Magnolia’s temporary building moratorium is no longer in place after officially expiring Dec. 14, according to an update posted by the city Dec. 15.

Magnolia’s development moratorium was first enacted in December 2022, when city leaders said the city’s water facilities were at capacity and unable to support new development, Community Impact previously reported. 

The full story: As of Dec. 15, residents and developers seeking new water or sewer connections are being directed to contact Magnolia’s utility department, the city said. 

City staff also told the mayor and City Council that multiple department meetings were held Dec. 15 to prepare for what could come next, and that the city is finalizing graphics and an updated application process—including an interactive Google form—to be posted online.

More context: In May, Mayor Matthew “Doc” Dantzer said Magnolia was nearing completion on $30.2 million in water infrastructure additions and maintenance—including new wells, tanks and booster pumps—as the city prepared to move toward lifting the moratorium, as Community Impact reported.

Hart & Hand Chiropractic is now offering chiropractic care focused on long-term wellness for patients of all ages, office manager Trish Matthews confirmed.

The details: Led by Eric Gebhart and Heather Hanley-Moncure, the clinic provides personalized, evidence-based care including spinal adjustments, prenatal and pediatric chiropractic, decompression therapy and myofascial release. Massage therapy services will be added soon, Matthews said.

• 25241 FM 2978, Ste. A, Tomball

Montgomery County commissioners approved two extension requests Dec. 16 tied to disaster recovery grants used for buyout projects stemming from Hurricane Harvey and the 2016 storm and flooding events.

What happened: Commissioners considered and approved extensions to Hagerty task orders connected to the county’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grants—one related to Hurricane Harvey and one tied to the 2016 storm and flood event, according to the agenda.

The specifics: The Harvey grant extension request runs through Feb. 28, 2027, while the 2016 storm and flood grant extension request runs through April 30, 2026, according to the items.

More details: During the meeting, Jason Millsaps, executive director for the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told commissioners the extensions would allow the county, along with the General Land Office and the Texas Water Development Board, to keep working on the grants and “buyout property,” describing them as existing grants being extended to continue the work.

Pending single-family sales in the Greater Houston area rose 7.2% year over year in November, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ November 2025 Housing Market Update released Dec. 10. Meanwhile, single-family home sales decreased year over year in November from 6,499 to 6,347, according to the report.

What else: In terms of home prices, the median home price decreased 1.5% to $325,000, according to the report.

Quote of note: “Houston’s housing market is setting into a balanced pace,” HAR Chair Shae Cottar with LPT Realty said via news release. “Buyers now have more time, more options and a little more breathing room to negotiate. Sellers are still attracting offers, but realistic pricing and expectations make all the difference.”

The Texas power grid is expected to hold up this winter, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Dec. 9. This is due in part to “tremendous supply growth on the ERCOT grid,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said, amid an influx of data centers coming to the state.

The overview: Since last winter, over 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity have been added to the ERCOT grid, Vegas said. That growth, which largely comes from battery storage and solar facilities, could be used to power about 2.8 million homes during periods of peak electric demand.

Zooming in: Under most weather conditions, there is a less than 2% chance of a grid emergency through February, ERCOT found.

However, Texas could be in trouble in the unlikely event that a repeat of Winter Storm Uri hits large parts of the state this winter, although ERCOT noted that the probability of such a severe storm happening again was "well under one percent." The February 2021 freeze devastated an unprepared power grid, resulting in nearly 250 deaths.