West University Place residents will see a $1.50 increase in their garbage service fees starting Aug. 1.

What happened: West U officials unanimously approved the “At Your Door” household hazardous waste collection service program at its June 22 meeting.

The contract with Waste Management would be for three years and would break down to be $1.50 per active household for three years. The program allows residents to have their household hazardous waste picked up at their front door to be properly disposed of.

How it works: If a resident has hazardous waste that they want to properly recycle, such as batteries, paint cans, electronics or chemicals, they can go to WM's website, find the At Your Door service tab and answer the questions about what they want to recycle. WM will then send them a bag to put the materials in, and then residents will set it outside their front door to be picked up.

State of Being Massage Therapy opened inside the TFO Salon in the Maplewood Square Shopping Center in mid- May.

The details: Owner Heidi Suprun said she has been a licensed massage therapist for 30 years and provides customized therapeutic massages, relaxation facials, Reiki—a form of alternative medicine based on energy healing—and tactile ASMR sessions, which use gentle physical contact to stimulate the body and lower stress levels.

State of Being Massage Therapy is located inside a private suite in the salon and provides a curated, boutique wellness experience, Suprun said.

Meet the owner: Suprun is a native Houston resident and graduated from Bellaire High School and the University of Texas before attending the Massage Therapy Clinic and School in Webster. She has practiced as a licensed massage therapist in doctors' offices, chiropractors' offices, luxury day spas and Pilates studios.

Check it out: Customers can book individual services or packages that combine multiple services. State of Being Massage Therapy is currently offering $20 off all services for new clients.

• 9704 Hillcroft Ave., Houston

More renters in the Greater Houston area signed leases in May as available listings and prices dipped slightly, according to a June 17 report from the Houston Association of Realtors.

The breakdown: The number of rentable single-family homes in the Houston area fell by about 0.8% compared to May 2025, with 54 fewer new listings to choose from, according to the monthly rental market update. Additionally, the number of signed leases increased by 5.2%.

As for average lease prices, costs eased by 0.3% compared to last May, with the average price totaling $2,346 in 2026, the report shows.

Diving in: Meanwhile, townhomes and condos saw an increase of 8.2% in the number of leased listings and an increase of 0.5% in price.

What they’re saying: “In today's economy, many consumers are taking a more measured approach to major financial decisions, and renting remains an attractive option for some households,” said HAR Chair Theresa Hill.

Texas education officials gave preliminary approval June 23 to the state’s first mandatory reading list, which includes nearly 200 literary works that public school students would begin reading as soon as 2030.

The overview: The proposed list incorporates about a dozen stories from the Bible, including the tale of David and Goliath in second grade and direct biblical excerpts beginning in fourth grade. In total, students would be required to read more than two dozen texts in early elementary grades and about 10 literary works per year from sixth grade through high school.

What's happening: Members of the Republican-led State Board of Education voted 9-5 to cut several titles from the reading list June 23, following nearly eight hours of public testimony a day earlier.

More than half of those who testified June 22 asked the board to shorten the list, include more diverse authors and remove religious references. Others praised the SBOE for creating a list that they said would teach students about “American exceptionalism” and prioritize classical literature.