Twenty years ago, Denise Einkauf founded Waggin’ Tails Pet Ranch to provide a home away from home for dogs and cats.

The ranch now features 15 acres of land, a filtered pond and a doggy swimming pool, and in 2020, Einkauf opened Waggin’ Tails Animal Inn, the sister property of the ranch in Richmond.

Read all about it: For Einkauf, the ranch was always meant to be a vacation for dogs when owners traveled out of town. She said she knows most of her returning dogs' names, and that she still gets excited when the dogs want to come back.

The local impact: Along with taking care of dogs and boarding cats in the community, Waggin’ Tails donates to several local organizations, including the Fulshear Police Department and The Ballard House.

• 7631 Fulshear Katy Road, Fulshear

Fulshear residents can now enjoy soccer fields and playground equipment at Eagle Landing Park, following an official grand opening Nov. 15.

Zooming in: Fulshear Public Works Director Cliff Brouhard said the 26-acre park, located at 4131 Woods Road, broke ground in March 2024 and features a variety of amenities.

What’s in a name? Kimberly Bow, co-chair of the city's parks and recreation commission, previously said city officials wanted to honor the park's history with its name.

What else? Fulshear City Council approved HTX Soccer, a nonprofit youth soccer association, as the recognized sports association partner for the park at a Jan. 28 meeting.

Lamar Consolidated ISD officials are inviting community members to submit name nominations for several new facilities and one existing one.

What you need to know: The online survey, which opened Nov. 10, will be administered until Nov. 28 for facilities scheduled to open in fall 2027, including: 

• Elementary School No. 40, located in Fulshear 
• Elementary School No. 4,1 located in Emberly near Kendleton
• Middle, Junior and High School No. 8 complex on FM 359 in Brookshire 

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration on Nov. 17 lifted a flight reduction emergency order for 40 airports, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.

What's happening: The FAA safety team indicated a steady decline in staff-trigger events in air traffic control facilities, such as delays and cancellations, and recommended that normal operations resume across the national airspace system, according to a Nov. 17 news release from the administration. 

According to previous Community Impact reporting, "high impact airports" such as IAH and HOU were ordered early November to cut flights by 10% in response to air traffic controller shortages due to the federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12. Federal employees, including air traffic controllers and some pilots, were not paid during this time.

One more detail: The FAA reported eight staffing triggers—an alert of insufficient staffing at an air control facility—Nov. 15 and only one on Nov. 16 compared to a record-high of 81 on Nov. 8, according to the release. 

Texans began receiving full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 14, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced. The renewed SNAP payments came after two weeks of delays due to the 43-day federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.

The overview: SNAP is a federally funded program that provides low-income individuals and families with monthly stipends to spend on groceries. The food assistance program ran out of funding Nov. 1, one month after the government shut down amid disagreements over federal health insurance subsidies.

The details: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks. Payments are issued on a rolling basis throughout each month.

“For SNAP clients who receive benefits on or after the 14th of the month, full benefits will be issued on their normal issuance date,” the HHSC website states. “SNAP clients who already received partial benefits will receive the rest of their monthly amount on or after Nov. 14.”