HTX-BAY: Impact 11/3/2025

Community members and staff at Clear Creek ISD can now vote on the 2026-27 academic calendar, according to an Oct. 27 news release from the district.

The gist: There are two calendars available to choose from. The transition day for pre-K, kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade students, as well as holidays and early release days, are included in both calendar options. 

The details: The main differences between the two drafts are the proposed holidays and professional learning days in March 2027. Additionally, “Draft One” ends the school year May 20, 2027, while “Draft Two” concludes one day later, May 21, the news release notes.

IKEA, the Swedish furniture store, will open a store in Webster at the Center at Baybrook in summer 2026, according to an Oct. 20 news release. 

The details: This will be the second location to open in the Houston metro, and the tenth location in the state, according to the release. 

Quote of note: “We are thrilled to continue our expansion across Texas to bring the dream of a better home within reach for more people across the country," Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer of IKEA U.S., said in the release.

• 19801 Gulf Freeway, Webster

Harris County commissioners voted unanimously Oct. 30 to push back the proposed Dec. 11 public hearing for the Harris Health and the Ben Taub Hospital expansion in Houston’s Texas Medical Center. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was absent.

The bottom line: Several amendments, internal deadlines and meetings are now being coordinated by county and city of Houston stakeholders as part of a potential expansion plan that will include community input and a formal presentation in January. Commissioners set the new date for the public hearing in March.

The context: Harris Health officials are in the process of a major expansion of Ben Taub Hospital, which would incorporate 8.9 acres of Hermann Park. Esmaeil Porsa, Harris Health president and CEO, said at the Oct. 30 meeting that the expansion must occur at this location for several reasons that would support more than 1 million uninsured individuals.

“It would allow this facility to be part of Ben Taub and won’t need additional licensing,” Porsa said.

Millions of Texans may see delays in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits beginning Nov. 1, as the federal government shutdown reaches the one-month mark.

The latest: The federal food assistance program is set to run out of funding in November, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Two federal judges ruled Oct. 31 that the Trump Administration must use federal contingency funds, which are stockpiled for emergency expenses, to fund SNAP in November, although the next steps surrounding SNAP benefits were unclear as of press time.

The local impact: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks.

“People are at risk of going hungry if the government doesn't reopen and SNAP benefits are delayed. … These are already vulnerable Texans,” Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole said in an Oct. 27 interview.

Food banks across the state Texas food banks previously expanded their operations to meet increased demand as thousands of federal workers go without paychecks during the shutdown.