Purgatory Scream Park in Kingwood will be open on select days until Nov. 7, according to the park's website.

The details: Purgatory Scream Park offers four haunted attractions aimed at building suspense and scares for visitors, including:

• Kingwood Asylum, which offers institutional horror

• Asphyxia, which provides psychological terror

• Deadwood, which leads visitors through a backwoods nightmare

• Hysteria, which brings attendees to a corrupted carnival

Check it out: Officials noted the attractions will be open to guests on weekends and select weeknights. A calendar listing available dates can be found on the park's website.

• Opened for the 2026 season Sept. 25

• 1965 A Northpark Drive, Kingwood

Humble City Council members approved roughly $392,000 in spending toward various vehicles and equipment for the city’s fire marshal, fire department and police department during the council’s Oct. 8 meeting.

The details: According to agenda documents, council members approved:

• A roughly $55,000 purchase of a 2027 Chevrolet Tahoe for the Humble Fire Marshal's Office

• A roughly $76,700 purchase of eight replacement Motorola portable radios and accessories for the Humble Fire Department

• A roughly $260,000 payment to D&M Leasing for 15 Chevrolet Tahoes for the Humble Police Department

A closer look: Humble Chief Fire Marshal Jason Nykaza said in a Sept. 15 email the Chevy Tahoe was included in the department’s capital outlay budget, according to agenda documents.

Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones announced that all Flock cameras on precinct property have been decommissioned and taken offline.

The specifics: The cameras, which monitor and record license plates to track vehicles, were located across nine parks and facilities. Precinct 4 previously had 48 security cameras and 13 automatic license plate readers, which have now been covered. The technology has faced public scrutiny at recent Harris County Commissioners Court meetings, where residents raised privacy and safety concerns.

What's next: The Harris County Commissioners Court is scheduled to discuss the county's use of automatic license plate readers during its Oct. 15 meeting. Several county departments, including the Sheriff's and Constables' Offices, will present a report covering:

• Amount of money spent on the readers

• Number and location of the readers

• Summary of the technology and its use

• Which agencies have access to the data

• What other jurisdictions are doing to safeguard the data

Thirty-two Houston-area restaurants have been named to the 2026 Michelin Guide, according to an Oct. 8 press release.

The history: The guide, which originated in 1889, uses anonymous inspectors to evaluate dining establishments based on food quality, consistency, flavor harmony, technical mastery and the chef's personality.

Latest update: Six Houston-area restaurants retained their one-star ratings for 2026:

• BCN Taste & Tradition

• CorkScrew BBQ

• Le Jardinier Houston

• March

• Musaafer

• Tatemó

Additionally, 26 area restaurants earned the Bib Gourmand recognition for good quality and value. This includes five new locations: Bar Buena, Khói Barbecue, Kitchen Rumors, Murray's Pizza & Wine and Xolo. Xolo owner Angel Bautista also received the Michelin Exceptional Cocktails Award.

Community Impact reported on several developments across the North Houston area from Oct. 2-9:

• Arms manufacturer Watchtower Defense opens facility in Tomball

• Property owners in Cypress, Cy-Fair, Jersey Village to see tax rate increases

• $8M Plum Grove Road expansion project wraps up in New Caney

• The Container Store closes Spring-Klein area location

• PREVIEW: Montgomery County commissioners to consider support for legislation granting ordinance powers

• The White Canvas Event Venue now hosting events in Cypress

• Whataburger opening new location in Conroe

• Dutch Bros Coffee to open Kingwood location in late 2026

• Bari Ristorante now open in The Woodlands

The Texas comptroller's office is reviewing the finances and spending decisions of four public school districts: Austin, El Paso, Prosper and Barbers Hill ISDs.

The overview: The review was requested by Gov. Greg Abbott in August and will identify whether schools are directing taxpayer dollars toward students, teachers and classrooms over administrative costs, according to information from the two state agencies.

Zooming in: For the 2024-25 school year, the Texas Education Agency gave the selected districts the following financial ratings:

• Austin ISD: B rating; score of 88 (about 69,000 students)

• El Paso ISD: A rating; score of 92 (about 46,000 students)

• Prosper ISD: A rating; score of 94 (about 33,000 students)

• Barbers Hill ISD: A rating; score of 100 (about 8,000 students)

More details: Austin and Prosper ISDs are in Community Impact's coverage areas. According to previous reporting, Austin ISD passed an $887 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2026-27 after making $205 million in gross cuts this summer. Prosper ISD adopted a budget with an expected $42.2 million shortfall.