On Aug. 17, the New Caney ISD community celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new New Caney Elementary School campus, which opened on Aug. 6 as students returned for the 2026-27 school year.

A new chapter: The new 110,000-square-foot campus was completed in June, and cost about $28.29 million to build, as previously reported by Community Impact.

The past: The old NCES campus closed in May after a goodbye celebration was held for the school, as previously reported. Construction on the school began in late 2024 and was funded by the district's $695 million bond package approved by voters in May 2023.

NCES was previously located at 20501 FM 1485, New Caney and is now located at 19300 Via Corsica Drive, New Caney.

The Nest of Kingwood officials celebrated the boutique's five-year anniversary in July, co-owners Melissa Miller and Jamie Lucks confirmed Aug. 6. 

What they offer: Originally opening in July 2021, The Nest of Kingwood is a faith-based boutique that sells books, Bibles and devotionals as well as gift items including jewelry, candles, clothing and baby items. Additional services offered include Bible embossing and complimentary gift wrapping. 

The business also features a prayer wall and regularly hosts prayer groups and Bible studies. 

The celebration: Miller and Lucks said they celebrated the anniversary with special sales and raffle item giveaways throughout July. 

• 1599 Northpark Drive, Ste. B, Kingwood 

Motorists traveling to and from George Bush Intercontinental Airport this week should allow extra travel time due to nearby road construction, Houston Airport System officials announced in an Aug. 24 news release.

What you need to know: Beginning with prep work Aug. 24, HAS will repair concrete in the westbound lanes of Will Clayton Parkway between Kenswick Drive and Lee Road. Per the release, major demolition and concrete work will occur Aug. 25-28.

Officials noted motorists should anticipate lane closures, especially overnight, when two of three lanes will be closed for construction. Motorists can take John F. Kennedy Boulevard as an alternate route during construction. 

Stay tuned: All three lanes are expected to reopen by the afternoon of Aug. 28, per the release. 

Texas’ audit of hundreds of proposed data centers will likely wrap up by the end of the year, grid officials said Aug. 20.

The overview: Up to 300 proposals will be audited to ensure they meet certain criteria before the data centers can begin connecting to the state electric grid. If all the plans are approved, these facilities alone could use about 200 gigawatts of electricity—more than twice Texas’ 91-gigawatt peak demand record, which was set on July 22.

How we got here: On Aug. 3, Gov. Greg Abbott directed ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas to audit proposed data centers regarding their water and electricity use; tax exemptions; impacts on residents; and facility ownership.

More details: Only large loads, or facilities that are expected to use at least 75 megawatts of electricity, will be fully audited. However, ERCOT will also survey proposed data centers that would use 25 megawatts of electricity or more.

ERCOT plans to release reports detailing the results of the audit and surveys on Dec. 10, officials said.