HOUSTON - As climate change relentlessly drives up summer temperatures, the city of Houston and Harris County will learn their hottest spots next month with aid from local residents.

A heat-mapping project is designed to help communities reshape themselves with the goal of cooling off urban environments.

Jaime González - Houston Healthy Cities program director with The Nature Conservancy in Texas - says the project, which is rolling out in partnership with Lowe's and Shell, will identify locations where mitigation such as tree canopies and green rooftops make sense.

"Urban heat is kind of a force-multiplier for things that we don't want to see happen for human populations," says González. "And we know that extra heat also affects wildlife and their ability to reproduce, so we're starting to see impacts on those wildlife populations as well. "

Summer temperatures typically hit their peak in Houston around August 7, and that's when roughly 80 community members equipped with specially designed thermal sensors attached to cars or bicycles will help measure and map urban heat.

Houston temperatures are rising not only during the day but also at night, and Jessica Abbinett - climate program coordinator with the Harris County Public Health Department - says minorities are most likely to live in heat islands that can contribute to death.

"Historically in the U.S, extreme heat has been the leading cause of weather-related deaths," says Abbinett. "And then here in Texas we have the highest number of pediatric heat-stroke deaths from children being left in hot vehicles."

Texas is one of three states with the highest heat-related deaths - behind Arizona and ahead of California. Meredith Jennings, a postdoctoral research scientist with the Houston Advanced Research Center, is encouraged that people in Houston recognize the risks of extreme heat and are eager to find solutions.

"Houstonians know that it's hot," says Jennings. "This is part of living here. I think having so many people wanting to participate to actually help us make measurements on temperature and humidity is really exciting."

Information from the August 7 Houston and Harris County heat-mapping campaign will complement projects in 12 other cities across the country this summer.

PIERRE, S.D. -- Supporters of establishing recreational marijuana in South Dakota say they're pouring all their energy into a new ballot initiative, after a state Supreme Court ruling this week overturned the effort approved by voters a year ago.

The court upheld an earlier ruling, which held despite getting enough voter support in 2020, "Amendment A" was not constitutional because it covered too many topics surrounding marijuana.

Matthew Schweich, campaign director of South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws, called the decision "flawed," but said the issue is far from over. He noted the group is circulating a petition for a similar ballot question next year.

"We know we have the will of the people on our side," Schweich asserted. "And we're not gonna stop working until the will of the people is upheld and respected in South Dakota."

He pointed out the new question has been rewritten to avoid any pushback that would lead to a lawsuit. The previous ballot initiative received 54% of the vote.

Gov. Kristi Noem has been an opponent of legalization. She directed the Highway Patrol superintendent to pursue a lawsuit against the plan. In praising the court's decision, she said it will not affect the state's emerging medical-marijuana program, also approved by voters last year.

Apart from the new ballot plan, Schweich added he hopes state lawmakers step in and approve a recreational law. Either way, he hopes the legal fight doesn't discourage residents when it comes to democracy.

"I've heard a lot of people saying, 'Our votes don't count, why do I even bother?'" Schweich recounted. "No, don't give up on voting. Don't give up on the democratic process."

In light of the lawsuit and subsequent result, Schweich feels voters will be motivated to sign the new petition. Organizers have until next spring to submit the signatures to the Secretary of State.

National polling indicates a majority of Americans say marijuana should be legal for both recreational and medical use.

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- Latino and Native American groups say they're opposed to the state's new political boundary maps, and are now working to raise awareness in the community to strengthen people's commitment to voting.

The Legislature approved the new maps as part of the Nevada Counts redistricting effort, which must be updated every ten years after the census.

Guillermo Barahona, civic engagement director for Chispa Nevada, said he is glad the Walker Lake Paiute Tribe did not get split up as it was on the original map, but is unhappy the new First Congressional District splits up some Latino neighborhoods.

"We wanted to see maps that were more reflective of the size of the communities," Barahona explained. "Taking into account where is exactly, like, the locations of the Latino community."

The Nevada Count coalition said it tried to balance competing priorities, both urban and rural, while respecting city and county boundaries.

Tammi Tiger, civic engagement administrator for the Las Vegas Indian Center, said she is happy the maps were amended to allow tribal lines to take precedence over county lines, but thinks lawmakers did not take into account the community-of-interest maps her group favored by the tribes in Southern Nevada.

"Well, the community-of-interest map drawing is one of the few processes that we have to provide public input," Tiger pointed out. "And so if those are not considered, then that's not listening to the voices of the community on where their representation should be."

Currently, no statewide elected leaders identify as Native American, so Tiger said the focus will be to recruit more people from her community to run for office.

Tribes have been fighting for years to establish a national monument at Spirit Mountain, called Avi Kwa Ame and in opposition to a proposed lithium mine at Thacker Pass.

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's heavily-debated redistricting process entered a new phase Thursday, when the governor followed through on his promise to veto new political maps.

Ever since Republican legislative leaders unveiled the new voting-district boundaries, Democrat Tony Evers has insisted they are largely unchanged from the 2011 maps considered extremely gerrymandered.

The move likely sets up court action to make final determinations.

Bob Maline, volunteer for the grassroots group Western Wisconsin for Nonpartisan Voting Districts, said in the meantime, Wisconsin voters should keep pressing lawmakers to hold hearings for a bill to create an independent redistricting commission.

"The train for this year has left the station; those maps are going to be decided in the courts," Maline observed. "But we need that nonpartisan commission now, while there's still momentum and awareness."

He said by having the new approach in place by the 2030 Census, the state could avoid another protracted fight leaving constituents behind. Republicans, who control the process because of their legislative majorities, insist their methods in creating the maps were fair and legal, and included efforts to gather public feedback.

Maline pointed out there are many reasons for people to push for politics to be removed from redistricting, including better representation for marginalized communities.

Ultimately, he feels changing the process would diffuse a lot of the citizen anger seen today, and thinks many voters have been turned off by elected officials favoring self-preservation over a healthy democracy.

"Each person gets a vote and each vote counts the same," Maline noted. "And that's where gerrymandering goes wrong."

It's unclear yet exactly how the current redistricting process will play out in the legal system. Political experts say as it stands now, Republicans do not have enough votes to override the governor's veto.