What started as a leadership program called Leader In Me at Falcon Pass Elementary in 2018 has grown to 22 Clear Creek ISD campuses with a goal of reaching all elementary campuses by 2030.

About the program: Leader In Me is a whole-school transformation process that teaches 21st-century leadership and life skills to students, according to CCISD’s website. 

The program is based on Stephen Covey's “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” which are:

1. Be proactive

2. Begin with the end in mind

3. Put first things first

4. Think win-win

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood

6. Synergize

7. Sharpen the saw

Students practice the habits in class and throughout the school day, officials said.

What’s next: The district plans to keep expanding Leader In Me by adding two or three campuses each year to reach all elementary campuses by 2030, officials said.

Tool and equipment shop Harbor Freight will open a location in Seabrook, according to a filing from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

About the project: The 23,000 square foot store will be located in the Pines Shopping Center and is expected to cost $1.48 million to build, according to the filing.

The timeline: Construction will begin in January and end in March, according to the filing.

📍2000 Bayport Blvd., Seabrook

Since 2017, Seva Clinic has provided free medical care to uninsured and underinsured residents in Pearland, Brazoria County and surrounding communities, offering general medical visits and specialty services through volunteer healthcare professionals.

How it works: Founded by Dr. Periyanan Vaduganathan, who has practiced medicine in the Houston area for more than 20 years, the clinic operates every Thursday from 5-7:30 p.m. It has remained open continuously since its founding, including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

What's new: Previously, the clinic operated out of two storage rooms converted into examination rooms. The larger facility provides more space for patient care and allows the clinic to standardize its operations, Vaduganathan said.

Since opening the new facility, the clinic has expanded to include a medical and safety equipment rental program, along with health education, mentoring and counseling from health coaches and nurses to help patients adopt healthier lifestyles.

📍4305 Magnolia Parkway, Pearland

State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, the longest-serving woman and Black legislator in Texas history, said she has the votes to become Texas House speaker when the legislature convenes in January.

What to know: Thompson released a list Nov. 6 of 90 House members whom she said pledged to support her speaker candidacy.

The 87-year-old was first elected to the legislature in 1972 and took office the following year. She would become the first woman and the first Black lawmaker to serve as Texas House speaker.

The context: Thompson's candidacy comes after Democrats swept Texas' statewide seats in the Nov. 3 election, ending 24 years of Republican dominance. Rep. Eddie Morales, D-Eagle Pass, threw his hat in the ring for speaker on Nov. 5 before endorsing Thompson less than a day later.

Quote of note: "I know that with the colleagues that are being sent to the legislature, both Democrats and Republicans working together, we can make a difference in the state of Texas and the lives of the people that we represent," Thompson said.

Democrats saw decisive wins up and down the ballot in Texas and across the nation in the Nov. 3 election, flipping the Lone Star State to Democratic control for the first time in a generation.

The big picture: Texas has had a Republican governor, state Senate and state House since 2003. Next year, the state will be led by a Democratic governor, with a Democratic lieutenant governor presiding over the Senate and House lawmakers likely electing a Democrat to lead the chamber—however, the senators themselves will remain majority-Republican.

More details: How much power Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin will have over the Texas Senate is largely up to senators, who will approve the chamber's new rules when the legislature convenes in January.

Sam Hooper, a legislative attorney and consultant, said he was "hopeful" that the election results would lead to "a more collegial Senate" and cooperation among lawmakers of both political parties.

The majority-Republican Senate and majority-Democrat House will have to find a balance, as bills cannot become law without approval from both chambers.