
lose any confidence in
him,” Ewers said. “And I
know he didn’t lose any
confidence in himself. It
happens every now and
then, but it sucks to see it
happen in crucial situa-
tions like it was.”
Third-down troubles
Texas couldn’t establish
the run, which led to too
many third-and-long situ-
ations. And it couldn’t sty-
mie Washington on the
“money downs” — the
Huskies converted 11 of 20
third downs and 2 of 3
tant position. He complet-
ed 31 of 47 passes for a
career-high 369 yards
Thursday, but the num-
bers didn’t tell the whole
story.
On one side of the
ledger, Ewers was hurt by
at least two costly Xavier
Worthy drops that could
have gone for long touch-
downs. On the other side,
Ewers missed badly on a
couple of key throws in
the first half, and he
wound up padding his
stat line with a meaning-
less 49-yard heave to
midfield on the game’s
final play.
All in all, it was, as
Sarkisian described the
game, “kind of a micro-
cosm of how our season
went.”
If someone were so
inclined, he could look at
Ewers’ performance and
see plenty of evidence
that he can be a differ-
Andres Leighton/Associated Press
Buchner, who regained
the starting job after
Drew Pyne entered the
transfer portal after the
regular-season finale,
threw for 274 yards and
three touchdowns. He
also ran for 61 yards and
two scores.
The highest-scoring
fourth downs.
That proved a lethal
combination for the Long-
horns’ defense, which
spent nearly 36 minutes on
the field in the loss.
“We would have loved to
have gotten off the field on
third down better,” Sarki-
sian said. “And that’s
something we need to ad-
dress in the offseason, our
own ability to convert third
downs and then our ability
to get off the field on de-
fense. And there’s a lot of
factors that go into it.”
Record catch
In 2005, David Thomas
became the first Texas
tight end to catch 50 passes
in a single season. On
Thursday night, sopho-
more Ja’Tavion Sanders
joined him. And surpassed
him.
The Longhorns’ break-
out offensive star this sea-
son, Sanders finished with
five catches for 36 yards in
his first bowl game. That
brought his season total to
54, the most ever by a Tex-
as tight end.
Sanders finished this
season with 613 receiving
yards, tied with Thomas
for second-most by a Texas
tight end. Sanders will be
gunning for Williams Har-
ris’ single-season record
(637 yards) in 2023
Uncertain future
If Sanders represented
the team’s breakout of-
fense star, Texas junior
linebacker Jaylan Ford was
his defensive counterpart.
Ford made himself a lot
of money this season. He
was named a third-team
All-American by the Asso-
ciated Press and first-team
ence-maker for a champi-
onship contender. And if
someone else were in-
clined another way, he
could look at the same
performance and see
reasons to believe Ewers
might lose his job to Man-
ning or backup Maalik
Murphy.
This is Texas football,
after all, and that means
there’s going to be no
shortage of drama, how-
ever this turns out. Even
if Manning and his family
would prefer him to take
it slow and redshirt next
season, that won’t stop
the national TV cameras
from panning to his face
the first time Ewers
throws an interception.
Managing that will be
one of Sarkisian’s most
important tasks, lest he
repeat the missteps of his
predecessors and let a
quarterback controversy
slip away from him.
game in Gator Bowl his-
tory was filled with big
plays and memorable
moments. But Buchner
delivered the knockout
blow when he found tight
end Mitchell Evans wide
open for a 16-yard touch-
down on a third-and-7
play with 1:38 remaining.
Spencer Rattler com-
pleted 29-of-44 passes for
246 yards for the Game-
cocks (8-5).
MARYLAND 16
NORTH CAROLINA STATE 12
Taulia Tagovailoa
threw a 19-yard touch-
down pass to Octavian
Smith, Chad Ryland
kicked three field goals
and the Terrapins out-
lasted the Wolfpack, their
former Atlantic Coast
Conference foe, to win
the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in
Charlotte, N.C.
Tagovailoa finished 19
of 37 for 221 yards with
two interceptions. Roman
Hemby ran for 65 yards
rushing on 24 carries for
Maryland (8-5), which
B5
Thursday’s game
No. 12 Washington 27
No. 20 Texas 20
Texas 3 0 7 10 — 20
Washington
First quarter
10 3 7 7 — 27
TEX: FG Auburn 30, 3:17.
WASH: Taulapapa 42 run (Henry kick), 3:17.
Second quarter
WASH: FG Henry 24, :00.
Third quarter
TEX: J.Brooks 34 pass from Ewers (Auburn kick), 12:31.
WASH: T.Davis 6 pass from Penix (Henry kick), 6:44.
Fourth quarter
WASH: McMillan 8 pass from Penix (Henry kick), 13:08.
TEX: J.Brooks 3 run (Auburn kick), 9:50.
TEX: FG Auburn 26, 1:40.
TEX WASH
First downs 19 24
Total Net Yards 420 445
Rushes-yards 18-51 28-158
Passing
Punt Returns
369
1-0
287
2-0
Kickoff Returns 2-40 1-12
Interceptions Ret.
Comp-Att-Int
1-0
31-47-0
0-0
32-55-1
Sacked-Yards Lost 2-12 0-0
Punts 4-36.25 3-39.0
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards 6-45 7-45
Time of Possession 40:40 39:38
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Texas, K.Robinson 8-27, J.Brooks 6-18, Ew-
ers 4-6. Washington, Taulapapa 14-108, Newton 11-44,
Penix 3-6.
PASSING: Texas, Ewers 31-47-0-369. Washington, Pe-
nix 32-54-1-287, (Team) 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING: Texas, Worthy 7-84, K.Robinson 6-42,
Whittington 5-44, Sanders 5-36, Cain 4-106, J.Brooks 2-
37, Helm 1-19, Red 1-1. Washington, McMillan 8-58,
Odunze 5-57, T.Davis 4-32, Westover 4-32, Culp 4-29,
Polk 3-45, Taulapapa 3-17, Moore 1-17.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
All-Big 12 selection by both
the AP and conference
coaches.
After adding 10 tackles
in the Alamo Bowl to bring
his season total to 119, Ford
fielded a question about
his next steps. The junior is
eligible for the 2023 NFL
draft and could end up as a
mid-round draft pick if he
elects to leave Texas early.
But in the immediate af-
termath of the Longhorns’
loss, Ford wasn’t ready to
make an announcement.
“It’s kind of hard to
make a decision right now,
especially after that,” Ford
said. “I’ll definitely come
with an answer here soon.”
nmoyle@express-news.net
twitter.com/nrmoyle
Still, making do with
two five-star passers is a
problem many coaches
would love to have, and
that’s why Sarkisian
could afford to sound a
positive note after Thurs-
day’s loss. If he can figure
out how to call the right
plays next year, he should
have players capable of
executing them.
So yes, another Texas
coach finished another
8-5 season in San Anto-
nio, before New Year’s
Day, getting overwhelmed
by a Pac-12 foe. But nine
years after a young Ewers
sat in the stands and
watched that spell the
end for Brown?
This time the burnt-
orange contingent was
willing to cut Sarkisian
some slack.
For now, anyway.
mfinger@express-news.net
twitter.com/mikefinger
won its second straight
bowl game.
Ben Finley completed
22 of 48 passes for 269
yards with two intercep-
tions and couldn’t find
the end zone for the
Wolfpack (8-5).
OHIO 30
WYOMING 27 (OT)
CJ Harris hit Tyler
Foster on a 10-yard
touchdown pass in over-
time for the Bobcats
(10-4) in the Arizona
Bowl in Tucson, Ariz.
The Cowboys (7-6)
labored offensively after
the teams combined for
three touchdowns in the
first quarter. Andrew
Peasley sparked Wyo-
ming's offense, orches-
trating a six-play, 75-yard
drive capped by Jordan
Vaughn's 5-yard TD run
with 2:08 left in reg-
ulation.
The Bobcats had time
to answer, and Nathanial
Vakos kicked a tying
46-yard field goal with 4
seconds left.
B6
ORANGE BOWL: NO. 6 TENNESSEE 31, NO. 7 CLEMSON 14
Tennessee WR Squirrel White beats Clemson safety Andrew Mukuba for a TD
pass from Joe Milton, who filled in admirably for the injured Hendon Hooker.
Milton’s three TD passes
help Vols go wire-to-wire
By Tim Reynolds
AS S OC IAT E D PRE SS
MIAMI GARDENS,
Fla. — The only thing that
stopped Tennessee fans
from singing “Rocky Top”
as time was expiring Fri-
day night was the need to
serenade Joe Milton with
something else.
“M-V-P!” they chanted,
over and over. With good
reason.
Milton — who regained
the starting job only after
close friend Hendon Hook-
er got hurt late in the year
— led Tennessee to one of
its finest moments in the
past couple decades.
He completed 19-of-28
passes for 251 yards and
three touchdowns, and No.
6 Tennessee never trailed
on its way to a 31-14 victory
over No. 7 Clemson in the
Orange Bowl.
“I trust myself, I trust
my coaching, and I just let
it happen,” Milton said.
The Volunteers finished
11-2 — they hadn’t had an 11-
win season since 2001 —
and capped a year in which
they beat Alabama, LSU
and Clemson — programs
that combined to win six of
the past seven College
Football Playoff national
titles.
“All the adversity this
group’s faced during their
careers, what they’ve done
the last 23 months, I
couldn’t be prouder of a
group of individuals,” said
Tennessee coach Josh Heu-
pel, who won a national ti-
tle as an Oklahoma player
at the Orange Bowl.
“These players, our staff,
Vol Nation, everybody’s
been along for the jour-
ney.”
Squirrel White, Bru Mc-
Coy and Ramel Keyton
had the scoring catches for
the Volunteers. Jaylen
Wright rushed for 89 yards
and Jabari Small had a
touchdown run for Ten-
nessee.
Cade Klubnik, making
his first start for Clemson,
completed 30-of-54 passes
for 320 yards with two in-
terceptions. But Clemson
(11-3) kept coming up emp-
ty on prime scoring chanc-
es. The Tigers got into Ten-
nessee territory on nine of
their first 10 possessions —
and turned those trips into
only two field goals.
Klubnik ran in from 4
yards out to get Clemson
within 21-14 with 10:01 left,
but Milton connected with
Keyton for a 46-yard score
on the next Tennessee pos-
session. The Volunteers in-
tercepted Klubnik on a
desperation fourth-down
heave about a minute later,
all but sealing the out-
come.
In this very orange
Orange Bowl — both
teams have it as their pri-
mary color — it was the
Tennessee hue that was
superior. Hooker was
there, having flown in
about a week ago to be with
his team and help Milton
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
COLLEGES
TEXAS BASKETBALL
Horns open league
play without Beard
By Nick Moyle UP NEXT The defense remains
STA F F W R I T ER elite, thanks to a long-lim-
TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA bed, athletic and switch-
AUSTIN — No. 6- When/where: 1 p.m. able roster boosted by
ranked Texas (11-1) opens Saturday at Norman, Okla. rangy freshman wing Dil-
Big 12 play Saturday TV/radio: ESPN+; 790 AM. lon Mitchell. And only
against Oklahoma (9-3) at Texas, No. 2 Connecticut
the Lloyd Noble Center. and No. 11 UCLA are post-
For the Longhorns, it will ed in “self-defense,” Tra- ing top-12 numbers in de-
mark Game 5 with associ- vis County district attor- fensive and offensive effi-
ate head coach Rodney ney José Garza can still ciency, per KenPom.com.
Terry serving as the choose to prosecute the Wednesday, Carr
team’s acting head coach. case and present its find- torched Texas A&M-
Chris Beard remains ings to a grand jury fol- Commerce with 41 points
employed as the pro- lowing the office’s investi- in the Longhorns’ 97-72
gram’s head coach while gation, which could take win at the Moody Center.
serving an indefinite sus- months. Afterward, he became the
pension, almost three Texas will not wait first Texas player to meet
Lynne Sladky/Associated Press weeks after he was months to decide whether with the media since
charged with felony fami- to sever ties with Beard Beard was suspended.
ly assault by strangula- less than two years into “I feel like we’re doing a
tion. his seven-year, $35 million pretty good job,” Carr
Perry Minton, Beard’s
lawyer, has vehemently
maintained his client’s in-
contract or retain the
coach it poached from
Texas Tech to lead the
said. “Obviously, it’s an
adjustment. But it’s been a
good and a smooth one.
nocence and refuted the
statements logged in the
arrest affidavit. On the
Longhorns to new
heights. The felony charge
is enough for Texas to
We respect coach (Terry).
He’s a great coach and we
all knew that coming here.
BOWL LINEUP night of the incident the fired Beard with cause, Coach has been the guy
alleged victim, Beard’s though the university has who’s really emphasized
Date/ Bowl/ Attend./ Result/ Fav./ fiancée Randi Trew, told not feel compelled to reach our defense, making sure
Time Site TV Matchup Line responding Austin Police a rapid resolution. we’re always on-point and
Dec. 16 Bahamas 12,172 UAB 24 UAB Department officers the The university said it’s everything like that.
Nassau, Bahamas Miami (Ohio) 20 by 10½
Dec. 16 Cure 11,911 Troy 18 UTSA
49-year-old Texas coach aware of Trew’s statement Coach has been doing a
Orlando, Fla. UTSA 12 by 1½ “snapped” and strangled, and declined further com- great job, the whole staff
Dec. 17 Fenway 15,000 Louisville 24 Louis. bit (teeth marks were vis- ment amid its own inter- has been doing a great job
Boston Cincinnati 7 by 2 ible, according to the re- nal investigation. A team of stepping up in their re-
Dec. 17 Celebration 49,670 NC Central 41 JSU
Atlanta Jackson St. 34 (OT) by 14
port) and dragged her off a spokesman confirmed spective roles. I feel like
Dec. 17 Las Vegas 29,750 Oregon St. 30 Ore. St. bed in their shared Austin Terry, now 4-0 as acting everybody is adjusting
Las Vegas Florida 3 by 10 residence. head coach, will continue well.”
Dec. 17 L.A. 32,405 Fresno St. 29 Fresno St. On Dec. 23, Trew re- to lead the team during While there’s no been
Inglewood, Calif. Washington St. 6 by 3
leased her first public Beard’s suspension. no rush on its end, the uni-
Dec. 17 LendingTree 20,512 Southern Miss. 38 So. Miss
Mobile, Ala. Rice 24 by 6½ statement since Beard’s And that’s where Texas versity is expected to
Dec. 17 New Mexico 22,209 BYU 24 SMU Dec. 12 arrest: “Chris did stands heading into the reach a decision about
Albuquerque, N.M. SMU 23 by 4 not strangle me, and I told start of conference play. Beard’s future in January.
Dec. 17 Frisco 12,211 Boise St. 35 Boise that to law enforcement The Longhorns remain Meanwhile, Carr and
Frisco North Texas 32 by 11
Dec. 19 Myrtle Beach 12,023 Marshall 28 Marsh.
that evening. Chris has a Final Four contender, his teammates are aware
Conway, S.C. Connecticut 14 by 11½ stated that he was acting Beard or no Beard. of what’s going on outside
Dec. 20 Potato 10,122 E. Michigan 41 SJSU in self-defense, and I do They’re one of 14 teams the lines as they prepare
Boise, Idaho San Jose St. 27 by 3½ not refute that. I do not be- with no more than one to face a capable Oklaho-
Dec. 20 Boca Raton 20,622 Toledo 21 Toledo lieve Chris was trying to loss and are 2-1 against ma team on the road.
Boca Raton, Fla. Liberty 19 by 3½
Dec. 21 New Orleans 13,456 W. Kentucky 44 S. Ala.
intentionally harm me in teams ranked in the Asso- Whatever happens to
New Orleans South Alabama 23 by 3½ any way. It was never my ciated Press top 25. Beard is out of their
Dec. 22 Armed Forces N/A Air Force 30 Baylor intent to have him arrest- Fifth-year senior Mar- hands.
Fort Worth Baylor 15 by 3½ ed or prosecuted. We ap- cus Carr is averaging 25.8 All the Longhorns can
Dec. 23 Independence 23,410 Houston 23 UH
Shreveport, La. Louisiana 16 by 7
preciate everyone’s sup- points on 57.9 percent do, Carr said, is stay “fo-
Dec. 23 Gasparilla 34,370 Wake Forest 27 Wake port and prayers during shooting and four assists cused on taking it one day
Tampa, Fla. Missouri 17 by 1½ this difficult time.” in four games without at a time.”
Dec. 24 Hawaii 6,605 Middle Tenn. St. 25 SDSU Beard has an emergen- Beard. He’s surrounded “RT (Terry) is our
Honolulu San Diego St. 23 by 7
cy protective order active by a selfless cast, too, a coach, he added, “and
Dec. 26 Quick Lane 22,987 New Mexico 24 BG
Detroit Bowling Green 19 by 3½ against him until Feb. 10, group that ranks seventh we’re focused on being led
Dec. 27 Camellia 15,322 Buffalo 23, Ga. So. and he’s currently await- nationally in assists per by him.”
Montgomery, Ala. Ga. Southern 21 by 4½ ing a Jan. 18 court hearing. game (19.2) and fourth in
Dec. 27 First Responder N/A Memphis 38, Memp. And despite Trew’s recent assist-to-turnover ratio nmoyle@express-news.net
Dallas vs. Utah St. 10 by 7½
Dec. 27 Birmingham 15,901 East Carolina 53 E. Car.
statement that Beard act- (1.65-to-1.00). twitter.com/nrmoyle
Birmingham, Ala. Costal Carolina 29 by 7½
Dec. 27 Guaranteed Rate 23,187 Wisconsin 24 Wis.
Dec. 28
Phoenix
Military
Annapolis, Md.
17,974
Oklahoma St. 17
Duke 30, UCF 13
by 3½
Duke
by 3½
UH the bench against Virgin-
ia, including five re-
Walker (15.1), Chaney
(14.5), Sharp (14) and Fran-
Dec. 28 Liberty 52,847 Arkansas 55 Ark.
From page B1 bounds and a key block cis (12.8).
Memphis, Tenn. Kansas 53 (3OT) by 2½ down the stretch. Francis said his growth
Dec. 28 Holiday 36,242 Oregon 28 Oregon earlier this month against “He’s a security blanket began last season when he
San Diego North Carolina 27 by 13½ then-No. 8 Alabama and for a coach, having a guy would face veterans Fabi-
Dec. 28 Texas 53,251 Texas Tech 42 Miss.
NRG Stadium Mississippi 25 by 3½
No. 2 Virginia. like Reggie that you know an White Jr. and Josh Carl-
Dec. 29 Pinstripe 31,131 Minnesota 28 Minn. But in the last two exactly what you’re going ton every day in practice.
New York Syracuse 20 by 10½ games, blowouts against to get from him,” Samp- “They were real physi-
Dec. 29 Cheez-It 61,520 Florida St. 35 FSU McNeese State and Wed- son said. cal with me,” said Francis,
Orlando, Fla. Oklahoma 32 by 9½
nesday’s 89-50 rout at Tul- Ahead 25 points in the whose 26 blocked shots
Dec. 29 Alamo 62,730 Washington 27 Texas
San Antonio Texas 20 by 3½ sa — the largest confer- second half Wednesday, lead the AAC. “Coming in
Friday Duke’s Mayo 37,228 Maryland 16 N.C. State ence road win in program Sampson considered put- I wasn’t as physical as
Charlotte, N.C. N.C. State 12 by 1½ history — the Cougars’ ting starting guard Tra- them, so I had to get up to
Friday Sun Bowl 41,104 Pittsburgh 37 UCLA bench has delivered two of mon Mark — who has their standards and learn
El Paso UCLA 35 by 7½
Friday Gator 67,383 Notre Dame 45 ND
its most productive out- been dealing with a “wal- how to get a rebound. I
Jacksonville, Fla. South Carolina 38 by 3½ ings of the season. nut-sized” knot in his took what they told me,
Friday Arizona 27,691 Ohio 30 Ohio Against McNeese, the thigh — back in the game. every little technique and I
Tucson, Ariz. Wyoming 27 (OT) by 2½ Cougars had 48 bench Instead, Sampson went tried to implement it.”
Friday Orange 63,912 Tennessee 31 Clemson points — Francis had a ca- with Arceneaux and sat Whether for a quick
Miami Gardens, Fla. Clemson 14 by 5½
Saturday Music City ABC Kentucky (7-5) Iowa
reer-high 23 points with 13 the Cougars’ three start- breather or to provide a
11 a.m. Nashville vs. Iowa (7-5) by 2½ rebounds and Sharp add- ing guards for most of the spark, the bench plays a
Saturday Sugar ESPN Alabama (10-2) Alabama ed a career-high 18 points final 12 minutes. Arce- vital role every game,
11 a.m. New Orleans vs. Kansas St. (10-3) by 6½ on six 3-pointers — and neaux, a true freshman, Sasser said.
Saturday Fiesta (CFP semifinal) ESPN Michigan (13-0) Michigan
3 p.m. Glendale, Ariz. vs. TCU (12-1) by 7½
followed with 33 points in has shown flashes this “They’re real important
Saturday Peach (CFP semifinal) ESPN Georgia (13-0) Georgia the AAC opener. For the season as he continues to to the team,” he added. “I
7 p.m. Atlanta vs. Ohio St. (11-1) by 6½ season, UH’s bench is av- find in his way in the rota- feel like the five starters
Monday ReliaQuest ESPN Mississippi St. (8-4) Illinois eraging 23.7 points per tion. aren’t going to have a good
11 a.m. Tampa, Fla. vs. Illinois (8-4) by 1½
game, which ranks 115th “We’re trying to get game every single night.
Monday Citrus ABC LSU (9-4) LSU
Noon Orlando, Fla. vs. Purdue (8-5) by 14½ among Division I schools. these freshmen up to We need that boost off the
Monday Cotton ESPN Southern Cal (11-2) USC Sampson said the “com- speed as much as we can,” bench, that quick spark. I
Noon Arlington vs. Tulane (11-2) by 1½ fort level” continues to Sampson said. feel like we have the per-
Monday Rose ESPN Utah (10-3) Utah grow when it comes to us- Sharp said it comes fect guys for that to come
4 p.m. Pasadena, Calif. vs. Penn St. (10-2) by 2½
Jan. 9 CFP final ESPN Semifinal winners
ing his bench, particularly down to being ready when off the bench to give us
6:30 p.m Inglewood, Calif. with younger players such called upon. He did not that spark. Not just scor-
as Francis, Sharp and play against Alabama, ing. We’ve got guys that
guards Terrance Arce- was on the court for nine can come in and give us in-
prepare for the game. times and getting to the neaux and Ramon Walker minutes against Virginia, stant defense or rebound-
“Blood can’t make us Vols 25 on four occasions. Jr. but has averaged 20 min- ing. I feel like the team is
closer,” Milton said. Somehow, that only be- “Certainly, a lot more utes in the last two games. built to be ready for what-
“That’s my brother till the came three points. than it was this time last During that span, Sharp ever.”
end.” The other six posses- month,” Sampson said. averaged 16 points and Forward J’Wan Roberts
Milton opened the scor- sions: a stuffed fake field- Along with a core of shot 9-of-15 on 3s. said that experience now,
ing with a 16-yard pass to goal run by Drew Swinney, younger players, Samp- “Any minutes I can get in spurts or extended
McCoy, and Small’s 2-yard the son of Clemson coach son has the luxury of be- is good for my game, be- playing time, can pay off
rush pushed the lead to Dabo Swinney; a punt; ing able to bring veteran cause it allows me to get come the postseason.
14-0 with 9:03 left in the three missed field goals by Reggie Chaney off the more comfortable,” said “It just shows how
half. The nation’s most B.T. Potter — the most pro- bench. Chaney, a fifth- Sharp, whose 17 3-pointers deadly we are,” Roberts
prolific offense wasn’t at lific kicker in school histo- year senior forward, was a are second on the team be- said. “A lot of people talk
its best — Tennessee led ry — and a brutal final starter on the Cougars’ Fi- hind Sasser’s 30. “You’ve about the starting five, but
the nation this year in drive when Klubnik was nal Four team in 2020-21 just got to stay ready to they don’t know what we
yards and points per game tackled on a keeper with 6 but has moved into a key give confidence to Coach have coming off the bench.
— but it didn’t have to be. seconds left. Clemson was reserve role in the front- Sampson to go to the It makes us a dangerous
Clemson got the ball out of timeouts, couldn’t court. bench in (any situation).” team.”
seven times in the first get the field-goal unit on Sampson said Chaney Arceneaux is averaging
half, getting inside Tennes- the field, and went into provided “critical mo- a team-high 16.7 minutes joseph.duarte@chron.com
see territory all seven halftime trailing 14-3. ments” in 16 minutes off off the bench, followed by twitter.com/joseph_duarte
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM B7

FOR THE RECORD

SCOREBOARD ON THE AIR COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Odds
Radford lifts A&M
Television
Home team capitalized Col. basketball Virginia at Georgia Tech ACC 11 a.m.
NBA Col. basketball Virginia Tech at Wake Forest BSSW 11 a.m.
Saturday
Col. basketball Louisville at Kentucky CBS 11 a.m.

past Prairie View

FAVORITE LINE O/U UNDERDOG
LA Clippers 4 OFF INDIANA Col. basketball Stony Brook at Northeastern CBSSN 11 a.m.
Dallas 7 OFF SAN ANTONIO Col. basketball Princeton at Harvard (w) ESPNN 11 a.m.
Cleveland 4½ OFF CHICAGO
Brooklyn 9 OFF CHARLOTTE Col. basketball Connecticut at Xavier Fox 11 a.m.
New York 5½ OFF HOUSTON Col. basketball Texas Tech at TCU ESPNU 11 a.m.
Philadelphia 5 OFF OKLAHOMA CITY
Col. basketball St. John’s at Seton Hall FS1 11 a.m.
MEMPHIS 5½ OFF New Orleans
MINNESOTA 8 OFF Detroit Col. basketball Michigan at Ohio St. (w) Big Ten noon W I R E R EP O RT S
UTAH OFF OFF Miami Col. basketball Florida St. at Duke ESPN2 noon
NHL Col. basketball Boston College at Syracuse ACC 1 p.m. COLLEGE STATION
Saturday Col. basketball Oklahoma St. at Kansas CBS 1 p.m.
FAVORITE LINE UNDERDOG LINE Col. basketball Fresno St. at Utah St. CBSSN 1 p.m.
— Tyrece Radford scored
BOSTON -250 Buffalo +202
Col. basketball Arizona at Arizona St. Fox 1 p.m. 18 of his 20 points in the
COLUMBUS -137 Chicago +114
VEGAS -172 Nashville +142 Col. basketball Baylor at Iowa St. ESPNU 1 p.m. first half as Texas A&M
LOS ANGELES -235 Philadelphia +190 Col. basketball Marquette at Villanova FS1 1 p.m. led start to finish in an
WASHINGTON -275 Montreal +220
TAMPA BAY -360 Arizona +280 Col. basketball Kansas St. at Texas (w) LHN 2 p.m. 86-66 victory over Prairie
Minnesota
DETROIT
-138
-118
ST. LOUIS
Ottawa
+114
-104
Col. basketball San Diego St. at UNLV CBS 3 p.m. View A&M on Friday.
COLORADO -118 Toronto -102
Col. basketball Western Kentucky CBSSN 3 p.m. Radford made 5-of-6
DALLAS -255 San Jose +205 at Middle Tennessee
CALGARY -205 Vancouver +168 Col. basketball Creighton at DePaul (w) Fox 3 p.m. shots — 4-of-4 from be-
EDMONTON -146 Winnipeg +120
Col. basketball New Mexico at Wyoming FS1 3 p.m. yond the arc — and all
Basketball Col. basketball Utah at Stanford Pac-12 3 p.m. four of his free throws to
NBA leaders Col. basketball Pepperdine at Gonzaga ATTSW+ 4 p.m. guide Texas A&M (8-5) to
Through December 29
Scoring
Col. basketball Colorado at California Pac-12 5 p.m. a 53-32 lead at intermis-
Col. basketball Saint Mary’s at Santa Clara ATTSW+ 6 p.m. sion.
G FG FT PTS AVG
Col. basketball Oregon St. at Oregon Pac-12 7 p.m.
Embiid, PHI 25 280 256 843 33.7
Col. basketball Arizona at California (w) Pac-12 9 p.m.
Will Douglas had 15
Doncic, DAL 33 376 263 1111 33.7
Antetokounmpo, MIL 29 330 237 919 31.7 Col. football Music City Bowl: ABC 11 a.m. points to lead the Pan-
Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC
Tatum, BOS
32
34
336
347
299
248
1004 31.4
1055 31.0
Iowa vs. Kentucky thers (4-9), who’ve lost
Curry, GS 26 262 124 779 30.0 Col. football Sugar Bowl: ESPN, SEC 11 a.m. seven straight games.
Durant, BKN 34 362 232 1016 29.9 Alabama vs. Kansas St. Prairie View is 1-9 since
Mitchell, CLE 32 317 152 910 28.4
Col. football Fiesta Bowl (CFP semifinal): ESPN, ESPN2, 3 p.m.
James, LAL 27 295 106 751 27.8
TCU vs. Michigan ESPNU, ESPNN
beating Washington State
Davis, LAL 25 255 166 685 27.4
Young, ATL 31 268 240 847 27.3 Col. football Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal): ESPN, ESPN2, 7 p.m. 70-59 on Nov. 15.
Booker, PHO 29 283 153 786 27.1 Georgia vs. Ohio St. ESPNU, ESPNN, SEC
Brown, BOS 34 344 146 919 27.0
Hockey World Junior Championship: NHL 10 a.m. Justin Berl/Getty Images
Morant, MEM 29 272 183 777 26.8 HOUSTON CHRISTIAN 101
DeRozan, CHI 34 318 250 900 26.5 Slovakia vs. Switzerland Jamarius Burton scored a career-high 31 points in
NEW ORLEANS 96 (OT)
Siakam, TOR 25 233 163 663 26.5 Hockey World Junior Championship: NHL 12:30 p.m.
Irving, BKN 25 241 95 653 26.1
Czech Republic vs. Germany Brycen Long hit a 3- Pitt’s 76-74 upset of No. 25 North Carolina on Friday.
Williamson, NO 26 256 153 672 25.8
Jokic, DEN 31 300 174 798 25.7 Hockey World Junior Championship: NHL 3 p.m. pointer early in overtime,
Randle, NY 36 290 183 855 23.8 U.S. vs. Finland then made four straight NO. 14 MIAMI 76 home.
FG Percentage NOTRE DAME 65
Hockey World Junior Championship: NHL 5:30 p.m. free throws in the final 17 Burton was 14-of-17
FG FGA PCT Canada vs. Sweden
seconds to help the host Nigel Pack returned to from the field and had six
Claxton, BKN 171 230 .743
Gobert, MIN 158 237 .667
Horse racing America’s Day at the Races FS2 1:30 p.m.
Huskies prevail in their his home state and led rebounds. He helped Pitt
NBA New York at Rockets ATTSW 6 p.m.
Clarke, MEM
Poeltl, SA
140
143
214
219
.654
.653 Southland Conference the Hurricanes to victory (10-4, 3-0 ACC) win its
NHL San Jose at Dallas BSSW 7 p.m.
Capela, ATL 147 231 .636
Soccer Manchester United USA 6:30 a.m. opener. with 21 points in South fourth straight game and
Plumlee, CHA 142 226 .628
Allen, CLE 162 259 .625 at Wolverhampton Simeon Kirkland put Bend, Ind. remain unbeaten in con-
Zubac, LAC 141 226 .624 Soccer Leeds at Newcastle USA 9 a.m. back an offensive re- A junior from India- ference play.
Ayton, PHO 252 407 .619
Jokic, DEN 300 485 .619 Soccer Arsenal at NBC 11:30 a.m.
bound with 11 seconds left napolis, Pack made 5-of-8
Rebounds Brighton & Hove Albion 3-pointers. Norchad
Tennis United Cup Tennis 5 a.m. in regulation to pull New WOMEN
Sabonis, SAC
G
32
OFF
93
DEF
302
TOT
395
AVG
12.3 Tennis 5 p.m. Orleans even at 84-84 and Omier added 18 points as
Davis, LAL 25 78 224 302 12.1 Tennis ATP-WTA: Tennis 5 p.m. force the overtime period. Miami (13-1, 4-0 ACC)
NO. 10 UCLA 82
Gobert, MIN
Capela, ATL
30
27
106
117
253
205
359
322
12.0
11.9
Adelaide International
Bonke Maring scored won its ninth straight NO. 17 OREGON 74
Antetokounmpo, MIL 29 65 270 335 11.6 Radio
24 points and added nine game. Freshman Kiki Rice
Zubac, LAC 35 123 263 386 11.0 Col. basketball Texas Tech at TCU 100.7 FM 11 a.m.
Jokic, DEN 31 67 269 336 10.8
Col. basketball Oklahoma at Texas 790 AM 1 p.m. rebounds for HCU (4-10, NO. 15 WISCONSIN 76 had 21 points and seven
Adams, MEM 31 151 175 326 10.5
Vucevic, CHI 34 68 283 351 10.3 Col. basketball Central Florida at Houston 950 AM 1 p.m. 1-0), and Long added 19 WESTERN MICHIGAN 66 assists to lead the Bruins
Allen, CLE 29 87 210 297 10.2 NBA New York at Rockets 790 AM 6 p.m. points. Andrew King had Steven Crowl scored 20 to a road victory over the
Assists In Spanish 93.3 FM, 1010 AM
G AST AVG
16 points, five rebounds of his career-high 25 Ducks.
Haliburton, IND 34 347 10.2 and seven assists for the points after halftime as
Young, ATL 31 308 9.9
Jokic, DEN 31 291 9.4
Cook, Min
Fields, Chi
244 1109
150 1011
4.5
6.7
81t
67t
8
8
Vancouver
Arizona
35 16 16 3 35 122 135
34 13 16 5 31 99 123
Huskies. the host Badgers ended a NO. 11 UTAH 71
Doncic, DAL 33 293 8.9 Pollard, Dal 186 988 5.3 57t 9 San Jose 37 11 19 7 29 113 139 two-week layoff and won WASHINGTON ST. 66
Morant, MEM 29 236 8.1
Garland, CLE 30 235 7.8
McCaffrey, SF
Jones, GB
215 973
187 962
4.5
5.1
49
36
7
2
Anaheim
Chicago
37 10 23 4 24 87 154
34 8 22 4 20 76 128 NO. 11 UCLA 67 their fifth straight game. Kennady McQueen
Westbrook, LAL
Conley, UTA
32
26
246
194
7.7
7.5
Jama.Williams, Det 224 850 3.8 51t 14 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. WASHINGTON ST. 66 Wisconsin, which scored 20 points and
Elliott, Dal 204 829 4.1 27 11 Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per
Holiday, MIL 26 194 7.5 Allgeier, Atl 166 817 4.9 44 2 conference advance to playoffs. UCLA’s Tyger Camp- hadn’t played since Dec. Alissa Pili added 18 as the
Smart, BOS 32 236 7.4
Receivers Thursday’s results
Buffalo 6, Detroit 3
bell stole the ball from 15, pulled away with a visiting Utes held on after
Colleges No Yds Avg LG TD Ottawa 4, Washington 3 (OT) Washington State’s Ky- 16-4 run in the first 4½ blowing a 16-point half-
Jefferson, Min 123 1756 14.3 64 8
Basketball Brown, Phi 80 1304 16.3 68 10
Florida 7, Montreal 2
many Houinsou with 23 minutes of the second time lead.
Tampa Bay 2, N.Y. Rangers 1 (SO)
Men’s Lamb, Dal
McLaurin, Was
91
72
1207
1092
13.3 39 8
15.2 51 4
N.Y. Islanders 2, Columbus 1
St. Louis 3, Chicago 1
seconds left, and Adem half.
Top 25
Friday’s ressults
St. Brown, Det 96 1050 10.9 49 6 Winnipeg 4, Vancouver 2 Bona made the game- NO. 16 MARYLAND 107
Smith, Phi 79 1014 12.8 45 7 Dallas 4, Minnesota 1
No. 11 UCLA 67, Washington St. 66 Metcalf, Sea 86 1005 11.7 54 6 Arizona 6, Toronto 3 winning layup four sec- PITTSBURGH 76 MINNESOTA 85
No. 14 Miami 76, Notre Dame
No. 15 Wisconsin 76, W. Michigan 66
Lockett, Sea 78 964 12.4 40t 8 Los Angeles 5, Colorado 4 (SO)
Philadelphia 4, San Jose 3 (OT)
onds later to help the NO. 25 N. CAROLINA 74 Diamond Miller scored
Olave, NO 63 940 14.9 53t 3
Pittsburgh 76, No. 25 North Carolina 74
Evans, TB 67 917 13.7 51 3 Friday’s results Bruins escape with a Jamarius Burton 22 points and Shyanne
Nashville 6, Anaheim 1
EAST
American 60, Lafayette 47
Punters New Jersey 4, Pittsburgh 2 road victory. scored a career-high 31 Sellers added 19 points
Carolina 4, Florida 0
Army 80, Lehigh 78
Dickson, Sea
No
57
Yds
2797
Lg
68
Avg
49.1 Edmonton 7, Seattle 2 The Bruins’ Jaime points and Blake Hinson with nine rebounds as
Colgate 101, Loyola (Md.) 67
Fairfield 73, Marist 54 Camarda, TB 69 3379 74 49.0 Saturday’s games
Buffalo at Boston, Noon
Jaquez Jr. led all scorers had seven points in the the host Terrapins
Anger, Dal 55 2692 83 48.9
Holy Cross 60, Bucknell 58
Morgan St. 61, Hartford 54 Dixon, LAR 60 2926 65 48.8 Chicago at Columbus, Noon with 20 points and was final minute and a half as reached 100 points for the
Nashville at Vegas, 2 p.m.
Navy 75, Boston U. 58 Fox, Det 45 2187 66 48.6
Montreal at Washington, 3 p.m. 10-for-10 from the line. the Panthers won at first time this season.
Rutgers 90, Coppin St. 57 Hekker, Car 70 3393 68 48.5
Philadelphia at Los Angeles, 3 p.m.
Siena 83, Quinnipiac 76 Wright, Min 70 3327 73 47.5 Arizona at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m.
St. Peter’s 67, Manhattan 57 Lee, Ari 63 2969 65 47.1 Minnesota at St. Louis, 5 p.m.
SOUTH Gillan, NYG 67 3152 69 47.0 Ottawa at Detroit, 6 p.m.
Clemson 78, NC State 64
Way, Was 74 3470 68 46.9 Toronto at Colorado, 6 p.m. AROUND SPORTS
San Jose at Dallas, 7 p.m.
North Alabama 66, Jacksonville St. 62 AFC Individual leaders

SMU QB Mordecai plans

Vancouver at Calgary, 9 p.m.
SC State 111, St. Andrews 58
South Carolina 74, E. Michigan 64 Quarterbacks Winnipeg at Edmonton, 9 p.m.
Att Com Yds TD Int Sunday’s games
Stetson 86, Lipscomb 80 (OT)
Carolina at New Jersey, 2 p.m.
Vanderbilt 93, SE Louisiana 55 Mahomes, KC 580 388 4720 37 11
N.Y. Rangers at Florida, 4 p.m.
Burrow, Cin 564 389 4260 34 12

to transfer to Wisconsin
MIDWEST Buffalo at Ottawa, 6 p.m.
Herbert, LAC 634 431 4254 21 10 San Jose at Chicago, 6 p.m.
Akron 84, Concord 58 Allen, Buf 536 340 4029 32 13
Michigan St. 89, Buffalo 68 N.Y. Islanders at Seattle, 7 p.m.
Lawrence, Jac 531 350 3749 24 7
N. Dakota St. 71, North Dakota 49
Ohio 76, Chicago St. 59 Tagovailoa, Mia 400 259 3548 25 8 Soccer
Carr, Las 502 305 3522 24 14
English Premier League
SOUTHWEST
Dallas Baptist 75, Ark.-Fort Smith 64
Ryan, Ind
Wilson, Den
461
421
309
253
3057 14 13
3019 12 9
W I R E R EP O RT S consin since Luke Fick- who established the pre-
GP W D L GF GA Pts
Houston Christian 101, New Orleans 96 (OT) Mills, Hou 401 248 2618 14 13 Arsenal 15 13 1 1 36 12 40 ell’s arrival. Former vious AL mark of 61 ho-
Southwestern (Texas) 76, Howard Payne 63
Texas A&M 86, Prairie View 66
Rushers Man City
Newcastle
15 11 2 2 43 15 35
16 9 6 1 32 11 33
MADISON, Wis. — Oklahoma quarterback mers in 1961.
WEST Jacobs, Las
Att
306
Yds
1539
Avg
5.0
LG
86t
TD
11 Tottenham 16 9 3 4 33 23 30 Quarterback Tanner Nick Evers tweeted two “Wow. That’s incred-
Colorado Mesa 67, CSU-Pueblo 60
Hawaii 74, UC Davis 66
Henry, Ten 319 1429 4.5 56 13 Man United
Liverpool
15 9 2 4 23 20 29
16 8 4 4 33 19 28
Mordecai announced on weeks ago that he had ible,” Judge said of his
Chubb, Cle 276 1344 4.9 41t 12
Southern Cal 80, Washington 67 Etienne, Jac 204 1000 4.9 49 4 Brighton 15 7 3 5 26 20 24 social media Friday that committed to Wisconsin. selection. “All these other
West Texas A&M 72, Midwestern St. 71 Chelsea 15 7 3 5 19 17 24
Stevenson, NE 196 944 4.8 49 5
Brentford 17 5 8 4 27 27 23 he is transferring from Graham Mertz, Wis- great athletes that not
Pierce, Hou 220 939 4.3 75t 4
Women’s Taylor, Ind 192 861 4.5 66t 4 Fulham 16 6 4 6 27 26 22 SMU to Wisconsin. consin’s starting quarter- only impacted the game
Crystal Palace 15 5 4 6 15 21 19
Top 25 Harris, Pit
Mostert, Mia
227
161
843
791
3.7
4.9
36
67
6
3 Aston Villa 16 5 3 8 17 25 18 Mordecai tweeted the back the last three sea- and their sport, but also
Friday’s results
No. 10 UCLA 82, No. 17 Oregon 74 Singletary, Buf 170 790 4.6 33t 5 Leicester
Bournemouth
17 5 2 10 26 30 17
16 4 4 8 18 34 16
news two weeks after sons, entered the transfer impacted their communi-
No. 11 Utah 71, Washington St. 66
No. 16 Maryland 107, Minnesota 85
Receivers Leeds 15 4 3 8 23 29 15 playing in SMU’s 24-23 portal in early December ties and the culture in the
No Yds Avg LG TD Everton 16 3 5 8 12 19 14
EAST Hill, Mia 113 1632 14.4 64 7 West Ham 17 4 2 11 13 22 14
New Mexico Bowl loss to and plans to play for sports world and outside
Boston U. 62, Navy 39 Diggs, Buf 101 1325 13.1 53t 10 Wolverhampton 16 3 4 9 10 25 13 BYU. Mordecai threw his Florida next season. the sports world. So get-
Fairleigh Dickinson 68, Delaware St. 38 Adams, Las 88 1290 14.7 58t 12 Nottingham Forest 16 3 4 9 11 33 13
Holy Cross 62, Bucknell 45 Waddle, Mia 67 1260 18.8 84t 8 Southampton 16 3 3 10 14 30 12 school-record 72nd career ting a chance to be
Lehigh 90, Army 68
Maryland 107, Minnesota 85
Kelce, KC
Higgins, Cin
97
73
1257
1022
13.0
14.0
52
59t
12
7
Friday’s results touchdown pass for SMU MLB amongst that list is an
Judge named
West Ham 0, Brentford 2
Penn 95, Gwynedd-Mercy 38 Cooper, Cle 73 1004 13.8 55 7 Liverpool 2, Leicester 1 in that game. incredible honor.”
Temple 80, Memphis 69 G.Wilson, NYJ 71 996 14.0 60 4 Saturday’s games
Md.-Eastern Shore 100, Bryn Athyn 30 Kirk, Jac 76 988 13.0 49 7 Wolverhampton vs. Man United, 6:30 a.m. “I could not be more athlete of year The 30-year-old Judge
Loyola (Md.) 61, Colgate 54 (OT)
Monmouth (NJ) 54, Northeastern 49
Chase, Cin 79 960 12.2 60t 8 Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace, 9 a.m.
Fulham vs. Southampton, 9 a.m.
fired up to play at a led the majors in runs
Punters
Penn St. 90, Rutgers 72 Man City vs. Everton, 9 a.m. school with rich history After hitting 62 home (133), on-base percentage
Stony Brook 89, William & Mary 61 No Yds Lg Avg Newcastle vs. Leeds, 9 a.m.
St. Francis (Pa.) 46, Hartford 36 Stonehouse, Ten 82 4376 74 53.4 Brighton vs. Arsenal, 11:30 a.m. and a winning culture,” runs to break an Amer- (.425), slugging percent-
Delaware 77, Hofstra 65
American 75, Lafayette 65
Townsend, KC
Cooke, Jac
44
49
2213
2441
76
70
50.3
49.8
Sunday’s games
Tottenham vs. Aston Villa, 8 a.m.
Mordecai said. “Let’s ican League record that age (.686), OPS (1.111),
SOUTH A.Cole, Las 55 2681 67 48.7 Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea, 10:30 a.m. ride!” lasted six decades, Aaron extra-base hits (90) and
Monday’s game
Belmont 74, Valparaiso 60
Bojorquez, Cle
Johnston, Hou
53
78
2578
3785
76
67
48.6
48.5 Brentford vs. Liverpool, 11:30 a.m. Mordecai also thanked Judge of the New York total bases (391). He tied
Murray St. 68, Ill. Chicago 55
NC A&T 67, Elon 50 Martin, Buf 42 2021 67 48.1
Transactions SMU’s faculty, staff and Yankees has been voted for the big league lead
Mann, NYJ 75 3518 72 46.9
Samford 112, Birmingham Southern 75
South Florida 69, Tulane 61 Morstead, Mia 53 2458 66 46.4 BASKETBALL
program. He said: “I have the Associated Press with 131 RBIs and fin-
Texas A&M-CC 65, Northwestern St. 50 Waitman, Den 86 3975 58 46.2
NBA made relationships that I Male Athlete of the Year ished second in the AL
Tulsa 55, East Carolina 47
UNC-Greensboro 68, Lenoir-Rhyne 60 Hockey NBA: Fined Atlanta G Bogdan Bogdanovic an undisclosed will cherish and carry for by a panel of 40 sports with a .311 batting average.
amount for kicking a game ball into the spectator stands
W. Carolina 64, Southern Wesleyan 46 NHL during a Dec. 28th game against Brooklyn. the rest of my life.” writers and editors from
MIDWEST
Ball St. 119, Chicago St. 53 EASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL After spending 2018-20 news outlets across the SOCCER
Bowling Green 92, Findlay 51
IUPUI 68, N. Kentucky 65 Boston
GP
35
W
28
L OT Pts GF GA
4 3 59 135 78
NFL
CAROLINA PANTHERS: Promoted CB Josh Norman from
as a reserve quarterback country. Ronaldo signs
Illinois St. 87, Drake 76 Carolina 36 24 6 6 54 113 90 the practice squad to the active roster. for Oklahoma, Mordecai The outfielder edged with Saudi club
CINCINNATI BENGALS: Placed OT La’el Collins on injured
N. Iowa 83, Bradley 64
Wichita St. 61, Cincinnati 49
Toronto 36 22 8 6 50 119 92
reserve. transferred to SMU and Los Angeles Angels two-
New Jersey 36 23 11 2 48 120 92
SOUTHWEST Tampa Bay 34 22 11 1 45 121 99
MIAMI DOLPHINS: Signed WR Calvin Jackson to the
practice squad. Released WR DaeSean Hamilton from the
was the Mustangs’ starter way star Shohei Ohtani, Saudi Arabian soccer
Houston 60, SMU 44 Washington
Pittsburgh
38
36
20
19
13 5 45 118 106
11 6 44 121 109
practice squad. the last two seasons. last year’s winner, in club Al Nassr on Friday
NEW YORK GIANTS: Re-signed TE chris Myarick to the
WEST N.Y. Islanders 37 21 14 2 44 119 100 practice squad. He threw for 3,628 voting announced Friday. announced the signing of
Colorado 64, Washington 56 N.Y. Rangers 37 19 12 6 44 117 102
Southern Cal 69, Oregon St. 58 Detroit 34 15 12 7 37 106 115
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: Placed LB Jon Bostic on
injured reserve. Promoted LB De’Jon Harris from the prac-
yards with a school- Stephen Curry of the Cristiano Ronaldo,
Football Buffalo 33 17 14 2 36 133 112 tice squad to the active roster. Signed CB Troy Apke to the record 39 touchdowns NBA champion Golden ending speculation about
Florida 37 16 17 4 36 121 126 practide squad.
NFC Individual leaders Ottawa 35 16 16 3 35 107 111
HOCKEY
and 12 interceptions in State Warriors finished the five-time Ballon d'Or
Quarterbacks Montreal
Philadelphia
36
36
15
12
18 3 33 98 129
17 7 31 94 122 NHL 2021. Mordecai followed third. winner's future.
Brady, TB
Att
671
Com
443
Yds TD Int
4178 21 9
Columbus 34 10 22 2 22 90 137 BUFFALO SABRES: Loaned D Lawrence Pilut to rochester that by passing for 3,524 Judge joins an es- Al Nassr posted a pic-
(AHL).
Cousins, Min 592 389 4117 27 11 WESTERN CONFERENCE CALGARY FLAMES: Recalled C Radim Zohorna from Cal- yards with 33 touch- teemed fraternity of hon- ture on social media of
Goff, Det
Smith, Sea
524
512
338
362
3959 26 7
3886 27 9
GP W L OT Pts GF GA gary (AHL).
OTTAWA SENATORS: Returned D Dillon Heatherington
downs and 10 intercep- orees that includes Jesse Ronaldo holding up the
Dallas 37 22 9 6 50 132 102
Hurts, Phi 425 286 3472 22 5
Vegas 38 24 12 2 50 126 107
to Belleville (AHL). tions this season. He also Owens, Muhammad team's jersey, with the
Rodgers, GB 491 318 3331 24 11 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Reassigned LW Jordan Frasca
Jones, NYG 448 298 3028 13 5
Los Angeles 39 21 12 6 48 130 134 from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to Wheeling (ECHL). had two touchdown runs Ali, Wayne Gretzky and club hailing the deal as
Winnipeg 36 22 13 1 45 116 94
Dalton, NO 331 219 2495 17 8
Minnesota 35 20 13 2 42 111 100
VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Loaned F Nils Aman to Abbots-
ford (AHL). Recalled RW Will Lockwood from Abbots-
each of the last two sea- Michael Jordan. Among “history in the making.”
Prescott, Dal 316 218 2450 20 12
Garoppolo, SF 308 207 2437 16 4
Edmonton
Colorado
37
34
20
19
15 2 42 139 125
12 3 41 103 95
ford.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS: Recalled RW Sheldon Rem-
sons. the former Yankees to Ronaldo had been a
Rushers Calgary 37 17 13 7 41 114 113 pal from Henderson (AHL). Mordecai is the second win were Joe DiMaggio, free agent after his con-
WINNIPEG JETS: Signed C Danny Zhilkin to a three-year
Barkley, NYG
Att Yds Avg LG TD
283 1254 4.4 68 10
Seattle
St. Louis
34
36
18
17
12 4 40 117 118
16 3 37 112 130 entry-level contract. quarterback to announce Mickey Mantle and tract was terminated by
Sanders, Phi 236 1175 5.0 40t 11 Nashville 34 15 14 5 35 90 102 plans to transfer to Wis- Roger Maris — the man Manchester United.

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More to celebrate New Year’s from home
Party platters and top-shelf liquor
sell well as consumers skip the bars
By Megan Munce
STA F F WRIT E R
The theme for this year’s New
Year’s Eve seems to be “Party at
my place!”
Even as in-person work and
social events return to main-
stream life for many Americans,
inflation is pushing the party
back into homes, liquor stores
and alcohol industry groups say.
Total off-premise alcohol
sales in the U.S. were 15.8 per-
cent higher in 2021 than in pre-
pandemic 2019, according to re-
search firm NielsenIQ, an up-
ward trend that tapered off this
year as inflation began to
squeeze pocketbooks. Nielsen
The Chifley, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton, officially launched after new owners remodeled the 284-room hotel in the
Galleria/Uptown area in late 2022. The lobby is among the many areas that have been updated.
Former Galleria-area Sheraton
renovated, rebranded as Chifley
The upgraded hotel launches after remodel by new owners
By Marissa Luck
STA F F W RIT E R
A once-distressed hotel in the
Galleria is being rebranded after
an extensive renovation, with
plans to add a new restaurant its
owners expect to become a desti-
nation dining experience for
guests as well as area residents.
The former Sheraton Suites
Houston at 2400 West Loop has
been renamed the Chifley, a Tap-
estry Collection by Hilton, after
Florida-based Driftwood Hospi-
tality Management completed its
refresh of the 284-room property
in late December.
Ranking signals that area needs to diversify
By Erica Grieder
STA F F WRIT E R
A new ranking of the nation’s
metropolitan regions by growth
in gross domestic product sug-
gests that while Houston is no
longer as reliant on oil and gas
as it once was, the region still
has room to diversify its econo-
my.
This year saw record profits
for oil companies as crude pric-
es spent a good part of 2022 at or
above $100 a barrel. Exxon Mo-
bil, Chevron and Occidental Pe-
troleum are trading near 52-
week highs. That performance
is in stark contrast to numbers
put up in 2021, which started
with the world still largely
locked down as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
BUSINESS
HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022 • SECTION B
found that in the 12 months end-
ed July 30, total U.S. alcohol
sales reached $91.3 billion, down
from peak-pandemic sales for
home consumption of $93.7 bil-
lion in the year-earlier period.
At the same time, a mid-year
report by research firm ICI
found alcohol sales at U.S. bars
and restaurants remained be-
low pre-pandemic levels, in part
due to COVID concerns and la-
bor issues.
It’s a trend seen in Houston,
according to John Rydman,
president of Spec’s Wines, Spir-
its and Finer Foods.
“The whole year has been just
a little bit flat from last year,”
Rydman said. “We see custom-
The Tapestry branding is the
Hilton’s lifestyle hotel concept
aimed at blending the affordabil-
ity of a chain hotel with aspects
of a boutique experience by giv-
ing owners more independence
in shaping the look and feel of
the properties, which incorpo-
rate unique and local touches.
The upgraded hotel launches
as the hospitality sector regains
its footing after the pandemic
upended the travel industry. Lei-
sure travelers returned in full
force over the past year or so,
and business travelers began re-
suming in-person gatherings at
hotels. Although business travel
As a result, the GDP numbers
compiled by the Bureau of Eco-
nomic Analysis illustrate the
sway energy still holds over the
regional economy’s health.
The Houston-The Wood-
lands-Sugar Land region saw
GDP growth of 1.9 percent in
2021, the most recent period for
data from the BEA, released this
month. National GDP saw a rise
of 6.2 percent over the course of
that year. The BEA releases data
on annual GDP growth of coun-
ties and metro areas in Decem-
ber of the next calendar year.
Last year’s 1.9 percent GDP
growth, weighed down by the
sinking fortunes of the oil and
gas sector, placed Houston 335th
out of the 392 largest U.S. metro
areas, according to CivMetrics,
a nonprofit that studies city eco-
ers cutting back a little bit, prob-
ably due to the economy, but
they’re still entertaining.”
Spec’s has seen more custom-
ers purchasing party trays for
people to share at home, he said.
For consumers at Twin Li-
quor’s locations across Houston
and the state, top-shelf alcohol
has been the go-to for people to
create entertaining experiences
at home, according to Sandra
Spalding, its director of market-
ing. It’s become especially pop-
ular in the past few weeks with
travel disruptions and spikes of
influenza and RSV leading more
people to celebrate the holidays
at home, she said.
More time spent at home has
also helped boost popularity for
amateur mixology, according to
Rydman. While the trend had
been happening before the pan-
Steve Sanacore/Driftwood Hospitality Management
hasn’t returned fully, Brett Or-
lando, managing director at the
Chifley, said the hotel is seeing
more groups book last-minute
meetings with some “nice de-
mand for February and March”
ahead.
Hotel demand in Houston
bounced back over the past year
or so with total room bookings
jumping by 41 percent in the first
11 months of the year compared
to the same period in 2020, ac-
cording to data from the hotel
data firm STR. However total
bookings are still about 5 percent
below 2019 levels. Average occu-
pancy rates are also down by
A weak performance by the volatile energy sector in 2021 was
a drag on the Houston region’s economy.
nomics and analyzed the BEA’s
data.
“Most sectors of Houston’s
economy did grow in 2021. It was
A man shops at Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods in Houston.
More are expected to party at home this year.
demic started, being stuck in-
side gave many Americans time
to sit down and learn more
about mixing drinks at home, he
said.
about 5 percent, hovering at
about 58 percent on average
through November across the
Houston region. Meanwhile,
average daily rates are only up
by roughly $3 compared to 2019,
landing at about $104.39 for an
average night’s stay in a Houston
hotel this year.
And even though consumers
may be paying a little more for
nightly stays, hoteliers’ profits
are getting eaten up by increased
costs, according to STR analysts.
Nationally, STR is projecting a
mild recession and said inflation
could weigh on some consum-
Chifley continues on B10
Karen Warren/Staff photographer
one sector which dragged down
everything,” Ted Ballantine, a
director at CivMetrics, said in an
Ranking continues on B11
Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer
At the same time, Spadling
said social media platforms
such as TikTok have helped
popularize specific drinks. One,
Alcohol continues on B10
Mergers
of other
forms of
energy
on rise
By Claire Poole
and Allen Pusey
TE X AS L AWB O O K
This year’s list of signifi-
cant M&A deals with a Texas
connection includes the usu-
al upstream and full-vertical
oil and gas acquisitions, yet
many of the deals were influ-
enced by technology changes
or geopolitical upheaval.
Transactions involving digi-
tal infrastructure, biologics,
energy management and, of
course, a blank check, or
SPAC, merger also rose to
prominence.
Notably, Texas-related
deals involving renewables
or energy transition outnum-
bered traditional energy
transactions in the third
quarter. Old-school energy
deals still outweighed their
alternative counterparts in
value — by far — but in sheer
numbers, deals involving
wind farms, solar panels,
utility-grade energy shortage
and smart energy allocation
made their mark on the Tex-
as market in 2022.
On the flip side, deals in-
volving SPACS, or special
purpose acquisition compa-
nies, that were all the rage in
2021 lost their luster in 2022.
According to SPAC Insider,
there were 613 SPACs that
made their initial public of-
fering in 2021. In 2022, the
number dropped to 84, an 86
percent decline. More impor-
tantly, proceeds from those
IPOs declined from $162 bil-
lion to $13.2 billion, a 92 per-
cent decrease in public in-
vestment.
In all, Texas lawyers
worked on more than 1,000
mergers and acquisitions in
2022, some valued in the bil-
lions of dollars. Others were
significant for their complex-
ity and business sector im-
portance. Inflation, coupled
with the rise and fall of ener-
gy prices, conspired to make
this year’s crop of top deals
energy-heavy, not unlike the
glory years of Texas oil and
gas. But demand for energy
and investment efficiencies
are increasingly changing
some of the market’s funda-
mentals.
Jan. 25: Chesapeake
purchases Chief
Chesapeake has come a
long way since heading to
bankruptcy court in June
2020 and emerging last year
with a focus on natural gas
rather than crude oil. The
strategy has paid off, so much
so that it was able to buy
Chief E&D Holdings from
Tug Hill Inc. for $2.65 billion.
Mergers continues on B11
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
EPA working swiftly to protect wetlands
By Lisa Friedman
N EW YORK T IME S
WASHINGTON — The Biden
administration is working to
complete a clean water regula-
tion before a Supreme Court
ruling that could complicate the
government’s ability to protect
wetlands and other waters.
The Environmental Protec-
tion Agency rule, which was fi-
nalized Friday, essentially re-
verts protections for millions of
streams, marshes and other
bodies of water to levels that ex-
isted before the Obama admin-
istration made major changes in
2015, leading to nearly a decade
of political and legal disputes.
With the Supreme Court ex-
pected to rule next year in a ma-
jor case that could reduce the
government’s authority to regu-
late wetlands, experts called the
Biden administration’s move
strategic. Getting a rule on the
books now gives the EPA a
greater chance of locking in, at
least for a while, a broad defini-
tion of which waterways qualify
for federal protection under the
Clean Water Act.
“If the Supreme Court goes
first, then the agency can’t final-
ize a rule that goes beyond it,”
said Kevin S. Minoli, a partner at
Alston & Bird who served as an
EPA counsel in the Clinton,
Bush, Obama and Trump ad-
ministrations. By issuing a rule
first, he said, the government
has “more room to interpret” the
court decision when it comes.
Under the new rule, the EPA
revived a definition of what con-
stitute “waters of the United
States” that had been in place
since 1986, describing the defini-
tion as “familiar” and founda-
tional to decades of clean-water
progress. In a statement, the
agency said the changes im-
Semblance of normalcy returns for Southwest Airlines
By Jake Bleiberg
A S S OC IAT E D PRE SS
DALLAS — Southwest Air-
lines returned to a relatively
normal flight schedule Friday,
as the focus shifts to making
things right with what could be
well more than a million pas-
sengers who missed family
connections or flights home
during the holidays, and many
of whom are still missing lug-
gage.
The Dallas carrier, which
had canceled thousands of
flights every day this week after
a winter storm last weekend,
reported 43 cancellations Fri-
day. While that was still more
than United, American and
Delta combined, it’s progress
following one of the most cha-
otic weeks in aviation history
for a single airline.
Federal regulators have
vowed a rigorous review of
BRIEFS
Tesla set
for record
deliveries
Tesla is expected to announce
record quarterly deliveries in
early January, but that may not
be enough to satisfy investors as
the electric-vehicle leader grap-
ples with inflation, rising in-
terest rates, crimped production
in China and concerns about
softening demand.
In an effort to clear inventory,
Tesla offered a rare $7,500 dis-
count to U.S. customers who
took delivery of a new Model 3
or Model Y at the end of the
year, along with 10,000 miles of
free Supercharging. The In-
flation Reduction Act, or IRA,
will restore up to $7,500 in fed-
eral tax credits for certain EVs
starting Jan. 1.
Deliveries are one of the most
closely watched metrics by
investors eager to see if Tesla
can maintain its rapid growth.
Global fourth-quarter deliveries
could reach 420,760 vehicles,
according to 16 analysts sur-
veyed by Bloomberg. That esti-
mate, which doesn’t include
some of the more recent analyst
projections, exceeds the record
343,830 cars delivered in the
third quarter.
Tesla is the world’s dominant
Business Editor Jonathan Diamond: Jonathan.Diamond@chron.com • 713-362-1513
The Biden administration is working to complete a clean water regulation before a Supreme
Court ruling could complicate the government’s ability to protect wetlands and other waters.
posed by the Obama adminis-
tration, a subsequent reversal
by the Trump administration
and several legal battles in be-
tween, had “harmed communi-
ties and our nation’s waters.”
The new rule includes some
changes, officials said, includ-
ing provisions that clarify what
bodies of water are excluded
from regulation, such as certain
agricultural lands. The rule also
aims to simplify a test to deter-
mine whether a stream or wet-
land is subject to federal juris-
diction based on its distance
from a tributary of a larger body
of water.
Radhika Fox, the EPA’s assis-
tant administrator in the office
of water, said in an interview
that the rule finalized Friday
would not be followed by exten-
sive further revisions. While the
what happened at Southwest,
with all eyes on outdated crew-
scheduling technology that left
flight crews out of place after
the storm hit, essentially shut-
ting down almost all of the car-
rier’s operations.
On Friday, however, South-
west passengers reported rela-
tively empty flights, some with
one person to a row, as the car-
rier reshuffled routes and sent
planes, and crews, to where
they needed to be.
At airports across the coun-
try, passengers had what could
be described as a typical holi-
day week for travel. It was a
stark contrast near Southwest
Airline counters, where hun-
dreds of people sat on bags or
slept where they could, with
the Southwest aircraft sitting
on the tarmac yards away, but
crewless.
Southwest begun accepting
reservations again Friday after
Analysts foresee Tesla delivering over 420,000 vehicles globally
in the fourth quarter, which would set a record for the company.
seller of electric vehicles and is
well positioned to take advan-
tage of some of the IRA’s tax
credits for battery cell manufac-
turing and locally assembled
EVs. But to meet its goal to
grow deliveries by 50 percent
annually over several years —
an objective Tesla warned it will
fall just short of in 2022 — Tesla
will likely make compromises
when it comes to gross margins.
SAFETY
42K Volkswagen cars
recalled over air bags
Volkswagen is recalling near-
ly 42,000 Beetles in the U.S. and
Canada because they have po-
tentially dangerous Takata air
bag inflators.
agency may propose “refine-
ments,” she said, the adminis-
tration is not currently planning
a major second phase.
Fox said she hoped the new
rule would put an end to the bat-
tles between environmental
groups and farmers, ranchers,
fossil fuel developers and real
estate agents over the types of
waterways that qualify for fed-
eral protection under the Clean
Water Act.
“I think we have found a mid-
dle ground that creates as much
clarity as possible,” she said. “I
am hopeful that this is the one
that will stand the test of time.”
She declined to comment on the
Supreme Court case, citing ac-
tive litigation.
The new rule has also been
widely viewed as a test for Mi-
chael Regan, the administrator
Passengers check in at the Southwest counters at Hobby Airport.
The airline reported only 43 cancellations nationwide Friday.
getting crews and planes into
place, and executives have
started on what is undoubtedly
a long road to regaining the
trust of travelers.
Toru Hanai/Bloomberg
The recall covers Beetles
from the 2015 and 2016 model
years. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
says in documents posted Fri-
day that the inflators can ex-
plode with too much force and
hurl shrapnel.
Takata used ammonium
nitrate to create a small explo-
sion to inflate air bags in a
crash. But the chemical can
deteriorate over time when
exposed to high temperatures
and humidity.
LITIGATION
Google to pay $20M
to settle Indiana suit
Google will pay Indiana $20
million to resolve the state's
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2022 B9
Tim Gruber/New York Times file photo
of the EPA, who had vowed to
develop what he called a “prag-
matic” approach to water rules.
The Obama-era rule had
come under fire from Republi-
cans as overly restrictive and
onerous to business. President
Donald Trump repealed it and
imposed his own rule, which en-
vironmentalists cast as a give-
away to homebuilders, farmers
and ranchers.
In 2021, a federal judge struck
down the Trump rule, leaving
the regulatory landscape in lim-
bo.
Meanwhile, the Supreme
Court case has been moving for-
ward. The case, Sackett v. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency,
involves an Idaho couple, Mi-
chael and Chantell Sackett, who
sought to build a house in the
state’s panhandle. After they be-
Brett Coomer/Staff photographer
Southwest’s Robert Jordan
said in an interview with ABC’s
Good Morning America on Fri-
day that after safety, there is no
greater focus than reimbursing
lawsuit against the technology
giant over allegedly deceptive
location tracking practices, state
Attorney General Todd Rokita
announced.
Rokitas filed a separate law-
suit against Google when nego-
tiations between the company
and a coalition of state attorneys
general stalled, he said. Those
states agreed to a $391.5 million
settlement with the company in
November.
As a result of the separate
lawsuit, Indiana received about
twice as much money as it
would have under the deal with
the 40 states in the coalition,
Rokita said in his announce-
ment Thursday.
States began investigating
after a 2018 Associated Press
story that found that Google
continued to track people’s
location data even after they
opted out of such tracking by
disabling a feature the company
called “location history.”
Google did not admit to any
wrongdoing as part of the deal
with Indiana.
PHARMACEUTICALS
China OKs Merck’s
COVID treatment
China approved Merck’s
coronavirus antiviral molnupi-
ravir for emergency use as Bei-
jing seeks to expand access to
treatments amid a massive wave
of infections following its
abrupt pivot away from its CO-
VID Zero policy in early De-
gan preparing for construction
in 2007, the Sacketts were
stopped by the EPA, which said
the property included a federal-
ly protected wetland.
The agency ordered them to
stop and return the property to
its original state or face fines.
The couple instead sued the
agency, and a dispute about
whether that lawsuit was pre-
mature reached the Supreme
Court in an earlier appeal. In
2012, the justices ruled that the
suit could proceed. The court
heard oral arguments this sum-
mer and the case has become a
rallying cry for property rights
advocates and other opponents
of environmental regulation.
Damien M. Schiff, a lawyer
with the Pacific Legal Founda-
tion, which represents the Sack-
etts, said he did not believe the
EPA rule would affect the out-
come of his clients’ case. He also
noted that if the court ruled in
favor of the Sacketts, the EPA
would likely have to make revi-
sions in its regulation. “It really
is just a stopgap measure,” he
said of the rule.
William W. Buzbee, an envi-
ronmental and constitutional
law professor at Georgetown
University Law Center, said the
new rule, because it returns to a
broadly understood set of ap-
proaches, helped clear up the
past several years of legal confu-
sion. But he said that wouldn’t
end disputes over what consti-
tutes a federally protected wa-
terway.
“This statute applies down at
the level of people’s efforts to
build buildings and do big real
estate developments,” Buzbee
said. “It’s inherently an area
where there is a vast amount of
money at stake. Probably no
matter what there will still be
conflicts.”
customers and getting them re-
united with their luggage.
“This has impacted so many
people, so many customers,
over the holidays. It’s impacted
our employees. And I’m ex-
tremely sorry for that,” Jordan
said. “There’s just no way al-
most to apologize enough be-
cause we love our customers,
we love our people and we real-
ly impacted their plans.”
Executives with the airline
said this week that it may take
as much as a week to connect all
Southwest passengers with
their destinations.
The air travel industry is just
now recovering from the pan-
demic, which reduced activity
to levels not seen since the be-
ginning of the jet age.
Jordan warned that the melt-
down this week will “certainly”
hit the carrier when it reports
fourth quarter financial results
at the end of January.
cember.
The drug, known by the
brand name Lagevrio, has been
granted conditional emergency
approval for treating mild and
moderate infections among
adults at risk of progressing to
severe disease, China’s National
Medical Products Administra-
tion said Friday. It’s the second
foreign COVID-19 treatment
cleared for use in China after
authorities gave Pfizer’s Pax-
lovid the go-ahead in early 2022.
OIL AND GAS
Only 1 bid submitted
for leases off Alaska
The U.S. government on
Friday said it received one bid
for the right to drill offshore for
oil and gas in Alaska’s Cook
Inlet near habitat for bears,
salmon, humpback whales and
endangered beluga whales.
Hilcorp Alaska submitted the
sole bid — $63,983 for an area
covering 5,693 acres.
The company is a unit of
Hilcorp, which is the largest
privately held oil and gas explo-
ration and production company
in the United States. It already
has leases to drill for oil and gas
in onshore areas of Cook Inlet,
which stretches from Anchor-
age to the Gulf of Alaska.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management was offering leas-
es for 193 blocks totaling some
958,000 acres but received just
one bid for one block.
From wire reports
B10
ALCOHOL
From page B8
a viral TikTok featuring
two actors from the HBO
series “House of the Drag-
on,” led to explosive inter-
est in negroni sbagliatos, a
mix of Campari, sweet
vermouth and prosecco
over ice.
Spec’s also sees custom-
ers in search of orange bit-
ters or special cherries to
follow recipes they read
online or in magazines,
Rydman said.
Throughout the year,
sparkling wine has led
sales in the wine category
globally, according to
IWSR, a U.K.-based mar-
ket research firm special-
izing in alcoholic beverag-
es. That’s especially true
with the arrival of the holi-
days, according to Teresa
CHIFLEY
From page B8
ers’ willingness to travel
in 2023. However, at least
half of consumers sur-
veyed by STR said they
plan to either maintain or
increase their travel next
year compared to 2019 lev-
els.
Orlando said he doesn’t
expect the Galleria sub-
market to see a full return
to pre-COVID rates of
travel until 2024.
The Chifley’s leaders
are going after more lei-
sure weekend travelers
and don’t expect a major
recession to foil their
prospects for growth in
2023, even if the industry
isn’t completely recovered
just yet.
“We’re planning for a
robust year,” Orlando
said.
As part of that plan-
ning, renovations includ-
ed upgrading all of the ho-
tel rooms, updating the
lobby and an 8,000-
square-foot meeting
space, adding new signage
and the planned addition
of Rouse, a destination
restaurant expected to
open in early 2023.
The 126-seat restaurant
is to include a menu merg-
ing several cuisines that
are part of Houston’s culi-
nary landscape, with a fu-
sion of barbecue, Mexi-
can- and Asian-inspired
dishes under a team led by
executive chef Ricardo
Planas. The bar will offer
a punchbowl experience
where guests can order a
large punchbowl for the
table and take turns la-
Photos by Steve Sanacore/Driftwood Hospitality Management
Each room in The Chifley is actually a suite with a
living space area.
The Chifley officially launched in the
Galleria/Uptown area. Pictured is a double suite.
New owners remodeled The Chifley by Hilton hotel
in late 2022. Pictured is a king bedroom suite.
Dickerson,
spokeswoman.
a Kroger
Kroger
has also seen more con-
sumers in search of spar-
kling wine cocktails seen
on social media, from Kir
Royales to French 75s,
Dickerson said.
As the new year ap-
proaches, the IWSR pre-
dicts low consumer confi-
dence in the economy may
push many to reduce over-
all alcohol consumption,
but shift toward choosing
higher alcohol content
beverages, such as whis-
key and tequila versus
wine and beer, and more
premium brands when
they do make a purchase.
“People are drinking
quality, maybe not as
much quantity, but quali-
ty,” Twin Liquor’s Spal-
ding said.
megan.munce@chron.com
dling drinks.
On tap will also be a
custom beer brewed by
8th Wonder Brewery lo-
cally, a variation of the
Houston-based beer com-
pany’s “Cougar Paw Red
Ale” beer under the Chif-
ley brand.
“The goal of the restau-
rant was much like the
idea for the hotel, to really
embrace the culture im-
mediately surrounding
us,” Orlando said.
The hotel’s name “Chif-
ley” is derived from the
word “schiffli”, a sewing
process that uses hun-
dreds of needles to stitch
together elaborate lace,
which is meant as a meta-
phor for the interweaving
of Houston’s diverse cul-
tures. The hotel will fea-
ture work from local art-
ists and entrepreneurs, in-
cluding a partnership to
sell locally-made candled
by Key Home Scents.
Driftwood Property ex-
pects to begin hiring about
20 people for the Rouse
restaurant soon, adding to
the 80 team members on-
site at the hotel.
Driftwood took over
management of the prop-
erty after Florida-based
LNR Partners purchased
the struggling Sheraton
hotel in 2021 as it was
headed toward foreclo-
sure, according to Harris
County deed documents.
The site is valued at $18.84
million, according to Har-
ris County Central Ap-
praisal District.
Driftwood manages
about 70 hotels globally,
including Hotel Indigo in
Houston and three other
hotels.
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
Texas Commission on environmenTal
Notice To QualiTy
NOTICE OF RECEIPT OF
APPLICATION AND
INTENT TO OBTAIN WATER
Creditors
QUALITY PERMIT RENEWAL
PERMIT NO. WQ0013296002
APPLICATION. Harris County
Municipal Utility District No. 358, 3200
Southwest Freeway, Suite 2600, Houston,
Ad Texas 77027, has applied to the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality
(TCEQ) to renew Texas Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (TPDES)
Permit No. WQ0013296002 (EPA I.D. No.
$74.00* TX0105376) to authorize the discharge
of treated wastewater at a volume not
to exceed an annual average flow of
2,000,000 gallons per day. The domestic
wastewater treatment facility is located
Call the Legals Team at 19855 Cypresswood Drive, in Harris
County, Texas 77433. The discharge route
713-224-6868 is from the plant site to a Harris County
Ext. 6435 or 4204 Flood Control District ditch; thence to
Cypress Creek. TCEQ received this
application on November 10, 2022. The
*$74.00 includes first 36 lines permit application is available for viewing
and copying at Lone Star College – CyFair
and 1 Affidavit of Publication Library, 9191 Barker Cypress Road,
Cypress, Texas. This link to an electronic
*$1.92 per line over 36 lines map of the site or facility’s general location
is provided as a public courtesy and not
part of the application or notice. For the
exact location, refer to the application.
https://gisweb.tceq.texas.gov/
LocationMapper/?marker=-
95.727777,29.987222&level=18
LEGAL NOTICE ALTERNATIVE LANGUAGE NOTICE.
The Houston Independent School District Purchasing Services Department located at 4400 West 18th
Street, Houston, TX 77092 is soliciting Request for Proposals (RFP) via the District’s electronic bidding
Alternative language notice in Spanish
is available at https://www.tceq.texas.
gov/permitting/wastewater/plain-
portal. Proposers may login to view specifications and submit their responses at the following link language-summaries-and-public-
https://houstonisd.ionwave.net/Login.aspx until 2:00 p.m. (CST) Tuesday, January 17, 2023 , for the notices. El aviso de idioma alternativo en
following solicitation: español está disponible en https://www.
tceq.texas.gov/permitting/wastewater/
• RFP 22-06-01 Charter and School Bus Services plain-language-summaries-and-public-
notices.
A pre-proposal conference via Microsoft Teams will be held in conjunction with this RFP. Information ADDITIONAL NOTICE. TCEQ’s
regarding dates, times, and instructions to receive a link to join the meeting can be located within the Executive Director has determined the
electronic bidding portal under the “Event Details” tab specific to this solicitation. application is administratively complete
and will conduct a technical review of the
LEGAL NOTICE application. After technical review of the
application is complete, the Executive
The Houston Independent School District Purchasing Services Department located at 4400 West 18th Director may prepare a draft permit and
Street, Houston, TX 77092 is soliciting Request for Proposals (RFP) via the District’s electronic bidding will issue a preliminary decision on the
portal. Proposers may login to view specifications and submit their responses at the following link application. Notice of the Application and
https://houstonisd.ionwave.net/Login.aspx until 2:00 p.m. (CST) Monday, January 23, 2023 , for the Preliminary Decision will be published and
mailed to those who are on the county-
following solicitation:
wide mailing list and to those who are
• RFP 23-12-04 Flatbed Printer With Related Goods and Services on the mailing list for this application.
That notice will contain the deadline for
A pre-proposal conference via Microsoft Teams will be held in conjunction with this RFP. Information submitting public comments.
PUBLIC COMMENT / PUBLIC
regarding dates, times, and instructions to receive a link to join the meeting can be located within the
electronic bidding portal under the “Event Details” tab specific to this solicitation. MEETING. You may submit public
comments or request a public meeting on
this application. The purpose of a public
meeting is to provide the opportunity to
submit comments or to ask questions
about the application. TCEQ will hold a
public meeting if the Executive Director
Proposal Notice for determines that there is a significant
Harris County Community Supervision Corrections Department (CSCD) –
degree of public interest in the application
or if requested by a local legislator. A
Atascocita Complex – (General Works Package & Testing/Balance Package)
public meeting is not a contested case
hearing.
Manhattan Construction as Construction Manager at Risk for Harris County, ac- OPPORTUNITY FOR A CONTESTED
cordance with Texas Government Code Section 2269.255 is soliciting proposals
from subcontractors (including MWBE firms) for construction of the renovations
CASE HEARING. After the deadline
for submitting public comments, the
and additions of the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections De- Executive Director will consider all timely
partment (CSCD). comments and prepare a response to
all relevant and material, or significant
The phase 01 proposed CSCD storage and maintenance facility is located at 2310
Atascocita Road Humble, TX 77396. The phase 01 project includes a new pre-
public comments. Unless the application
is directly referred for a contested case
-engineered metal building maintenance facility and new detention pond. The
scopes of work included for this package is for Overhead Doors.
hearing, the response to comments, and
the Executive Director’s decision on the
The overall project (future phases) will include the phased replacement and ex- application, will be mailed to everyone
pansion of classrooms, cafeteria, reception/ administration, dormitory, and
maintenance functions.
who submitted public comments and to
those persons who are on the mailing
Proposals date and time for this project are due at 2:00 pm CST on
list for this application. If comments are
received, the mailing will also provide
Monday 1/09/23 and shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions to instructions for requesting reconsideration
bidder to Manhattan Construction, 2120 Montrose Blvd., Houston, TX 77006. For
more info or to obtain access to the documents, email
of the Executive Director’s decision and
for requesting a contested case hearing.
jhernandez@manhattanconstruction.com or call 713-332-7247. A contested case hearing is a legal
proceeding similar to a civil trial in state
There will be no public opening of proposals. After receipt of proposals, Manhat- district court.
tan Construction will conduct its evaluation of the subcontractor proposals in re-
lation to the project requirements and will select the proposal(s) that offer(s) the
TO REQUEST A CONTESTED CASE
HEARING, YOU MUST INCLUDE
best value to Harris County, in accordance with Texas Government Code Section THE FOLLOWING ITEMS IN YOUR
2269.256. REQUEST: your name, address, phone
number; applicant’s name and proposed
Manhattan Construction is committed to soliciting MWBE participation for this permit number; the location and distance
project. MWBE forms, schedules and statements shall accompany each proposal of your property/activities relative to the
that is submitted. proposed facility; a specific description of
how you would be adversely affected by
Manhattan Construction is an equal opportunity (EEO) employer. the facility in a way not common to the
general public; a list of all disputed issues of
fact that you submit during the comment
period and, the statement “[I/we] request
a contested case hearing.” If the request
for contested case hearing is filed on behalf
of a group or association, the request
must designate the group’s representative
for receiving future correspondence;
identify by name and physical address an
individual member of the group who would
be adversely affected by the proposed
facility or activity; provide the information
discussed above regarding the affected
member’s location and distance from
the facility or activity; explain how and
why the member would be affected; and
explain how the interests the group seeks
to protect are relevant to the group’s
purpose.
Following the close of all applicable
comment and request periods, the
Executive Director will forward
the application and any requests for
reconsideration or for a contested case
hearing to the TCEQ Commissioners
for their consideration at a scheduled
Commission meeting.
The Commission may only grant a request
for a contested case hearing on issues
the requestor submitted in their timely
comments that were not subsequently
withdrawn. If a hearing is granted, the
subject of a hearing will be limited to
disputed issues of fact or mixed questions
of fact and law relating to relevant and
material water quality concerns submitted
during the comment period. TCEQ may
act on an application to renew a permit
for discharge of wastewater without
providing an opportunity for a contested
case hearing if certain criteria are met.
MAILING LIST. If you submit public
comments, a request for a contested
case hearing or a reconsideration of the
Executive Director’s decision, you will be
added to the mailing list for this specific
application to receive future public notices
mailed by the Office of the Chief Clerk. In
addition, you may request to be placed on:
(1) the permanent mailing list for a specific
applicant name and permit number; and/
or (2) the mailing list for a specific county.
If you wish to be placed on the permanent
and/or the county mailing list, clearly
specify which list(s) and send your request
to TCEQ Office of the Chief Clerk at the
address below.
INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE.
For details about the status of the
application, visit the Commissioners’
Integrated Database at www.tceq.texas.
gov/goto/cid. Search the database using
the permit number for this application,
which is provided at the top of this notice.
AGENCY CONTACTS AND
INFORMATION. Public comments
and requests must be submitted either
electronically at https://www14.tceq.
texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in
writing to the Texas Commission on
Environmental Quality, Office of the
Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087,
Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be
aware that any contact information you
provide, including your name, phone
number, email address, and physical
address will become part of the agency’s
public record. For more information
about this permit application or the
permitting process, please call the TCEQ
Public Education Program, Toll Free,
at 1-800-687-4040 or visit their website at
www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/pep. Si desea
información en Español, puede llamar al
1-800-687-4040.
Further information may also be obtained
from Harris County Municipal Utility
District No. 358 at the address stated
above or by calling Ms. Shiann Hernandez,
P.E., BGE, Inc. at 713-488-8391.
Issuance Date: December 14, 2022
HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM
MERGERS
From page B8
Nick Pope, an analyst at
Seaport Research Part-
ners, said Chesapeake’s
path of further concen-
trating assets in three core
locations — Haynesville,
Marcellus and Eagle Ford
— is the right step.
“The company has been
fairly acquisitive in the
past year, as it has im-
proved its balance sheet
and gas pricing has im-
proved,” he said. “We
think the company has a
lot to show in 2022 from an
operational standpoint
that it can manage the re-
turn to a more active oper-
ational program and a
larger footprint than it has
seen in the past few
years.”
Gibson Dunn coun-
seled Chief, Akin Gump
advised Tug Hill and affil-
iates, and Shearman &
Sterling assisted Chesa-
peake.
Feb. 18: Celanese buys
bulk of DuPont unit
Dallas-based chemical
company Celanese Corp.
must have coveted Du-
Pont’s mobility and mate-
rials business, known as
“M&M.” They were direct
competitors, but M&M
has more Asia exposure.
So Celanese bit the bullet,
acquiring DuPont’s unit
for $11 billion.
The main risks to the
deal, according to TPH
analyst Matthew Blair, are
synergy capture and in-
creased debt. The transac-
tion closed Nov. 1.
The M&M unit — re-
presenting around $3.5
billion of net sales and
$800 million in operating
EBITDA last year — is a
top global producer of en-
gineering thermoplastics
and elastomers, supplying
the automotive, electrical
and electronics, consumer
goods and industrial in-
dustries, Celanese said.
Celanese was advised
by in-house counsel, and
the company had help
from Kirkland & Ellis.
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher
provided financing coun-
sel. Leader & Berkon ad-
vised Celanese on envi-
ronmental issues. Baker
Botts attorneys also assis-
ted from Brussels. Skad-
den, Arps, Slate, Meagher
& Flom counseled Du-
Pont.
May 11: DigitalBridge,
IFM acquire Switch
Data center deals are
flying. In 2022, Digital-
Bridge Group Inc. and
IFM Investors jumped in-
to the fray, announcing
that they were acquiring
Las Vegas-based Switch
Inc. for $34.25 per share in
an all-cash transaction
valued at about $11 billion,
including the assumption
of debt. The deal closed
Dec. 6.
Fueling the deal was
RANKING
From page B8
interview this week.
“Even though Houston
has a diverse economy, it’s
very heavy in energy.”
The weak performance
by the volatile energy sec-
tor in 2021 was a drag on
the regional economy, tak-
ing a toll on Houston’s
manufacturing and con-
struction sectors, which
are intimately tied to oil
and gas activity.
One takeaway from this
year’s ranking, Ballantine
said, is that Houston
could continue to diversi-
fy its economy, though the
region has made signifi-
cant progress in that re-
gard over the past 20
years.
While trade was a
bright spot for the region-
al economy in 2021, with
about $275 billion in goods
passing through the
Houston-Galveston Cus-
toms District, up from just
shy of $200 billion in
largely locked-down 2020,
the health care sector
stands out as a growth
area.
A report from the Cen-
California’s power grid,
which is compromised in
some places, according to
DigitalBridge CEO Marc
Ganzi. Switch has more
than 1.5 gigawatts of power
capacity it draws from
three different sources of
green energy.
“In a market like Reno
where they have land,
they have renewable pow-
er and they control their
destiny, they can light up
almost 800 megawatts of
capacity that’s less than
0.2 milliseconds from
Santa Clara,” Ganzi said
on a conference call with
analysts. “So we’re really
excited about the pros-
pects for Switch.”
Partners at Simpson
Thacher & Bartlett’s
Houston office counseled
DigitalBridge and IFM.
Latham & Watkins advis-
ed Switch.
June 14: Continental
Resources’ $25 billion
take-private deal
Oklahoma oil tycoon
Harold Hamm offered to
take his Continental Re-
sources private in a deal
that valued the company
at $25 billion.
“We have determined
that the opportunity today
is with private companies
who have the freedom to
operate and aren’t limited
by public markets, similar
to the way that we operat-
ed approximately 15 years
ago,” he said at the time of
his offer.
Despite what analysts
deemed a reasonable
price, Hamm sweetened
his bid to $74.28 a share
from $70 for 58 million
shares of Continental’s
stock, or around $4.3 bil-
lion. (He and his family
own about 83 percent.)
The deal was finalized
Nov. 22 and was expected
to be financed using the
company’s cash on hand,
borrowings under its ex-
isting revolver and a new
term loan facility. To con-
summate the agreement,
Hamm had to make an ini-
tial payment of $274 mil-
lion.
Vinson & Elkins advis-
ed Hamm. Intrepid Part-
ners, which also advised
Hamm on the deal, was
counseled by Gibson
Dunn. Evercore, which
was advising a special
committee, was advised
by Sidley Austin.
Aug. 12: Bluescape
merges with CENAQ
Energy
Bluescape Clean Fuels
merged with CENAQ, a
Houston blank check
company, in August to
form a new company to be
publicly traded as Verde
Clean Fuels. It was a $500
million deal that repre-
sented the intersection of
two M&A categories that
trended in distinctly dif-
ferent directions during
2022: energy transition
transactions and SPACs.
Bluescape specializes in
ter for Houston’s Future
released this month found
that in a baseline scenario,
the sector would add $63.5
billion to the region’s GDP
between 2021 and 2036
and nearly half a million
jobs. In 2021, according to
the BEA’s analysis, the
Houston region’s GDP
was roughly $463 billion.
It’s too soon to be sure
whether Houston will
post such a lackluster
ranking in terms of GDP
growth for 2022, Ballan-
tine said, although the oil
and gas sector has largely
recovered from the CO-
VID-19 pandemic. And
2023 looks to be another
tumultuous year for the
energy industry.
“There’s other uncer-
tainty now because of the
war in Ukraine and un-
certainty in the energy
markets, which affects
Texas more than other
states and Houston more
than other cities,” he said.
the production of gasoline
from renewable feed-
stocks. It’s a drop-in fuel
developed by the compa-
ny, which was formed in
2007. The deal was advis-
ed by Texas lawyers from
Vinson & Elkins, Kirk-
land & Ellis and Baker
Botts.
Sept. 6: EQT’s
purchase of Tug Hill
and XcL Midstream
EQT, the largest natural
gas producer in the United
States, went after a big
prize: the $5.2 billion pur-
chase of Tug Hill and XcL
Midstream, both backed
by Quantum Energy Part-
ners.
This was the “biggest
gas deal in five years and
the largest private equity
exit of the year,” said An-
drew Dittmar, a director
and M&A analyst at ener-
gy data provider Enverus.
Publicly traded EQT
was the most logical buy-
er, with operations next
door and the financial
wherewithal to pay, half
with cash and half with
stock. Still, there may be
trouble on the horizon:
EQT revealed in a Decem-
ber filing with the Securi-
ties and Exchange Com-
mission that the Federal
Trade Commission wants
more details about the
purchase.
Kirkland & Ellis advis-
ed EQT. Vinson & Ellis
counseled Tug Hill and
XcL. Akin Gump also as-
sisted Tug Hill.
Sept. 22: M6
Midstream buys Align
Midstream II
When Dallas-based
Tailwater Capital an-
nounced the sale of Align
Cory, Kenneth
Hoang, Anne
KENNETH CORY
04/10/1933 - 12/16/2022
Kenneth Wayne Cory
Kenneth Wayne Cory, 89 of
Bellaire, Texas passed away
December 16, 2022, He is
survived by his sons Mark,
and his wife Marilyn, and
Scott, and his wife Sherry,
grandchildren Bryan (Alison),
Daniel (Ana) and Hannah
Warr (Alex), along with five
great grandchildren. Preced-
ing him in death was his
wife of almost seventy years,
Shirley.
Kenneth grew up on
Elam Road, just outside of
Dallas. Kenneth married
Shirley in late 1952, and
after a stint in the navy, he
embarked on a career in the
oil and gas industry, and that
career spanned parts of eight
decades. Kenneth moved his
family to Houston in 1962
and began his career as an
independent landman and
transitioned into an indepen-
dent producer in 1983. Ken-
neth attacked his work like he
did to every aspect of his life,
with great passion. He loved
teaching his sons how to play
baseball, his grandchildren
ANNE HOANG
04/09/1933 - 12/28/2022
It is with deep sadness that
we announce the passing of
our oldest sister, Anne Hoang,
née Marie Therese An T.
Pham. Our beloved sister
went home with Jesus on
December 28th, 2022. She
was 90 years of age.
Her wish is to have a simple
burial service in faith with
family only.
She will be laid to rest
at Memorial Oaks Funeral
Home and Cemetery, 1300
Katy Freeway, Houston Texas,
with Reverend Anthony Tran
Ngoc Hung of Holy Rosary
Church officiating. Before
her passing, she instructed
us to relay her deep love and
appreciation to all her friends
and family, near and far, for
their love and support.
A memorial mass to
celebrate her life will be held
at Holy Rosary Church on
January 1st, 2023 at 3:15pm.
An was never in the shad-
ows and always was the first
one to offer love, support and
understanding to whomever
was in need. She was a won-
derful and wise older sister
who always knew what to say
to her brothers and me, Vee,
Midstream II for $1.3 bil-
lion, as reported by Reut-
ers, it was doing so in a
dramatically different
market from what existed
when it first formed Align
II five years before.
Through Align II, Tailwa-
ter consolidated its assets
in the Haynesville Shale
into a gas-gathering and
processing system that,
among other things, fur-
ther connected the East
Texas field with natural
gas terminals on the Texas
Gulf Coast.
That kind of access to
natural gas supplies for
plants on and near the
Texas coast vaulted the
U.S. into the world’s top
exporter of liquefied natu-
ral gas in 2022, according
to the U.S. Energy Infor-
mation Agency. The U.S.
began exporting LNG
from the lower 48 states
only in February 2016, and
by July, LNG exports aver-
aged 11.1 billion cubic feet
per day, the agency said.
M6 was advised by Vin-
son & Elkins. Locke Lord
advised Tailwater.
Nov. 30: Corteva
acquires Stoller
With a price tag of only
$1.2 billion, the sale of
Houston’s Stoller Group
last month wasn’t one of
the year’s largest deals in
Texas. But as one of the
largest hitherto indepen-
dent biochemical compa-
nies in agriculture, the
deal had global signifi-
cance. Indianapolis-based
Corteva announced the
acquisition in November,
only weeks after it had ac-
quired Symborg, a devel-
oper of microbiological
technologies in Murcia,
Spain.
Laskowski, Tadeusz
Skellie, Evelyn
how to ski, and he also loved
explaining to work compan-
ions the intricacies of the joint
operating agreement.
Kenneth and Shirley also
loved to travel, whether it
was to marvel at the natural
wonders of the National Parks
or skiing in such exotic places
as Austria and Chile or rafting
down the Grand Canyon.
They also loved their ranch
near Crocket on the banks of
the Trinity River, where Ken
was able to scatter Shirley’s
ashes one week before he
passed.
But they especially loved
their family. Mondays meant
the family, sometimes as
many as 14, would gather
at Ken and Shirley’s for a
magnificant lunch.
Ken and Shirley were long
members of Bethany Chris-
tian Church and members of
the P A class.
A celebration of life will
be held at Bethany, 3223
Westheimer, on January 6th
at 3 pm. The family requests,
in lieu of flowers, memorials
be sent to Westview Boys
Home-Show Calf Division.
her baby sister.
She will be greatly missed
by her three brothers, one
sister, and one goddaughter.
Until we meet again, rest in
peace dearest An.
Brothers:
- Khoat H. Pham and fam-
ily (CA)
- Trien Pham, wife Diane
Pham, and family (CA)
- Khai H. Pham and family
(TX)
Sister: Pauline Cao,
husband James Cao MD, and
family (TX)
Goddaughter: Hong Hoang
Ngo, husband Khanh Ngo
(IN)
Lawyers in Texas worked on more than 1,000
mergers and acquisitions in the year now ending.
The sale comes three
years after the death of its
founder, Jerry Stoller, who
built the company into a
crop protection jugger-
naut with annual reve-
nues of more than $400
million from operations in
over 60 countries. The
company’s biologics —
which protect crop yields
from climate extremes,
disease and natural preda-
tors — is a leader in natu-
ral crop protection prod-
ucts that are expected to
command 35 percent of
the crop protection mar-
ket by 2035.
Latham & Watkins ad-
vised Stoller. Stoller’s
trustees brought in out-
side counsel as well, tap-
ping Baker Botts.
Dec. 6: NRG Energy
expands technologies
NRG Energy, a retail
utility provider that mar-
kets energy under con-
sumer brands such as Re-
liant, plunged further into
its retail presence with the
$5.2 billion acquisition of
Vivint Smart Home Inc.
Vivint manufactures a va-
riety of residential home
appliances and security
TADEUSZ Z. LASKOWSKI, MD, FACS
05/02/1929 - 12/08/2022
Dr. Laskowski was born in
Zory, Poland on May 2, 1929,
to Julia and Zygmunt Las-
kowski. He passed away at St.
Lukes Hospital in Houston,
TX on December 8, 2022.
He graduated from medical
school in Szczecin, Poland in
1954, where he also did his
internship.
He then moved to London,
England to complete his
residency at the University
of London, Royal Society of
Medicine Division of Urology,
where he was elected as a
Fellow by the Royal Society of
Medicine.
In 1959 he moved to
Miami, Florida, where served
as Chief Resident of Urology
Firm 1960-1962. Once he
EVELYN SKELLIE
07/05/1929 - 12/20/2022
Evelyn Steffek Skellie,
93, passed away peacefully
on Tuesday, December 20,
2022. She is survived by
her children, Blair Skel-
lie of Alameda, California,
Cindy and Ricky Wheeler of
Marietta, Ga, and Joel Skellie
of Houston, Texas. Her 5
grandchildren, Michael and
Lauren Wheeler, Andrew,
Samantha, and Jessica Skellie,
and her great grandchildren,
Emma and Wyatt Wheeler
knew her as MeeMie.
Evelyn was preceded in
death by her parents, John
and Frances Steffek, her 12
brothers and sisters, and her
husband of 54 years, Albert
Skellie.
Evelyn grew up in a Czech
family on a farm in Needville,
Texas. She had a lifelong love
for learning, was an excel-
lent student, and was named
Most Beautiful in her high
school class. Evelyn moved to
Houston where she attended
business college and then
went to work as a secretary
for Schlumberger where she
met Albert.
In addition to raising their
children, Albert and Evelyn
enjoyed a full social life,
including time spent with
extended family and with
friends, such as their long-
time supper and bridge club.
She was a member of
B11
Jon Shapley/Staff file photo
devices tied together on a
single management plat-
form.
The single-core struc-
ture allows greater control
over the performance and
energy efficiencies of the
products.
The base price tag is $12
per share, or $2.8 billion in
cash. But NRG also as-
sumes $2.4 billion in Vi-
vint debt, a feature of the
deal that has proved un-
popular with NRG stock-
holders in the short term.
But Mauricio Gutierrez,
president and CEO of
NRG, insists that Vivint is
a long-term fit for its mar-
ket.
“Customers want sim-
ple, connected and cus-
tomized experiences that
provide peace of mind. Vi-
vint’s smart home tech-
nology strengthens our
retail platform, improves
our customer experience
and increases customer
lifetime value,” Gutierrez
said in a statement an-
nouncing the deal.
Both sides were advised
from New York: NRG by
White & Case; Vivint by
Simpson Thacher & Bart-
lett.
completed his training, he
moved to Houston, TX and
joined the teaching staff at
Baylor College of Medicine,
Department of Urology.
While there. he was also the
Chief of Urology at the VA
Hospital and also at TIRR.
Later in life, he entered
private practice in Houston,
TX, in 1997.
Dr. Laskowski is survived
by his wife Mary Eleanor,
sons Andy and Michael, and
his niece Alexandra Kowal-
ska. He is preceded in death
by his two sisters Renata and
Danuta, and a niece Alex-
andra. Dr. Laskowski was
loved by his family and will be
deeply missed.
St. John Vianney Catholic
Church for over 50 years.
She had a variety of interests
including gardening, reading,
politics, and history; she par-
ticularly loved reading about
or watching documentaries
on World War II.
Evelyn was known by her
family and friends for her
wonderful sense of humor,
for being a night owl, for the
yummy cookies she baked,
and for her love of coffee
and of Christmas! She was a
devoted wife, mother, child,
sister, aunt, grandmother, and
great grandmother. Everyone
who was fortunate to have
her in their lives will miss her
greatly.
A celebration of Evelyn’s
life will be held in early
2023. If desired, donations
in her honor can be made to
St. John Vianney Catholic
Church.
B12 HOUSTON CHRONICLE | HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM

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GALVESTON BAY: Wind
75 78 77 73 72 65 62 from the west at 6-12 knots
58 69 60 51 46 42 50 becoming south today. Seas 2
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TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY unrestricted. Tonight: Wind
Mostly sunny and mild Turning out cloudy and Watch for severe Mostly cloudy and mild Partly sunny and Partly sunny and not as Sunshine from the south at 6-12 knots.
very warm thunderstorms pleasant warm Seas 2 feet or less. Clear to
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METRO AREA NORTH AMERICA TODAY INTERNATIONAL MATAGORDA SHIP CHAN-
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TO 50 MILES: Wind from the
TODAY: Mostly sunny and mild; 110s Vancouver Africa
Calgary Saskatoon Cairo 70/54/s 70/53/pc west-northwest at 6-12 knots
great day to be outside. High 100s becoming south today. Seas 2
72 to 77. Winds southwest 6-12 Regina Cape Town 84/62/s 87/65/s
90s Winnipeg feet or less. Visibility generally
Seattle Thunder Bay Casablanca 75/54/pc 70/50/pc
mph. TONIGHT: Mainly clear 80s Dakar 82/68/pc 87/70/pc unrestricted. Tonight: Wind
and mild. Low 55 to 60. Winds Montreal
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south 6-12 mph. Portland Ottawa Lagos 94/67/s 94/70/s 6-12 knots. Seas 2 feet or less.
60s
Minneapolis Boston Asia/Pacific Clear to partly cloudy.
50s Toronto Beijing 42/18/pc 41/18/pc
40s Ho Chi Minh City 88/71/pc 90/72/c
AIR QUALITY 30s
Detroit
Hong Kong 68/57/pc 61/56/c
New York Islamabad 64/37/s 64/36/s
Today’s forecast for the entire Salt Lake City Chicago
20s Jakarta 86/75/r 84/74/sh
metro area by the TCEQ:
10s San Francisco Denver
Washington Karachi 80/54/s 82/53/s GALVESTON TIDES
0s
Kuala Lumpur 88/74/c 89/74/pc Highs Feet Lows Feet
Manila 88/76/pc 83/76/t
-0s New Delhi 65/44/pc 64/43/pc 1:27 p.m. 0.8 6:12 a.m. -0.1
Los Angeles
Ozone watch -10s Seoul 40/23/pc 37/14/pc 10:46 p.m. 0.8 6:51 p.m. 0.7
Phoenix Little Rock Shanghai 53/35/pc 54/38/pc
Good Unhealthy Singapore 84/75/pc 87/75/c
T-storms Atlanta
Sydney 78/67/pc 78/65/s
RIVERS, CREEKS AND
Moderate Very unhealthy Rain Dallas
Unhealthy Hazardous Showers
El Paso Taipei 64/60/sh 67/62/sh BAYOUS
Tokyo 50/39/pc 53/39/s Flood Latest 24-hr.
for sensitive New Orleans
Snow Canada
groups Location stage stage chg.
Flurries Hermosillo Houston Calgary 35/20/pc 34/17/s
Chihuahua Edmonton 15/7/pc 23/8/s Brays Bayou South Main 54 20.43 +3.61
Ice Miami Brazos River Bryan 43 6.99 -0.03
POLLEN AND MOLD Jet stream
Montreal
Toronto
42/35/r
45/34/sh
39/29/r
43/36/pc Hempstead 50 10.37 -0.22
Yesterday’s readings by the Monterrey Vancouver 47/38/c 45/33/pc Richmond 48 10.52 -0.33
Houston Health Department: Havana Winnipeg 18/11/c 18/2/c Buffalo Bayou Piney Point 50 31.24 +2.88
Countpercubicmeterofair Europe Shepherd Dr. 23 3.91 +2.59
Medium 20 Anchorage Mérida Cancún Amsterdam 60/53/r 55/46/sh
Tree pollen
Guadalajara Athens 63/46/pc 64/44/s
Clear Creek Friendswood 12 0.91 +0.23
Weed pollen Low 2 Berlin 63/54/sh 60/50/c Colorado R. Austin 29 10.87 -0.02
Grass pollen None 0 Mexico City Veracruz Copenhagen 50/46/sh 50/44/r Bastrop 25 2.81 +0.39
Mold spores Medium 9224 Forecasts and
Dublin 46/39/sh 44/30/sh La Grange 32 2.60 +0.01
Honolulu Villahermosa Belmopan Frankfurt 63/50/c 60/49/c Columbus 34 9.48 -0.03
Acapulco graphics provided by Geneva 60/45/c 58/41/pc
Low Heavy Cold Warm Stationary Wharton 39 8.29 -0.12
front front front AccuWeather, Inc. Istanbul 57/43/pc 57/43/pc
Medium Extremely heavy ©2022 London 57/47/sh 53/39/c Bay City 44 2.73 -0.88
Madrid 58/35/pc 60/46/pc Greens Bayou Eastex Fwy. 61 39.72 +0.76
Note: No measurements on weekends; Moscow 37/32/c 40/28/r
charts in Sunday and Monday papers reflect
Guadalupe R. Hunt 12 7.81 +0.01
forecast ratings from the previous Friday. FOR THE RECORD TEXAS NATIONAL cont. Paris
Prague
61/52/c
60/49/c
55/50/r
57/39/pc
Comfort 26 3.31 none
George Bush Intercontinental Today Sun. Today Sun. Rome 65/47/pc 64/48/s Spring Branch 36 1.79 +0.02
Airport through 3 p.m. Fri. Abilene 73/52/s 78/56/pc Cleveland 53/37/r 51/43/c Stockholm 44/28/c 32/23/c New Braunfels 13 9.44 +0.01
COMFORT INDEX Amarillo 68/43/pc 68/42/pc Columbus 54/40/r 57/47/c Vienna 48/35/pc 44/35/pc Gonzales 31 11.22 -0.46
The comfort index takes into
Temperature Degrees F Austin 77/54/s 76/65/pc Denver 48/25/c 34/22/c Warsaw 55/51/c 62/43/pc Cuero 20 6.95 -0.50
account how the weather will High 66 Beaumont 73/54/c 75/65/pc Des Moines 44/31/c 44/30/c Zurich 59/42/pc 55/38/pc
Low 59 Brownsville 78/63/pc 81/69/pc Detroit 43/31/r 44/39/c Latin America Victoria 21 5.48 +0.86
feel based on a combination of
Bryan/College St. 75/56/s 76/68/pc Duluth 26/24/c 32/17/c Bogota Dupont 20 8.72 -0.65
factors. A rating of 10 feels very Normal high 63 67/47/r 67/48/r
comfortable while a rating of 0
Corpus Christi 79/60/s 78/65/pc Fairbanks -3/-10/pc 10/0/pc Buenos Aires 79/72/s 83/63/sh Little River Little River 30 1.22 +0.12
Normal low 44 Dallas/Ft. Worth 73/56/pc 78/63/pc Great Falls 41/22/sn 35/20/pc Caracas Cameron 30 1.35 +0.19
feels very uncomfortable. 86/73/sh 86/72/s
Record high 83 in 1974 El Paso 65/44/s 67/42/c Hartford 51/47/r 54/34/pc Havana 86/64/s 86/62/pc Navasota R. Easterly 19 3.33 -0.01
Today Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Record low 19 in 1983 Galveston 69/62/s 74/65/pc Honolulu 82/69/s 82/70/pc Kingston 88/74/pc 87/75/pc
Kingsville 81/63/s 82/72/pc Indianapolis 47/38/r 57/47/c Lima Neches River Evadale 19 6.34 +0.77
10 10 8 10 10 8 Precipitation Inches 77/68/c 78/67/c
Pine Island B. Sour Lake 25 13.48 -0.37
Laredo 82/61/s 85/64/s Jackson, MS 73/50/t 76/60/pc Rio de Janeiro 83/73/r 81/72/t
24 hours through 3 p.m. Fri. 1.15 Longview 71/54/pc 72/65/pc Juneau 39/37/r 43/36/r San Juan 85/73/s 84/74/sh Sabine River Bon Wier 30 14.09 -0.99
UV TODAY Month to date 3.88 Lubbock
McAllen
69/42/pc
81/65/s
68/45/pc
84/69/s
Kansas City 55/38/c 56/40/pc San Salvador 88/68/pc 87/67/pc Deweyville 24 23.51 -0.79
Las Vegas 62/49/c 56/37/sh Santiago
Values indicate the exposure to Normal month to date 3.92 Midland/Odessa 71/51/pc 73/50/pc Little Rock 67/51/c 72/58/pc Sao Paulo
76/56/sh 84/55/s Orange 4 1.30 +0.22
the sun’s Ultraviolet rays. 78/66/r 79/65/t Burkeville 43 12.23 +0.09
Year to date 41.30 San Angelo 75/47/s 80/57/pc Los Angeles 61/50/r 63/45/pc St. Thomas 84/76/s 84/73/sh
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. Normal year to date 51.73 San Antonio 76/51/s 75/64/pc Memphis 63/52/c 72/59/s San Bernard R. E. Bernard 17 6.30 -0.01
Texarkana 72/60/pc 74/66/c Miami 85/70/pc 84/70/pc Mexico E. San. Jac. R. Cleveland 19 4.99 +0.07
1 2 3 2 1 0 Other readings Victoria 80/57/s 80/66/pc Milwaukee 38/34/c 45/33/pc Acapulco 86/70/s 85/69/pc
W. San. Jac. R. Conroe 116 94.02 +0.05
Top wind speed 10 mph Waco 76/54/s 77/64/pc Minneapolis 36/24/c 33/20/pc Cancun 84/74/pc 83/74/s
0-2, Low 8-10, Very high Nashville 62/45/r 71/53/pc Guadalajara 74/43/s 76/42/s San Jacinto R. Sheldon 10 1.28 +0.45
3-5, Moderate 11+, Extreme High barometer 29.98 in. 73/65/pc Guanajuato 71/45/s 71/45/s Sims Bayou Telephone Rd. 30 1.32 +0.54
Low barometer 29.90 in. NATIONAL New Orleans
New York City
73/52/t
54/49/sh 56/43/pc Mazatlan 78/60/s 77/59/s Trinity River Goodrich 36 4.92 -0.43
6-7, High Today Sun.
High dewpoint 65° Oklahoma City 62/43/pc 66/49/pc Merida 90/69/pc 90/68/pc
Liberty 26 8.15 -0.38
Low dewpoint 59° Albany, NY 51/43/c 47/32/r Orlando 82/67/t 78/64/pc Mexico City 70/49/pc 70/49/s
Village Creek Kountze 20 6.22 -0.25
SUN AND MOON Albuquerque 55/37/pc 49/33/sh Philadelphia 55/48/sh 60/40/pc Puerto Vallarta 83/64/s 83/64/s
Average dewpoint 61° Anchorage 24/20/c 31/24/sn Phoenix 68/53/pc 59/45/r Tampico 77/65/pc 79/70/pc White Oak B. Heights Blvd. 48 12.08 +4.10
Full Last New First
moon quarter moon quarter High humidity 100% Atlanta 64/51/t 68/51/pc Pittsburgh 54/37/r 48/42/c Veracruz 80/68/pc 82/71/pc
Low humidity 81% Baltimore 57/47/r 62/38/pc Portland, OR 48/38/sh 47/34/pc Middle East TEXAS LAKES
Billings 43/27/pc 36/21/pc Sacramento 58/43/r 57/35/s Baghdad 62/40/s 63/40/s
Birmingham 65/52/t 72/53/pc St. Louis 53/43/c 59/47/pc Beirut 65/54/s 65/55/pc Full Latest Release
Boise 40/25/c 37/19/s Salt Lake City 42/33/sn 40/24/sn Dubai 78/64/pc 76/63/s pool level cfs
Jan 6 Jan 14 Jan 21 Jan 28 KEY TO CONDITIONS Boston 55/50/r 56/37/r San Diego 63/53/r 61/51/sh Jerusalem 54/44/s 53/44/pc Canyon Dam 909 898.94 N.A.
s - sunny r - rain Buffalo 50/36/r 41/36/c San Francisco 57/46/r 57/47/pc Kabul 46/23/s 44/23/s Conroe 201 200.12 0
Sunset tonight 5:32 p.m. pc - partly cloudy sf - snow flurries Charleston, SC 72/57/r 72/50/pc Santa Fe 48/34/c 46/28/c Mecca 79/64/r 82/68/pc
Sunrise Sunday 7:17 a.m. c - cloudy sn - snow Charlotte 61/48/r 66/44/pc Seattle 48/39/c 46/33/pc Riyadh 62/48/sh 64/48/pc Houston 41.73 42.66 N.A.
Moonrise today 1:13 p.m. sh - showers i - ice Chicago 40/34/c 46/36/c Tucson 70/52/pc 61/42/r Tehran 49/34/s 47/34/s Lake Travis 681 639.97 210
Moonset today 1:36 a.m. t - thunderstorms Cincinnati 54/41/r 59/51/c Washington, DC 58/49/r 61/43/pc Tel Aviv 67/53/s 66/56/pc Livingston 131 131.17 N.A.

Stock market’s long rally comes to an end

By Joe Rennison to accelerate how fast they mained resilient, while vestors that the inflation
N EW YORK T IME S raised interest rates. Europe faced an energy fight was not over and that
Investors took it badly, crisis and emerging mar- interest rates would need
Jan. 3, the first day of causing the S&P 500 to kets such as Sri Lanka and to rise considerably before
market trading in 2022, tumble 1.9 percent and Pakistan faltered. The rel- the central bank would
looked like just another sparking a stock sell-off ative strength of the Unit- end its campaign. Stock
day in a stock rally that that set the stage for the ed States made it a safe markets began to fall
began when Barack Oba- rest of the year. place for investors to put again and the S&P 500 hit
ma was still president. The past 12 months have their money, and the in- a new low in October.
The S&P 500 hit a record marked a generational flux of cash helped push Heading into 2023, in-
high. Tesla, the company shift for financial markets the value of the dollar vestors are setting them-
that upturned the auto in- as the Fed, racing to con- higher. For the first time selves up for another fight
dustry and made many in- tain the worst inflation in in 20 years, the dollar was with the Fed. Despite
vestors rich, rose 13.5 per- decades, repeatedly worth more than the euro. tremors from a wild swing
cent and came close to its jacked up interest rates. An unexpectedly dire in the value of British gov-
own all-time peak. Its efforts have begun to report showing a collapse ernment debt in Septem-
That Monday, it turned pay off: Price increases in consumer sentiment ber, and then the unravel-
out, was actually the end have been slowing recent- just days before the cen- ing of the crypto markets
of a market that for more ly. tral bank was set to meet through November, the
than a decade had gone But the Fed’s drastic ac- on June 15 spooked policy- S&P 500 has risen almost
mostly in one direction, tions to slow the U.S. makers and helped send 8 percent from its low.
with the S&P 500 rising economy, the world’s larg- the S&P 500 into a bear In December, the Fed
more than 600 percent est, have had widespread Dreamstime/Tribune News Service market, defined as a fall of increased interest rates to
since March 2009. consequences. Financial analysts today appear to be less optimistic at least 20 percent from its a target range between
Just two days later, the The year saw the end to about gains for 2023 than they were on Jan. 3, 2022. recent peak — in this case, 4.25 percent and 4.5 per-
Federal Reserve released an era of low interest rates Jan. 3. The Fed had al- cent — well above expecta-
the minutes from its pre- that made borrowing Neither the S&P 500 Invesco. “This is a very, ready raised interest rates tions at the start of the
vious meeting — a typical- cheap and encouraged in- nor Tesla has since very dramatic, history- twice, by a total of 0.75 year. Policymakers also
ly routine event on Wall vestors to take risks — on reached the heights they making moment in time. percentage points — as raised their forecasts for
Street — revealing that the stocks of new tech achieved Jan. 3. The S&P We have all been witness much as it had forecast in how high interest rates
policymakers at the cen- companies, in cryptocur- 500, which finished lower to a sequence of events, December 2021 would be would need to rise in 2023,
tral bank were so worried rencies and in debt mar- on Friday, declined 19.4 starting with the pandem- necessary for the entire but investors have barely
about inflation that they kets — in the hunt for lu- percent for the year — its ic, that has been extraor- year — and was gearing blinked. There are signs of
thought they might need crative returns. worst annual perfor- dinary.” up for another rate in- inflation cooling, and
mance since 2008. Cryp- As investors lost money crease, expected to be 0.5 some see a greater likeli-
tocurrency giants such as in the stock market, and percentage points. hood that the central bank
FTX have fallen, and debt households faced balloon- Instead, the central will pause further rate in-
is no longer cheap. ing costs from inflation, bank raised interest rates creases sooner than it has
The Nasdaq composite, the air came out of other, by 0.75 percentage points indicated to allow the ef-
with a heavy component more speculative markets for the first time in almost fects of the current high
of technology stocks, as well. The price of bit- three decades, indicating interest rates to seep into
racked up an even bigger coin, one of the most well- the risks the Fed attribut- the economy.
loss of 33.1 percent. The known cryptocurrencies, ed to rising inflation. “I think the equity mar-
Dow Jones Industrial tumbled and so-called Still, the turbulent ket right now is a bit glass
Average, meanwhile, meme stocks such as events led some investors half full and is not com-
posted an 8.8 percent loss GameStop and AMC En- to feel that surely the pletely pricing in what the
for 2022. tertainment, whose share worst was over. In July, as Fed and other assets are
But even as the U.S. prices were propelled corporate financial re- telling us,” said Todd San-
economy heads toward a higher during the pan- ports started coming in doz, co-head of equities
possible recession, the demic by a new breed of looking better than had for the Americas at Bar-
Federal Reserve has said amateur investor, fell been expected, the stock clays.
its job is far from over. In- throughout the year. market rallied. From mid- Adding to the risk are
flation, while starting to Tesla, popular with the June to mid-August the corporate profits, which
cool, is still far too high, same crowd of investors, S&P 500 rose 17.4 percent. some investors expect to
and interest rates are pre- has dropped 65 percent For the Fed, rising stock be revised sharply lower
dicted to rise further, fore- this year, its worst perfor- prices created a problem in early 2023, as pro-
telling more pain. mance since the company by enriching investors longed inflation and ele-
“Central banks drove went public in 2010 and and working against its ef- vated interest rates start
markets this year because only the second year the forts to lower inflation. At to bite into earnings.
of inflation and that will stock has declined in val- a widely watched eco- That could mean that
continue into 2023,” said ue. nomic forum in Wyoming, stocks have further to fall.
Kristina Hooper, chief Despite rising inflation, Jerome Powell, the Fed The Associated Press
global market strategist at the U.S. economy re- chair, sternly warned in- contributed to this report.