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BARC Calls on Community to Help with Stray Animals

ABOVE: Eli Perez, Cory Stottlemyer, and Laura Spivey ‘Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets’ initiative seeks to address this ongoing crisis that is affecting streets across the Greater Houston area Hey, Houstonians… as you go about your day, have you noticed a lot more stray dogs and cats roaming around your neighborhood than usual? The answer should […]
The post BARC Calls on Community to Help with Stray Animals first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 years ago

August 16, 2023

Forward Times Staff

ABOVE: Eli Perez, Cory Stottlemyer, and Laura Spivey

‘Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets’ initiative seeks to address this ongoing crisis that is affecting streets across the Greater Houston area

Hey, Houstonians… as you go about your day, have you noticed a lot more stray dogs and cats roaming around your neighborhood than usual?

The answer should be yes, and no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. There is a reason you’re witnessing such an influx of stray animals taking over the streets of the city of Houston.

Statistics show that while the COVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic increase in pet ownership, it also contributed to a massive uptick related to the breeding of animals. This rampant increase in animal breeding has led to a self-perpetuating crisis of stray animals that have infiated Houston area streets in an unprecedented way.

Just late October, the City of Houston’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care—or BARC as it is more commonly referred to—informed the community that they had been operating at their 300-animal capacity limit for several months, and that they were being forced to euthanize more animals than customary because of those limited capacity issues, and because adoption and foster care numbers were at an all-time low across the city.

It is important to note that BARC is the City of Houston’s Animal Shelter and Adoption Facility and is the only city shelter in Houston that is required by law to accept every single animal that comes through its doors, regardless of breed, temperament, health conditions, or circumstances.

Attendees at BARC Briefing Event

Fast forward to today, and BARC still finds itself facing similar challenges, which is why they launched the ‘Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets’ initiative to address the stray animal crisis at its source—by providing free spay and neutering services, as well as other programs.

On August 8th, several officials from BARC participated in a monthly roundtable discussion at the Southwest Multi-Service Center to share key insights with attendees about their ‘Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets’ initiative. The event was supported by the Houston Endowment.

The purpose of this important briefing, which was hosted and facilitated by Ethnic Media Services, was to address the ongoing crisis of stray animals affecting Houston area streets, as well as discuss the economic factors exacerbating the crisis, the public health issues involved, the safety issues surrounding the issue, and what responsible pet ownership requires.

The featured panelists included Cory Stottlemyer, who serves as the Shelter Director at BARC, overseeing the Outreach, Customer Service, and Registration teams, and as the Director of Communications for the department of which BARC is a division, Administration and Regulatory Affairs; Laura Spivey, who serves as an Animal Enforcement Officer for the City of Houston; and Eli Perez, who serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator for BARC, and who also runs the Community Cat Colony and Trap Neuter Release programs, and helps manage the ‘Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets’ program.

On average, BARC takes in between 20,000 and 30,000 animals annually, and has introduced pioneering programs to help address the address the stray animal issue, such as offering no- and low-cost spay/neuter services, mobile adoptions, transfer/rescue, and community outreach.

It is also important to note that while choosing to spay/neuter an animal is a viable and proven solution to help reduce animal overpopulation, many citizens in Houston do not have access to, or can’t afford, professional veterinarian services.

Per the panelists, the ‘Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets’ initiative provides those spay/neuter services for free to more than 200+ pets every month, particularly in neighborhoods across the city of Houston with large stray animal populations.

The panelists emphasized the importance of Houstonians working collaboratively with BARC to help address the stray animal challenges they are facing before things get even worse.

“It’s a crucial time right now because in the past we’ve had some limited capacity to go out,” said Stottlemyer. “Our enforcement team, our outreach team has been able to go out in the past, but we don’t really have a focused community outreach team. Here in Houston and cities in the south, we have a stray problem all year because we have temperatures that allow strays to continue to roam and not face those harsh winter months.”

Stottlemyer stated that a part of what they have tried to look at in the past is educating youth and trying to build a new generation of responsible pet owners to help with the issue, but he acknowledged that it is going to take a lot of work.

“We are trying to get the word out, breaking down some mentalities of those who may oppose spaying or neutering their animals, not understanding the need, not understanding the stray animal crisis we have,” Stottlemyer continued. “Some owners let their pets roam freely out in the community, and they are not spayed or neutered, so then, for instance, a male dog can go out and have many litters in a short amount of time.”

Stottlemyer indicated that because of the overpopulation of pets, coupled with the other factors that were mentioned, the clock is working against many of the animals, specifically as it relates to euthanasia as a final possible outcome.

“Animals with lengthier stays might qualify for euthanasia,” Stottlemyer informed the attendees. “It’s usually the medical and the behavior that are the first factors we look at for euthanasia, but we do reach those critical capacity times. They are adoptable and a lot of times they have no issues, they just have the clock working against them.”

According to Spivey, when it comes to the stray issue, many people don’t understand that if a person feeds an animal for more than three days, per the law, that animal technically becomes their animal. She vehemently warned against it, for a variety of reasons.

“You may think you are doing a great thing by feeding the strays, but you are congregating the strays in that area, increasing the strays in that area and then they procreate and make more animals,” said Spivey. “You can call 3-1-1 and let them know about the strays. Once we know what areas to aim for, such as the ones that are the most populated with strays, then we will go in and do sweeps, mostly on Wednesdays, and pick up all the strays that we see.”

According to Perez, there is an unfortunate veterinarian shortage nationwide, and because many veterinarians are trying not to go into shelter medicine and are going into more rural or cultural medicines instead, it has become increasingly more difficult to find veterinarians who want to work with high capacity.

“If you’re going to a private vet, say for spay or neutering services, it can range from $200 to $600, depending on the size and weight of the animal,” said Perez. “With the City of Houston’s ‘Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets’ program, as long as you reside within the city limits, the services are free no matter the size or the weight.”

As stated earlier, BARC must take in any animal brought to the shelter, by law. In addition to having a legal mandate to protect the public from a safety standpoint, they are also tasked with removing dangerous, sick, and stray animals from the community, and taking in animals who are surrendered by their owners for various reasons.

There is a stark disparity in the number of pets in need and the overcapacity of the BARC animal shelter. Rough numbers indicate BARC’s intake of 6,000 in 2022 has nearly tripled this year.

“The total number was like 18,000, because that includes the owner turn-ins as well. Ten thousand was just enforcement,” Stottlemyer explained.

BARC is not just limited in taking in dogs and cats. They take in horses, chickens, snakes, other reptiles, and recently they even rescued and brought in a frightened and injured pet monkey.

According to the panelists, donations at BARC are desperately needed, which include, but are not limited to:

Used bedding. Don’t discard it, donate it.
Used towels, linens, quilts, and blankets that can be used for the animals.
Food of any kind, even open containers, and bags, are accepted.
Food is distributed to foster families. Rotisserie chicken and hot dogs are a big hit with the dogs! These food items are used for treats.

The BARC Adoption Center is located at 3300 Carr St. Houston TX, 77026, just a few minutes from downtown Houston off the Eastex Freeway (Hwy 59/69) and by taking the Collingsworth/Calvacade/Kelly exit.

The BARC Adoption Center is open Tuesday to Sunday from 12 pm-5 pm and closed on Mondays. You can also help BARC in the following ways:

TO VOLUNTEER: https://www.houstontx.gov/barc/get_involved.html

TO FOSTER: https://www.houstontx.gov/barc/foster_a_pet.html

TO ADOPT: http://www.houstontx.gov/barc/adopt_a_pet.html

TO DONATE: https://www.houstontx.gov/barc/donate_landingpage.html

TO HELP URGENT PETS: https://www.houstontx.gov/barc/urgent-pets.html

For more data and information from BARC, please visit https://www.houstontx.gov/barc/stats-reports.html.

The post BARC Calls on Community to Help with Stray Animals appeared first on Forward Times.

The post BARC Calls on Community to Help with Stray Animals first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Forward Times Staff

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

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The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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2 weeks ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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