Past Articles by Melissa Galvez
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Bringing Business Leadership to the Classroom While most kids are enjoying their summer vacation, some of their teachers are in school, learning to become principals. But the courses are not about assigning detention and choosing textbooks — they cover human capital, data analysis, and transformational change. From the KUHF Newslab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Attorney General to Drivers: Your House Is Safe Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is targeting a car insurance ad that he says could scare Texans into buying coverage they don't need. Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Across the country, states are enacting laws to combat cell phone use while driving. 28 states have banned texting and 8 forbid even talking on a hand held device. Within Texas, a patchwork of laws covers the state, and not everyone thinks we need more. In the third of our series, Melissa Galvez looks cell phone policy in Texas. |
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For most drivers in Texas, it is legal to both talk on a cell phone and text while driving — except in school zones and certain cities. There are some who say one or both of those should be outlawed. In the second of our series on distracted driving, Melissa Galvez looks at how such a law could be enforced. |
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If you're in the car right now, there's a good chance you can see someone on a cell phone. Most of us do it — and wish others would stop. in the first of a three part series on distracted driving, Melissa Galvez looks at our love affair with cell phones and cars. |
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Researcher Discovers Potential "Exercise Pill" If you ate too much barbeque and apple pie this weekend, you might wish there was a pill that could shed those holiday pounds. A researcher at the UT Health Science Center says someday, that might be possible. Sort of. From the KUHF Newslab, Melissa Galvez reports on the complex future of the "Exercise Pill." |
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For most people, today was just another sunny Friday afternoon. But for thousands of office workers across the country, today redefined the words "dog days of summer." From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Less Money for Roads in the Future Houston commuters may have to put up with crowded highways and bumpy roads just a little bit longer. Regional transportation planners are looking at less money for road projects in the coming years. But the public can add their opinion on what's important-and what's not. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Saving History in Freedmen's Town In the shadow of downtown sits a small neighborhood with a long history. Freedmen's Town — also known as the fourth ward — is the oldest African American neighborhood in Houston, built by freed slaves after the Civil War. Many of its historic homes are being replaced by developments, but one landowner is saving ten little homes. From the KUHF NewsLab series, "Exploring Houston," Melissa Galvez tells the story. |
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While most kids are enjoying summer vacation by the pool this week, a group of teenagers is taking time to sit on the floor, eat rice, and think about God. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez visits the first Houston Interfaith youth camp, that challenges students with learning, service, and leadership. |
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Vegetable Gardens at City Hall The next time you pass by City Hall, you may notice an unusual smell…rosemary, sage, and oregano. With help from the City's Sustainability Office, the Houston Department of Public Works is now maintaining a vegetable garden on Walker Street. They hope their greenery will encourage other Houstonian to plant some seeds. From the KUHF News Lab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Hurricane Map Tracks Many Risks Should I stay or should I go? As hurricane season begins, Houstonians will start asking that question. But if you're not in the path of the storm surge, the answer isn't always clear. A team at Rice University is developing a tool that could help residents make those tough choices. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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METRO Bus Operator Wins At Roadeo While Michigan can claim the next Miss USA, Houston's got a new champion you've probably never heard of — the number one bus driver in North America. How did he earn such acclaim? From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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As the school year winds down for students, HISD is winding up its plans to fix failing schools next year, and in the years to come. That plan includes paying some students for one on one time with a teacher. Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Woodland Heights Wants to Keep Charm Walking down the tree lined streets of Woodland Heights feels like stepping back in time-to an era when horse drawn carriages brought milk in bottles before tea time. A group of residents wants to preserve this character through historic designation. Like in many similar communities, it highlights the tension between historic charm and individual rights. Melissa Galvez travels to Woodland Heights in the latest in the KUHF NewsLab series, "Exploring Houston." |
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While people across the country debate Arizona's recent immigration law, a coalition of local religious groups has been quietly talking about the issue since early January. Prospects for federal immigration reform are uncertain, but they intend to keep pushing—even if means working until next year or beyond. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Getting Intelligent on Transportation Cars that talk to each other, buses that see in the snow, and cameras that help move accidents-these are just some of the ideas being discussed at the Intelligent Transportation Society Annual Conference in Houston this week. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports on how technology helps us move. |
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Houston Woos Continental-United Merger A little over a week ago, United Airlines and Continental Airlines began publicly discussing the possibility of a merger. If it goes through, it will become the largest airline in the world and Houston's business and civic leadership want to see it based right here. Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Two Views on Rail in Southeast Along Martin Luther King BLVD in southeast Houston, large holes and orange cones mark construction on the southeast light rail line. But some residents are still fighting METRO over that line — and others are happy to see it come. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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At a special meeting, the METRO Board released a report which cleared CEO Frank Wilson of any wrong-doing related to his finances. It had been alleged that Wilson and his chief of staff, Joane Wright, improperly used METRO funds. |
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Off of HWY 290, near Fairbanks North Houston, down what looks like a country road, you'll find a large building that belongs in northern India. Melisa Galvez visited the community that’s quietly thrived there for almost forty years. It's the third story in the KUHF NewsLab series, "Exploring Houston" where we journey through the neighborhoods that make up our city. |
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The METRO Board has officially sworn in five new members-including a new chairman. They come to an agency which many feel is on rocky footing. Melissa Galvez reports. |
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The East End: Mystical Yerberias All around the East End neighborhood of Houston, you'll notice stores with an enigmatic name: Yerberia. Familiar in Mexican communities, Yerberias offer remedies for health, personal—even legal problems. It's the first of the KUHF NewsLab's series, "Exploring Houston" where we journey through the neighborhoods that make up our city. |
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No, it's not an April Fools joke. The federal government will give Texas residents up to 1600 dollars to switch out their old appliances for new, energy efficient models. But there are a couple of hoops to jump through. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Think Your House is Affordable? Think Again. Houston is widely considered one of the most affordable cities when it comes to housing. A new study, however, challenges the typical view of what makes a house affordable. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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With spring coming, you might want to take a bike ride around Houston. Now Google maps can help you with that. NewsLab reporter Melissa Galvez commuted to work by bike to see how it works. |
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METRO Bus and Light Rail Collide METRO has sustained another accident on its light rail line today. Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Energy Efficient, Low Cost Homes Most people think that making their homes energy efficient is a luxury. So it may be surprising that some of the most energy efficient homes in Houston are in low income communities. Melissa Galvez has more. |
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By the summer, Houston will welcome a new radio station-launched by the Houston Independent School District. It’s the first of its kind in the country, and it won’t be available on your FM dial. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Most people know that you can see bats emerge from the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. But you might not know that 250,000 bats live under Houston's Waugh Drive Bridge. Despite these impressive numbers, bats across the city are in danger. But some boy scouts are ready to help. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has the story. |
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Shami Plans to Continue Creating Jobs Despite his conclusive loss in the primary, Farouk Shami was in high spirits last night, urging his followers to keep fighting for good jobs in Texas. Melissa Galvez has more. |
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Consuming Kids with Advertising Ads for everything from movies to Cheetos to iPods are on children's television, t-shirts — even ads at school. But some Houston-area parents think too much commercialism is harmful to their kids. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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This afternoon, HISD Superintendant Terry Grier gave his first State of the Schools address. The focus of his message was very clear: people, people, people. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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When primary voters go to the polls between now and march 2nd, Republicans and Democrats will see different ballots. But the difference is more than just candidate names. Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Last week, the White House announced First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign, which aims to eliminate childhood obesity within a generation. And it turns out they want to learn from Houston. From the KUHF newslab, Melissa Galvez has the story. |
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San Jacinto Battlefield Named an Endangered Historic Site For the first time, the non profit group Preservation Texas has placed the San Jacinto Battlegrounds on their Most Endangered Historic Places list. The group says that the LaPorte battle field needs a comprehensive plan to keep it from falling prey to the 21st century. Melissa Galvez has the story. |
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Where Does Houston’s Water Come From? Earlier this week, we told you about nationwide drinking water report that highlighted the large number of chemicals found in Houston's tap water. While the levels of each chemical were too small to raise health alarms, it still begs the question: where do all those chemicals come from? From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Recently, a non profit called The Environmental Working Group released a study of drinking water quality across the nation. Out of the 100 largest cities, Houston ranked 95th on their list. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports on what this means for the water coming out of your tap. |
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Civil War Soldier Comes Back to Life At the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston, a Civil War era soldier is about to come to life. A new exhibit will let visitors see forensic science at work-and bring them face to face with a man who died over one hundred and forty years ago. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has more. |
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It seems like running around and getting sweaty is what being a kid is all about. But a lot of kids aren't getting enough physical exercise these days. Almost half of Houston's fourth graders are considered overweight or obese. So HISD is instituting a new program to get kids moving. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has the story. |
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KUHF Conversations: Perspectives on the Gubernatorial Debate The Republican candidates for Texas governor talked taxes, states rights, and even drug policy in their first debate last night. Incumbent governor Rick Perry faced off against long time Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and GOP activist Debra Medina at the debate in Dallas. KUHF's Melissa Galvez watched the proceedings with Paul Brace, professor of political science at Rice University and Nancy Sims, political blogger, to get their take on how the candidates handled themselves. |
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A lot of people want to "go green" in their daily lives. Restaurants in particular can have a big impact on the environment because of how much they consume and waste. But turning green isn't easy-or cheap. How some local restaurants are making it happen. From the KUHF Newslab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Every year, more than 27 million surgeries are performed throughout the United States. Unfortunately, up to half a million patients develop an infection as a result. But research just published in the New England Journal of Medicine by a Houston doctor points to a better way to cut down on infections — and save money. Melissa Galvez reports. |
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At this time of year, many of us wish we could just pop a pill to get rid of the holiday pounds we've put on. A researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center says someday, we can. Sort of. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports on the complex future of the "exercise pill". |
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Discovering the Secrets in Old Cures For 5,000 years, traditional Chinese medicine has relied on herbs and acupuncture to treat every type of illness. But these products aren't widespread in the U.S. — mostly because Western doctors don't really know how they work. Now, researchers at UT Health Science Center Houston are cracking open the ancient code. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Give Your Old Computers a New Home If you or your children got a new computer for Christmas, you might be wondering what to do with the old one. If it's less than 3 or 4 years old-there's a deserving kid out there who could use it. And there’s a non-profit that will connect you both. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has the story. |
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What if an asteroid slammed into the Earth-who would you trust to provide aid? It turns out that a group of students from the University of Houston may be well suited for that task. As President Obama prepares to send more troops to Afghanistan, these students are preparing to lead. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has the story. |
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If you're driving north on I-45 near Little York, you can't miss the billboard: "Islam. Got Questions? Get Answers." Underneath there's a phone number to call. Usually billboards advertise a product, but the creators of this billboard say it's all about building understanding. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez has the story. |
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If the weatherman's correct, this evening Houstonians may get an early White Christmas: a little snow or sleet, and temperatures in the 20's. But what does this mean for the plants in your yard, which are used to more balmy weather? From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
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Living Bridge Opens in Memorial Park Pedestrians in Memorial Park no longer have to dodge speeding cars on Memorial Drive. The Living Bridge now connects the north and south sides of the park, high above the road. But supporters say the best part is that this bridge will soon seem to disappear. From the KUHF NewsLab, Melissa Galvez reports. |
