Let’s get creative to rebuild storm-damaged downtown Houston

Looking at photos of downtown’s broken glass from the perspective of an architect with 40 years of experience repairing iconic buildings, my thought is: Let’s have fun! A few may be worth restoring, but most have become bland background. We can wait several months and still have difficulty trying to match the aged and weathered glass exactly. In modernist buildings, a tight match is probably worse than no match at all.

The current views are as festive as confetti. Who knows when the next one right or a hurricane will arrive? Involve artists, be inventive, make Houston a party destination that people will come to see. Ask insurance companies and patrons to support a new look for Houston.

Charles Phillips, Nacogdoches

Regarding “TPC accepts $30 million penalty for Port Neches explosion” (May 21): Since when was a regulated company accept to a penalty? The purpose of a sanction is to punish a wrongdoing. My mother never allowed me to accept disciplinary action and neither did the police.
I guess that’s why polluters don’t take laws or rules seriously. If regulators are so willing to negotiate, why would they?

Joyce Levine, Land of Sugar

He will, however, do everything possible to forgive the shooter who took the life of an armed protester – with strong hints of malice. A shooter, moreover, who was convicted in court by a jury of his peers. If this shooter really stood his ground, wouldn’t that come to light in a court proceeding? Turns out it doesn’t matter because Abbott will do whatever his policies require of him.

And then Abbott appeared at a convention of the National Rifle Association – the organization that helps put guns in the hands of the killer and the deceased. Some would say it’s a vicious cycle. Abbott probably calls it the status quo.

When will this state rid itself of this shameful partisan politician who appears to condone state-sanctioned murder, but cares nothing for the educational progress of all of the state’s youth?

Both of my children attended Houston public schools in the 1960s and 1970s, and they both went on to earn advanced degrees. Today, parents are very upset because some of their children’s favorite teachers and librarians are losing their jobs without really understanding why. Fortunately, ever-vigilant U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia has called for a federal audit of pandemic funding sent to the state of Texas for Houston ISD as the district grapples with an estimated $450 million funding gap. She also requested that the Department of Education audit Ector ISD, following a Spectrum News report suggesting the district sent public funds to Colorado’s Third Future Schools, a charter school operator founded by state-appointed HISD Superintendent Mike Miles.

This gives me hope that circumstances will improve for our public education.