The Hope Center Sportsplex—a 60,000 sq. ft. youth sports facility that will  be located near League City’s Midline neighborhood along FM 528—won a deferral for its impact fees at League City City Council’s Aug. 25 meeting.

What happened: League City City Council voted 7-1 to grant a capital recovery fee deferral, meaning the sportsplex’s developer Hope Center Enterprises, LLC won’t have to immediately pay $460,000 in impact fees when the facility opens no later than June 2028. 

What residents should know: The sportsplex will have six courts for hosting basketball, volleyball, pickleball and futsal games, according to city documents. Proponents said the facility could serve as a regional tournament hub, especially for Clear Creek ISD athletes.

Level Zero VR, a virtual reality arcade, opened in La Porte on June 10, owner Jurgen Makus said.

The details: The arcade can accommodate solo play and groups of up to eight players, Makus said. Walk-ins are welcome and the space can also be bought out for up to 12 hours or for two to six hours for parties, Makus said.

Diving in deeper: Games include escape rooms and shooting games, according to the business' website.

What else: The space is BYOF and BYOB, after 6 p.m., Makus said.

📍1309 W. Fairmont Parkway, La Porte

Since late May, all autonomous vehicle companies have been required to receive authorization from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to operate on Texas roads. During an Aug. 25 hearing, state senators heard the first testimony on autonomous vehicle safety since the new regulations took effect.

The overview: To date, the DMV has received 42 complaints about driverless vehicles, officials said.

No complaints have led the agency to suspend or revoke an autonomous vehicle operator's authorization. That occurs "when the operation has resulted in or is likely to result in serious bodily injury," according to Corrie Thompson, who leads the DMV’s enforcement division.

Zooming in: Lawmakers said they wanted to ensure driverless vehicles were not rolling out too quickly, adding that they they hoped the vehicles would help address Texas' high rate of fatal crashes.

Lt. William White, who leads the Austin Police Department’s highway enforcement division, said first responders have seen consistent issues with AVs, including when a Waymo blocked an ambulance for about 28 seconds following the deadly March 1 Sixth Street shooting.