A U.S. girl traveling to Houston for brain cancer treatment was reportedly detained by federal immigration agents and deported to Mexico, along with her parents and most of her siblings. Her parents were living in Texas without legal status.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2025/03/13/515964/girl-deported-brain-cancer-houston-for-treatment/

6 Years ago I wanted to buy a jacket in a local shop but all the maps just highlighted a few corporations.

20 years of internet and thousands of powerfull #European IT companies but our only choice was US 'google-ish' maps favoring US companies.

I thought "If you want to have something done you better do it yourself" and that was the start.

Now there's finally a European map which shows all shops at once.

https://lokjo.com

Give it a share if you like.

Amid federal layoffs at the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the NWS office in Houston has canceled its summer internship program, citing "recent changes in our staffing."

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/weather/2025/03/06/515419/nws-houston-abruptly-cancels-student-intern-program-due-to-limited-staffing-amid-national-layoffs/

Google Business Profiles adds QR codes to get more reviews https://www.seroundtable.com/google-business-profiles-qr-codes-reviews-38996.html

→ Nigerians are building affordable alternatives to AWS and #Google Cloud
https://restofworld.org/2025/aws-google-cloud-nigeria-alternatives/

“The payments to #AWS gradually skyrocketed as the naira depreciated around 70% against the #dollar between 2020 and 2024”

“Besides the option to pay in #naira, these companies allow #Nigerians to store their #data within the #country — an advantage most of their Western rivals lack. #Local servers give businesses the benefits of low #latency and data #localization […].”

A new study from the Houston Advanced Research Center has found some neighborhoods in the region could be up to 14 degrees hotter than others at the same time on the same day.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/local/2025/02/25/514698/harc-one-houston-neighborhood-could-be-up-to-14-degrees-hotter-than-another-on-the-same-day/

Almost five years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Houston's annual rodeo. Now, as vaccination rates have since declined in the region and across the state, a measles outbreak is budding in Texas as this year’s rodeo is set to start.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/health-science/2025/02/25/514727/west-texas-measles-outbreak-grows-as-vaccine-rates-in-harris-county-statewide-dip/

Google Ads changes to offline conversion quality in Smart and PMax Campaigns with Store Goals email notifications https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ads-offline-conversion-quality-38949.html via @anthonyhigman
#google #googleads #ppc #local #googlelocalserviceads

Google expands the more detailed, survey style, review questions in Google Maps with more questions (it's been around for 4 or so years but more questions added) https://www.seroundtable.com/google-expands-detailed-review-survey-38951.html via @ClaudiaTomina

Glacier Melt Intensifying Freshwater Loss And Accelerating Sea-Level Rise
--
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/CryoSat/Glacier_melt_intensifying_freshwater_loss_and_accelerating_sea-level_rise <-- shared technical article
--
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08545-z <-- shared paper
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #GlacierMassBalanceIntercomparison #glacial #glacier #global #cryosphere #regional #freshwater #water #resources #waterresources #watersecurity #sealevel #sealevelrise #SLR #rate #change #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #ice #snow #loss #massloss #greenland #antarctic #icesheet #anthropogenic #climatechange #melt #melting #risk #hazard #geohazard #geology #engineeringgeology #marine #terrestrial #ecosystems #watercycle #masschange #insitu #remotesensing #local #observation #model #modeling #projection

Google January 2025 local update may be a diversity update - where Google won't rank your URL in the web results if it already shows in the local pack results https://www.seroundtable.com/google-diversity-local-update-38929.html via @joyannehawkins

Refugees in Houston and the local organizations that help them have been in limbo since the Trump administration suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program in January.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/immigration/2025/02/14/513897/refugees-and-local-organizations-in-limbo-after-u-s-resettlement-program-suspended/

Google Ads drops minimum required budget box on Local Service Ads https://www.seroundtable.com/google-lsa-required-budget-38889.html via @anthonyhigman
#googleads #googlelsa #googlelocalserviceads #ppc #local

Cy-Fair ISD trustees on Monday night approved a gender identity policy that closely mirrors a controversial Katy ISD measure that's the subject of an ongoing Title IX investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/2025/02/11/513585/cy-fair-isd-trustees-sign-off-on-gender-identity-policy-amid-community-pushback/

Local BC newspaper chain Black Press is on Flipboard! @BlackPressMedia Which means they’re on the Fedi! (they probably don't even realize it ;=))
#BCPoli #BCNews #Local #Newspapers
@mike https://flipboard.com/@blackpressmedia/prince-rupert-673m4ndsz/-/a-ZYTcBTmgSqKqpXfKwvfq2Q%3Aa%3A3177150469-%2F0

Dozens of Northside High School students were suspended after participating in a protest against the immigration policies of President Donald Trump.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/education-news/hisd/2025/02/10/513462/45-houston-isd-students-suspended-for-being-disruptive-during-protest-on-immigration-last-week/

Wanna see what a #republican politician is taking away from this mess? My ex attended a virtual town hall with our rep Nick Langworthy (R-NY23) and typed up notes.

The surprisingly weasely:
- Said Trump's fed funding memo was "opaquely worded" and "could have been more artfully worded and specific."

- "refuse to politicize" the two airline crashes. Waiting for investigation info.

- RE: J6 pardons: "I would not have issued pardons to those that were violent."

- Claims "Trump does not want to strip medicare"

The rest:
- “This is the agenda that the country voted overwhelmingly for"

- “Elon Musk is working for the government as a volunteer, to get America back on the right track”

- On cuts to USAID: "Unless you're part of a transgender education program in the middle east, you probably don't have anything to lose.”

- Musk's destruction of government: "There has been nothing unlawful done."

- Local farm labor force impacted by ICE detentions: only "high-value targets" and people who are a "known threat to community by their own criminal record" are being apprehended.

- Local orgs like Head Start posting "hyperpolitical messages" on social media saying they were "ceasing operations". “There was a quick rush to shut down services, I can't help but be suspect to as to why, but you can probably do the math on that."

- Sanctuary cities: "NY and San Francisco have prioritized the criminal over the taxpaying citizen", but with Trump, "the world knows that he means business".

- Mexico & Canada sent troops to the border b/c of tariff threats: "The world has gotten the message that America's borders are closed”.

Just dumping this here. Reminding myself that he is *less* MAGA-jihadist than some reps. And he's still a complete bootlicking ass.