5 things for Houstonians to know for Wednesday, March 31

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2015 file photo is signage outside Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Big techs outsized influence over society has become one of the biggest battlefronts in state legislatures this year. Lawmakers are taking on tech and social media companies over a wide range of issues, including anti-trust, digital privacy, taxing ad sales, net neutrality and censorship (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File) (Marcio Jose Sanchez, Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Here are things to know for Wednesday, March 31:

1. Is Google coming to Houston? What you can expect to see in May

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Google is expected to complete its first Houston office in May, according to InnovationMap.

The 12,000 square-foot building, which will be a regional hub for Google Cloud’s sales team, is located in the One Buffalo Heights building at 3663 Washington Ave. The tech giant hasn’t announced how many people will be employed or how many employees will work in the office.

According to reports, Google usually hires roughly 60 to 70 employees for its buildings.

Read more.

2. Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine protects younger teens

Pfizer announced Wednesday that its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in kids as young as 12, a step toward possibly beginning shots in this age group before they head back to school in the fall.

Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized for ages 16 and older. But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic — and helping schools, at least the upper grades, start to look a little more normal after months of disruption.

In a study of 2,260 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15, preliminary data showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those given dummy shots, Pfizer reported.

Read more.

3. Websites help residents find specific brand of COVID-19 vaccine

pots are going fast whenever appointments open. In some cases, it’s frustrating because people are looking for a specific type of vaccine, which adds another challenge to find one.

Here are some ways you can find what you’re looking for.

VaccineFinder.org lets you know when vaccines are available near you. When a provider has some in stock, this site lets you know which ones are there.

Department of State Health Services list shows how many of each Pfizer, J&J and Moderna are sent to every provider in the state.

Read more.

4. Search for man accused of robbing woman with 2 young children outside of grocery store in Katy

Investigators need the public’s help in identifying a vehicle and the suspected driver in connection with an aggravated robbery of a woman in Katy.

On March 23, a 34-year-old woman along with her 8-year-old child and 6-month-old infant were leaving the HEB located at 550 N Fry Road when a man approached them asking for money.

Deputies said the man raised his shirt and showed the woman a pistol. The woman then gave the suspect money from her purse, according to deputies.

The man fled the scene in a white-colored, four-door sedan, possibly a Toyota Avalon, with a black spare tire on the left passenger side.

Read more.

5. 3 Center Court Pizza shops targeted by thieves, nearly $6,000 stolen

At least two thieves were caught on camera stealing the safe at multiple locations of a local pizza chain. Now, restaurant leaders are speaking out hoping to get the thieves caught.

Center Court Pizza & Brew has been in this community for more than a decade. Peck Kuy is the chain’s operations director. Kuy is determined to overcome a massive loss due to burglary.

“They’re out there. People are looking to make an easy dollar off of other people’s hard work,” Kuy said.

The heist on Friday around 3 a.m. was caught on surveillance video.

Read more.


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