Officials with Valley Ranch Town Center Holdings LTD have filed permits to construct a new 6,760-square-foot shell building in Valley Ranch Town Center, according to an Oct. 20 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The timeline: Per the filing, construction on the $1.8 million project is expected to begin in December and wrap up in March.

The details: According to the Valley Ranch Town Center site map, the project—known as Tract 7W—is located on roughly one acre situated between Gringo's Tex-Mex and James Avery. Tenants for the new building had not been announced as of press time. 

• 21580 Market Place Drive, New Caney

From a new international travel agency to a local dog boarding company, several businesses have updates to share in the New Caney and Porter area. 

Now open
HTX Happy Tails Dog Walking & Pet Services, a New Caney-based business owned by Gabriela “Gaby” Briseño, is now open. The business offers pet boarding, dog walking, doggy daycare and other services.

• Opened Sept. 1
• Location available upon booking

• Opened in October

Because the holiday season can put a strain on struggling families, dozens of organizations across Houston are partnering with local nonprofits and food banks to help provide meals.

For those looking to give, here are 15 local spots to drop off food donations for families in need in the Greater Houston area.

Montgomery County Food Bank: The food bank is partnering with local businesses across the county throughout November and December to collect food donations for the holidays. 

• Through Dec. 31 
• Sample items accepted: cereals, healthy snacks, canned vegetables, canned fruits, grains, canned meat, peanut butter, canned soup, jelly and jam
• 1 Food For Life Way, Conroe

Texas’ power grid will likely remain stable in December and January, recent reports from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas show. However, grid conditions could become tight if a winter storm hits large swaths of Texas, driving up demand for electricity.

The overview: ERCOT, which operates the electric grid for 90% of Texas, found in a Nov. 7 report that there should be “sufficient generating capacity available” to serve customers throughout January.

ERCOT forecasts that the tightest period this winter will be from 7-8 a.m. daily, when little to no solar power is being produced. During that time, ERCOT found the chances of a grid emergency are 1.81% in December and 1.4% in January.

More details: If a severe winter storm causes demand on the Texas grid to near record levels, there is a roughly 35% chance of a grid emergency in December and a less than 10% chance in January, ERCOT reported. Texans last experienced a grid emergency in September 2023, and the grid withstood three cold snaps in early 2025.