Houston 27, Stephen F. Austin 0

The Houston Cougars start the year with a shutout.

The Good: For all the concern that the defense would take a step backwards after losing defensive coordinator Shiel Wood and several key players from last year's team, they were dominant against SFA. They held the Lumberjacks to 144 total yards of offense, intercepted them twice (and dropped at least two additional picks) and, most importantly, kept SFA from putting any points on the board. You can't ask your defense to do more than that, even against an FCS program.

On the offensive side of the ball, transfer TE Tanner Koziol was as good as advertised, leading all receivers with seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. QB Conner Weigman performed acceptably in his first start for the Coogs, completing 15 of 24 passes for 159 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Bad: The offensive line. In spite of being completely overhauled during the offseason, the O-line's struggles continued, especially in run blocking situations. They allowed eight tackles for loss, and one Houston possession ended in a turnover on downs because the Cougars couldn't gain one measly yard on either 3rd or 4th down.... against an FCS defense. 

Between poor O-line play and receivers who failed to get open or otherwise weren't on the same page as Weigman, the offense sputtered for much of the night. Seven Cougar drives ended in punts (five of which were 3-and-outs).

The Horrible: Although originally expected to start, RB Re'Shaun Sanford did not take the field last Thursday. After the game it was discovered that he had undergone knee surgery the day before the game, ending his season before it even began. With his loss, the Cougars are without a key piece of their ground attack.

What It Means: Should UH faithful be concerned that the offense only managed to score 27 points against an FCS opponent? Or should they remember that an offense with so many new faces (coordinator included) is going to be a work in progress at the beginning of the season? Both things can be true, and I expect improvement from here.

Next up for the Cougars is a short trip west to play Rice, in what might be the last edition of the Bayou Bucket for a while.

Underdog Dynasty has more on the Coogs' season opener.

Conspiracy theorists upset that serial killer doesn't exist

Even though I don't live in Austin, I'm in regular contact with a large number of people who do. So I'm surprised I hadn't heard about the "Rainy Street Ripper" before I read this article:

After years of speculation and international headlines, a new study by Texas State University criminologists and the Austin Police Department has concluded the “Rainey Street Ripper” — a purported serial killer targeting Austin men on the edges of Lady Bird Lake — isn’t real.

Since 2018, at least 21 bodies have been pulled from Lady Bird Lake, which was still known as "Town Lake" when I lived in Austin and is basically a wide part of the Colorado River near downtown. A certain segment of the population believes these drownings are the result of a serial killer; naturally, they've used social media to express and promote this supposition.

Despite the spread of the theory online, Austin police have for years remained consistent that there was no evidence of a serial killer. Now, Texas State’s study has concluded the same — that there is “neither direct evidence nor indirect warning signs of a serial murderer.” 

Texas State’s Center for Geospatial Intelligence and Investigation analyzed 189 drowning cases from 2004 to 2025, and the report found they match historical patterns and the average risk of drowning in a growing city the size of Austin.

“The theory that a serial killer is drowning men from Austin’s Rainey Street District has been advanced by social and mainstream media for over two years now,” the study’s authors wrote. “Much of this coverage has criticized the failure of authorities to recognize the threat of a violent offender. But while police must properly respond to the risk of a predator, it is also important they not waste limited resources pursuing a criminal who does not exist.”

To nobody's surprise, Rainy Street Ripper true believers weren't having it:

In the comments section for the Statesman’s story on Instagram, dozens of people remained unconvinced. In fact, the majority of the nearly 100 comments expressed an unwillingness to believe the new study — and a reassertion of the conspiracy that police might themselves be involved.

“That’s because it’s a cop,” wrote @lamandamb. In just five hours, more than 200 people had liked her comment.

“We have investigated ourselves and determined we’ve done nothing wrong,” wrote @3lucyd. 

“That’s because the call is coming from inside the house,” wrote @justbaugh. 

On X, @BaronVnOttomatc wrote, “Of course, that’s what they want you to believe.”

Others wrote “Sure, Jan…” or posted the meme from “The Brady Bunch.”

In KXAN’s Instagram comments, the tone was much the same.

“I’m not saying this doesn’t make sense, but I am saying that throughout history, police and city officials have deliberately lied about a serial killer in order to not cause a panic,” wrote @mr.silveira98.

“I’m not buying what you’re sellin sir,” wrote @csnively. Others referenced the show “Dexter,” the series about a blood splatter expert who solves murders — and also commits them.

These commenters didn't just direct their ire at the Austin Police Department; they also accused the Texas State researchers of a cover-up or, worse yet, being in on the murders:

As @JeffOnVacation wrote on Blue Sky, “So, the ‘Rainey Street Ripper’ works at Texas State.” That same sentiment was shared by @wise_sarcasm on Threads, who wrote, “Murderer must have just started classes at Texas state this fall.”

It's impossible to know how many of these comments were made by Rainy Street Ripper true believers and how many came from trolls and bots; in fact, I'm not sure it even matters. It's just more evidence of the jaw-droppingly stupid era we currently live in, where mistrust in institutions such as law enforcement and academia is at an all-time low, and misinformation and public anxiety can be effortlessly spread by social media. It also doesn't help that tabloids and propaganda networks help spread this nonsense:

The authors also noted that news reporting on the story, particularly by Fox News and The Daily Mail, had been both sensational and reliant upon “the opinions of unqualified experts and others who ignored due diligence,” with too little attention paid “to the dangers of revictimization of family members” of the people killed in the drownings.

“These fabrications have costs in the real world, wasting valuable resources that could be deployed to help solve actual crimes,” said the study. “To provide perspective, the cost of a serial murder investigation is typically in the tens of millions of dollars. Currently, Texas has 23,000 cold case homicides — actual crimes that have not been solved.”

The cost of this conspiracy theory isn't only in the law enforcement resources being dedicated to investigate it; it's also the very real possibility that a Rainy Street Ripper true believer might decide to become a vigilante, harassing anybody around Lady Bird Lake they think might be the murderer (and potentially causing violence, à la the Comet Ping Pong shooter, in the process) or, worse yet, that a lonely, mentally disturbed person sitting in their apartment might consume this bullshit and be inspired to become the Rainy Street Ripper themselves.

But none of these potential consequences matter to conspiracy theorists; they cling to their delusions because they think it's what makes them different than the rest of us "sheeple." Which is why the Rainy Street Ripper will continue to be invoked every time some dumbass gets drunk on Sixth Street, decides to go for a swim in the wee hours of the morning, and drowns.

Remembering Lee Corso's F-Bomb

This weekend will be legendary college football coach and commentator Lee Corso's last appearance on ESPN College Gameday. To commemorate the end of the unpredictable 90-year-old analyst's career, ESPN put together a documentary that included this tidbit on one of the most unforgettable moments in College Gameday history, which occurred on the University of Houston campus:

Of course, I was present when it happened, although at the time I didn't hear the actual word.

The University of Houston is currently renovating the plaza in front of the E. Cullen building, where the College Gameday stage was set up. I think as part of the remodeling they should install a commemorative plaque:

Here marks the spot where, on November 19, 2011, during a live broadcast of ESPN College Gameday, Lee Corso said "AW, FUCK IT!" 

Video of our trip to Japan

Last month Corinne and I spent a week and a half in Japan. It was my first trip to the country in two decades; she had never before been. 

We stayed in Osaka, spending time exploring that city and making day trips to places like Kyoto, Kobe and Hiroshima. We also attended Expo 2025 - the world's fair - because Corinne has good memories of attending the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans as child (her father was involved in its organization) and has always wanted to attend another one.

Below is a video I created of our trip:

If I ever have the time and motivation, I might write some additional posts about the trip: what we saw, how we got around, and (most importantly!) what we ate. 

As is usually the case when we travel, this trip simply makes us want to go back and see more of Japan in the future. But we're not going to make any more trips to Japan in the summer - it was just as hot in Osaka as it is in Houston!

2025 Houston Cougar Football Preview

Another college football season is upon us, which means that it's time for me to resume blogging.

Looking Back: There were some bright spots to Willie Fritz's first year at the helm of the Cougar program, including victories over TCU on the road and a ranked Kansas State at home, but the overall result was a 4-8 record for the second straight season. The UH football program has traditionally been known for its offense, but last year that was not the case as Houston finished 133 (out of 134 FBS teams) in scoring, and 128th in total offense.

The Big Story for 2025: Fritz is bringing in new coordinators on both sides of the ball. The ineffective Kevin Barbay has been replaced by Slade Nagle, who worked with Fritz at Tulane, as Offensive Coordinator. Defensively, the Cougars were forced to make a change at the coordinator position when Texas Tech hired Shiel Wood away from Cullen Boulevard. Austin Armstrong, previously DC at Florida, takes over.

Reasons for Optimism: Aside from Nagle, the offense itself is seeing an influx of transfer portal talent including highly-ranked QB Conner Weigman (previously at Texas A&M) and TE Tanner Koziol (previously at Ball State), who was the highest-rated tight end in the portal. These and other newcomers join standouts from last season, such as RB Re'Shaun Sanford II and WR Stephon Johnson. Defensive playmakers such as DT Carlos Allen, Jr and LB Brandon Mack return as well.

The schedule also seems a bit more favorable than the one the Cougars faced last season. The Coogs only face two of the five Big 12 teams ranked in either the preseason AP or Coaches poll. UH also gets an opportunity to work out some kinks against an FCS opponent to start the season, a luxury they did not have to start last season.

Reasons for Pessimism: The transfer portal giveth, and the transfer portal taketh away. The defense was Houston's one bright spot in the 2024 season, ending the season 25th in the nation in yards allowed per game, but key defensive players from last year, including safety A.J. Haulcy and cornerback Jeremiah Wilson, transferred out. Their losses will hurt just as much as Wood's departure to Lubbock.

Disastrously poor offensive line play was one of the reasons for the Coogs' struggles on that side of the ball last season. While Fritz and his staff have brought in some transfers to fortify that struggling unit, it remains to be seen if they will be able to effectively protect Weigman or open holes for the ground game.

What the Computers Think: The Cougars are ranked 70th (out of 136 FBS schools*) in ESPN's preseason Football Power Index and their game-by-game matchup predictor gives the Cougars more than a 50% chance of winning only four games (although a fifth game is almost a toss-up). A separate ESPN rating, the SP+, ranks the Cougars #63 and projects 5.8 wins for the Cougars. "After fielding their worst team in 22 years, the Cougs [sic] are natural rebound candidates, especially with top-20 returning production," the article states.

Sagarin's beginning-of-season ratings predict a 6-6 campaign when home field advantage is taken into consideration. Congrove foresees a 6-6 campaign for the Coogs as well. Massey's algorithm is more pessimistic, only giving the Cougars a 50% chance of winning three games this fall. 

What the Humans Think: Chronicle UH beatwriter Joseph Duarte is predicting a 7-5 season for Houston, as are USA Today's Paul Myerberg and Jim Sergent. CollegeFootballNews foresees a 6-6 record for the Cougars (their full preview of the team is here). James Parks of College Football HQ foresees a 6-6 campaign as well. CBSports.com has the Coogs ranked #53 going into the season and thinks they're on track for a Frisco Bowl appearance, which means they foresee at least six victories.

What I think: I think this fall's offense will be better (after all, it can't get much worse than last season), but I think the defense will take a step backward. The schedule is easier than it was a year ago, but is still formidable. There are a lot of new faces on the program - athletes and coordinators alike - so getting everybody to quickly coalesce as a team will be of utmost importance. 

I want to believe that the Cougars can achieve at least six wins and go to a bowl game this fall - that, after all, should be the minimum expectation of Willie Fritz's second season - and will therefore predict a 6-6 regular season for UH. 

But I do so with a bit of trepidation, because the Coogs don't have much margin for error this fall. In order to get to six wins, the Cougars will need to do at least three of the following four things: not suffer any dreaded "Coog It" games at home, overcome a very long road trip to beat Oregon State in Eugene, do what only one other UH team has done in history and beat UCF in Orlando, and/or pull off a significant upset against the likes of Baylor or Texas Tech. None of those things will be easy. Also, of course, the team must stay healthy; Weigman had injury issues at Texas A&M and if he goes down here as well then all bets are off. 

It was obvious that it would take Willie Fritz more than just one season to repair the damage done to the program by Dana Holgorsen. The good news is that Fritz's teams seem to have a history of taking leaps forward during his second season as head coach; hopefully that trend holds up this fall. 

Underdog Dynasty has a thorough preview of the Cougars that is worth a read.

*Missouri State and Delaware are joining the FBS party this fall.

Dorothy Ella Johnston 1922-2025

Nobody is immortal. Not even my aunt Dorothy, who died on April 1st, just a few months shy of her 103rd birthday. She was laid to rest in Temple, Texas yesterday. Her obituary was carried by the Temple Daily Telegram and can also be accessed on her funeral home's website (along with a bunch of pictures of her over the years if you click on "gallery"). As is my tradition, I am also posting it here (especially because I wrote it!):

Dorothy Ella Johnston, of Temple, departed this earth on April 1, 2025.

Dorothy was born in Osage County, Oklahoma on July 22, 1922 and graduated from Bowlegs High School in Bowlegs, Oklahoma in 1940. In 1941, she entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Maryville, Missouri. She graduated from the St. Anthony School of Nursing in Oklahoma City as a Registered Nurse in 1948, Benedictine Heights College in Tulsa, Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in 1956, and St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri with a Masters of Education in 1962. She spent most of her career as a medical records administrator but also served as principal of Mount Alverno Academy in Maryville, Missouri in the 1960s. Dorothy left the Sisters of St. Francis in 1968.

In 1973 she settled in Temple, where she would spend the rest of her life. She worked in the medical information section of the Olin E. Teague Veterans Administration Hospital until 1984 and then taught in the Medical Records Technology Program at Temple College until 1987. Whether as a nurse, a teacher, an administrator, or an aunt, and in hospitals, schools, convents and so many other places, Dorothy touched an uncountable number of lives during her 102 years on this planet.

Dorothy will be remembered for her independence, her wisdom, and her enthusiasm for imparting it upon others (whether they wanted it or not!). Dorothy did not realize she was a dog person until later in life, when she met her two best friends, Penny and Daisy.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Henry William Johnston and Ruth Ella Mitchem Johnston, and her brothers James Orrin Johnston and Glen Edwin Johnston. She is survived by her brother Joseph Henry Johnston of Austin, sister Rosemary Teresa Johnston Gray of Houston, sister-in-law Carolyn Johnston of Beaverton, Oregon, and innumerable cousins, nieces, and nephews living all over the world. She also leaves behind many friends and neighbors who provided her support, comfort and companionship.

A mass funeral will be held at 11 am on Monday, April 14, 2025 at St. Luke’s Catholic Church, where she was a parishioner for over half a century. A rosary will precede the service at 10:30, and her ashes will be interred in St. Luke’s columbarium afterwards. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made to Feed My Sheep (116 W Avenue G, Temple, TX 76504).

And now, time for some pictures... 

Dorothy and a very young me, March 1974

Dorothy, along with my grandmother, moved to Temple the same year I was born. Given that Temple is only about three hours away from Houston, I saw her on a regular basis. Most holidays and even some vacations were spent with her and she was always there for the big events of my life, such as graduations and my first wedding. It felt weird being in Temple for her funeral yesterday, knowing that it might have been the last time I would ever be there. 

Dorothy and me in Tucson, Arizona, where we were attending my cousin's wedding, June 2004

Dorothy, having no spouse or children of her own, definitely lived an independent life. I will never forget how she, in her mid-60s, decided to travel down to Ecuador by herself to visit us (and take an excursion into the Amazonian rainforest with us!) when we were spending the summer there. 

The five of us in a hotel in the Ecuadorian rainforest, July 1988

After my grandmother passed away in 2000, Dorothy lived alone. When my uncle and her younger brother Glen, who also lived in Temple, died back in 2007, I wrote that Dorothy's "days of living independently are probably numbered." She proved me wrong by herself for another fifteen years, only having to move out of her house a few months short of her 100th birthday when her eyesight had deteriorated to the point where she could no longer get around her own home. She spent the next two-and-a-half years in assisted living and was only transferred to full nursing care a couple of months ago, when her body finally gave out. Her mental abilities never diminished.

Family, friends and neighbors gathered for Dorothy's 95th birthday, July 2017

This does not mean that Dorothy lived in isolation. She had a number of friends and neighbors who checked on her on a regular basis when she lived in her house, providing her with much-needed support and conversation. Those same people continued to visit her in assisted living. She also had the companionship of Daisy, her dog. Sometimes I'd even make the trip to check in on her.  

Corinne and myself visiting Dorothy and Daisy, June 2021

As for "her wisdom, and her enthusiasm for imparting it upon others (whether they wanted it or not!)," that's a gentle way of saying that Dorothy had very strong opinions and didn't hesitate to share them with others. Sometimes it was humorous, but at other times it could be awkward. She especially loved to nag my brother and me, imploring us to be more obedient to our parents or do better in school. I know it was because she had our best interests in mind, but when we were teenagers it got to the point that we started referring to the street in Temple on which she lived, Lancelot Lane, as "Nag-a-lot Street."

Dorothy spent a lot of time in the kitchen, but her tastes were fairly basic.

Dorothy Johnston led a long and remarkable life, so much of it spent in service of others. She will definitely be missed. After being on this earth for almost 103 years, it will definitely feel strange for Dorothy not to be here anymore.

Dorothy and me shortly after her transfer to a nursing facility, January 2025. This is the last picture of us together.

The San Luis Pass Bridge

I've caught some very nice fish underneath this bridge. It's good to know I won't need to scrounge up spare change to go over it anymore.

The days of fishing in the console for stray quarters when crossing the San Luis Pass bridge are numbered. Galveston County commissioners voted Monday to phase out the required $2 toll over the bridge, the Galveston County Daily News reported.

The motion passed 5-0 after Commissioner Joe Giusti, who put it on the agenda, reportedly said the toll's purpose of paying for the bridge had been fulfilled years ago. He added that the county could absorb the roughly $500,000 collected yearly from the tolls, more than half of which goes toward staffing the booth.

I always knew that the bridge's construction cost had long been paid off; I somehow assumed that tolls were being collected for the bridge's ongoing maintenance. I had no idea that the majority of those proceeds went to the collection staff itself. That doesn't sound like a particularly efficient use of those revenues, but the cash-only bridge was never a model of efficiency. In fact, it was a bit of a pain.

Notwithstanding the Bolivar ferry—of little use when heading back to Houston or Austin—the San Luis Pass bridge is the only land route off the island besides the I-45 causeway. Linking Galveston Island and Brazoria County, it draws extra attention from time to time when construction around the causeway causes horrific backups, like the one in February that had fuming drivers reportedly waiting up to five hours to get back on the mainland.

It probably should be pointed out that this bridge connects Galveston Island to another island - Follett's Island - and it's still another fifteen miles from this bridge to the State Highway 332 bridge in Surfside that connects Follett's Island to the Brazoria County mainland. This is something to keep in mind when using this bridge for, say, hurricane evacuations. 

Built in the 1960s after Hurricane Carla destroyed the previous one, the bridge may not be long for this world either way, according to the Daily News. In 2023, the Texas Department of Transportation rated it in poor condition, noting its deteriorating beams and cracked concrete.

The county is in the embryonic stages of raising the money necessary for a new bridge. Commissioners in February authorized Galveston County Judge Mark Henry to apply for federal grants that would cover most of the cost, the Daily News reported.

Sounds good to me, as long as the new bridge isn't tolled, and I can still catch nice reds and sheepshead underneath it.

Cougars fall short of national title

I was hoping that, in terms of making it to the national championship game, the third time would be a charm for the Houston Cougars and they would claim their first national title. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

Nearly an hour after Houston coach Kelvin Sampson walked off the court amid flurries of Florida-colored orange and blue confetti, he stood in front of a black curtain in a hallway at the Alamodome.

Sampson, 69, faced a phalanx of television lights that illuminated him at his most crushing professional low. The lights shined on his close-cropped hair, which is more salt than pepper, as midnight quickly approached.

With his arms folded across his chest and an NCAA National Final pin adjacent to the UH logo on his gray polo, Sampson distilled the disappointment of Houston squandering a 12-point lead in the second half and ending the national title game with four consecutive turnovers in a 65-63 loss to Florida.

"There's a lot of teams that are not built for six straight wins," Sampson said, referring to the number needed to win the NCAA tournament. "This team was, this team was built, this team had the character and the toughness and the leadership. This team was built to win this tournament, and that's why it's so disappointing. We got here and had a chance and just didn't get it done."

The Cougars led for most of the game but faded down the stretch and lost in a manner eerily reminiscent of their stunning upset at the hands of North Carolina State in the 1983 national championship game. Houston's last shot attempt of the game occurred with 1:25 left up 63-62, and they turned it over four times on their last four possessions, including the ill-fated final possession:

After Florida's Denzel Aberdeen made one of two free throws, Houston had the ball down two with 19 seconds left. Florida's defense stymied Houston's early offensive action, then [UH guard Emanuel] Sharp caught the ball nearly 6 feet behind the 3-point line with five seconds remaining.

Sharp went straight up to attempt a long 3-pointer, but what would have been a 28-footer never got off. Walter Clayton Jr. sniffed out his desperation and lunged at him midair with an outstretched left hand, and it put Sharp in the unenviable position of getting his shot blocked or letting the ball drop.

Sharp shielded Clayton as the ball hit the floor, and Florida's Alex Condon made the hustle play to seal the game by snagging his fourth steal of the night. Sharp slumped down a few feet from his final turnover, his elbows perched atop his knees and fists covering his face as he looked toward the floor.

To be fair to Emanuel, the game should not have come down to him. The Cougars missed easy shots all evening, hitting less than 35% of their field goals and going a lousy 6-25 from beyond the three-point line. They also missed 5 out of 14 free throws. The officiating didn't help either, with the referees missing a obvious Florida goaltending late in the first half and piling up ticky-tack fouls on the Coogs in the second half. But that's no excuse. The Cougars were up by 12 at one point in the second half. They should have won. 

They didn't.

I have to keep my perspective. The fact that the Cougars made the championship game at all is amazing, given their miraculous comeback win over Duke in the semifinal. There are hundreds of college basketball programs out there who would love to be able to claim seven final four appearances and three national championship game appearances, like Houston can. I also need to appreciate the fact that the University of Houston basketball program is nationally prominent today, after spending three decades after the Phi Slama Jama era in utter irrelevance. This game was by no means the end of the road for the Cougars under Kelvin Sampson.

But that doesn't make this loss feel any better. "Best men's basketball program to never have won a championship" isn't a particularly comforting title. This is going to sting for awhile. Assistant coach Kellen Sampson said it best:

"It's a brutal, cruel guillotine," he said, "and when you get here, every team is so good and you don't get here without a team that's connected, resilient, tough. The margins are so razor-thin. We certainly did enough tonight to win. Florida did, as well, and they won."

Let's just hope it's not another 42 years before the Houston Cougars get another bite at the national championship apple.

How far we've come

I've known Greg Propes for for at least 25 years, so it's very cool to see him get a few minutes of fame from the Chronicle based on a picture he took back in December 2013:

Greg Propes, via the Houston Chronicle

Greg Propes arrived inside Hofheinz Pavilion just as the starting lineups were being announced for a non-conference game against Alcorn State in 2013.

“My jaw dropped,” Propes said. “Even by the poor standards that had been set at UH, my jaw dropped when I saw literally nobody there. It blew my mind.”

Propes took photos of Hofheinz from different angles, each showing completely empty sections of red seats for an early December game in coach James Dickey’s final season.

Once again, the photos surfaced on social media this week, showing just how far the University of Houston men’s basketball program has come since the arrival of coach Kelvin Sampson a year later.

That night, Propes posted the photos on the fan website CoogFans.com. He counted 43 fans sitting in the section behind the scorer’s table. He counted 15 students. The announced attendance for UH’s 31-point win was 2,833.

“I’m embarrassed to be here. I’m embarrassed for the players. I’m embarrassed,” Propes wrote on the website’s message board.

UH message boards were referring to Hofheinz as "the Tomb" at the time, because people simply weren't going to the games. It didn't matter that the game Greg attended was on a Monday night during finals week against an uninteresting opponent; the Coogs could have been playing North Carolina on Saturday and the crowd probably wouldn't have been much larger. The program was simply not relevant nationally nor of interest to local sports fans, UH alums included. About six weeks after Greg took this picture, I wrote:

I freely admit that I'm part of the problem; I rarely attend UH basketball games these days because, well, the games just aren't much fun for me anymore. Sure, I should be a good alumnus and support my school's hoops program through thick and thin. But when the team plays one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the nation but still only manages an 8-5 record, when the program has made exactly one NCAA Tournament appearance in the last twenty-two years, when the head coach is an aging retread who was coaching middle school girl's basketball when he was hired, when attending Cougar basketball games feels less like entertainment and more like a chore... Well, I guess I've just reached "that point of apathy" that [former Houston Press writer John] Royal writes about. There was a time when I really cared about UH basketball. Now I couldn't even tell you when the next home game is.

After the 2013-14 season was over, the University of Houston fired James Dickey (who never should have been hired to begin with), and tapped Kelvin Sampson to lead the program out of the abyss.  

Today, things are completely different. The Coogs play in front of packed crowds at the renovated Fertitta Center. The program won the Big XII conference for the second year in a row. The team is heading to their seventh Final Four in program history this weekend. UH basketball is no longer merely relevant; it is one of the nation's best. 

It's amazing to see just how much things have changed in a dozen years.

“Kelvin Sampson is a miracle worker,” Propes said. “What has happened to UH — and I don’t use the word lightly — is a miracle what happened here.”

Monarch population rebounds

This story is a month old at this point, but these days I'll share any good news I can get:

In encouraging news, the eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubled in 2025, according to a new report announced in Mexico. The population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter. While monarchs occupied nearly twice as much forest habitat as last year, populations remain far below the long-term average.

The survey, Forest Area Occupied by Monarch Butterflies Colonies in Mexico During the 2024-2025 Hibernation Season is conducted annually by WWF-Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas in collaboration with local communities, and it serves as an important indicator of the butterfly's overall population health. 

“We recognize the key role of local communities, as well as the support of the government of Mexico in conserving the forest and providing this iconic species with the opportunity to thrive,” said Jorge Rickards, director general of WWF Mexico. "It’s now time to turn this year’s increase into a lasting trend with an all-hands approach where governments, landowners, conservationists, and citizens continue to safeguard critical habitats along the monarch’s North American migratory route.”

Scientists attribute much of this year’s population growth to better weather conditions in 2024—with less severe drought than in previous years—along the butterflies' migration route from the United States and Canada to Mexico.

Improvements have also been made in protecting the overwintering forests in Mexico from threats such as illegal logging. Here's this year's graph from monarchwatch.org:

monarchwatch.org

One season does not a trend make, and as the graph above shows, the migrating monarch butterfly population is tis just a fraction of what it's historically been. But given last year's particularly grim report, this is good. Monarchs are resilient - how many other species can double their population in the span of a single year? - but they still need our help:

Monarchs still face several threats. For example, climatic variations in the monarch’s breeding areas in Canada and the United States can impact the abundance of milkweed, the only plant in which the butterflies lay their eggs, and from which monarch caterpillars feed. Land-use changes in the United States, combined with the widespread use of herbicides and insecticides, have also contributed to the loss of milkweed and other nectar plants adult monarchs need to feed from. And while high levels of illegal logging in the monarch butterfly reserve have been halted, forest degradation in the overwintering sites in Mexico could be a threat if left unchecked.

Remember, folks: 80% of our agricultural production depends on pollinating insects such as monarchs, and other pollinators are having population crises of their own. Protecting the monarch isn't just good for them; it's good for us.

So plant that milkweed.