Author: Shane McKinney

For anyone who has spent time on the beaches of Galveston during late spring or summer, the sight is familiar: long brown mats of seaweed stretching across the shoreline, sometimes accompanied by a strong sulfur-like smell drifting through the salty Gulf air. This is sargassum, a floating brown seaweed that naturally moves through the Gulf of…

With my birthday fast approaching, I always find myself reflecting less on what I’ll receive and more on what I’ve been able to give. Over the past few years, I’ve spent my birthdays volunteering in and around Galveston, and in doing so, I’ve learned something important about this island community: some of the most important people here are the ones whose names rarely…

Tomorrow, May 2nd, the people of Galveston will head to the polls.  And while local elections rarely receive the attention of national races, the truth is that few things affect our daily lives more directly than the decisions made right here in our own community.  Local governments shape the roads we drive on, drainage and…

Anyone who has lived on Galveston Island long enough has seen it happen. One year, the beach feels wide and expansive. A few strong storms later, the shoreline has narrowed, dunes have flattened, and the Gulf seems noticeably closer to homes, roads, and seawalls.  For visitors, beach erosion can seem sudden. For coastal communities, it is a…

“Why now?”  That was the opening question from a Pine Street resident who reached out after we came by their home to request support for my candidacy for District 6. They’ve lived in their home since 1999 and said this was the first time they could recall ever being approached by a District 6 council candidate.  Their…

There’s something extraordinary living quietly on the West End of Galveston Island. Something most people will never see, but that makes our community truly one of a kind.  They’re known as “ghost wolves.”  Not because they’re mythical, but because for decades, they were thought to be gone.  The red wolf once roamed across Texas and the Gulf Coast. But…

Protecting the West End Starts at the Shoreline   On the West End of Galveston Island, the conversation around beach nourishment is very personal. For those of us who live here, who walk these beaches, who watch the tides inch closer year after year, the reality of erosion isn’t measured in reports. It’s measured in lost shoreline, in vulnerable homes,…

The updated Strategic Master Plan from the Galveston Wharves lays out an ambitious and transformative vision for the future of the Port of Galveston, one defined by rapid growth, expanded infrastructure, and a renewed responsibility to protect both the island and the people who call it home.  I had the opportunity to attend the Galveston…

Land conservation on Galveston’s West End is not just about protecting open space, it’s about protecting the very systems that protect us. It’s about understanding that the natural beauty we enjoy every day is also working quietly, constantly, to keep our homes, our families, and our future safe.  Out here on the West End, you can feel the difference. You…

Galveston has quietly become one of the most important cruise ports in the United States. What began as a modest operation two decades ago has grown into a major economic engine for the island. Today, the Port of Galveston is the fourth-busiest cruise port in the country and continues to expand at a remarkable pace….