Several businesses have recently opened or relocated across the Cypress area.

Shanghf Cafe now open off Hwy. 290: Founded in the United Arab Emirates in 2018, per the website, the cafe franchise offers hot coffee, frappuccinos, ice coffee and teas alongside a selection of desserts.

• 29040 Hwy. 290, Ste. A05, Cypress

Drybar now open on Bridgeland Creek Parkway: The salon offers a selection of styles from sleek and straight to big and bouncy, but specializes in blowouts, owner Anne Evers said.

• 20115 Bridgeland Creek Parkway, Ste. 200, Cypress

BabyDraw Golf now open on House Hahl Road: Open 24 hours a day, the indoor, self-service golf simulator facility holds three TrackMan iO bays that can be booked online and accessed with a unique access PIN, officials said.

• 20049 House Hahl Road, Ste. 501, Cypress

The Harris County Commissioners Court is slated to discuss the proposed budget and tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year during a special meeting Sept. 8.

At a glance: Commissioners are expected to make amendments to the proposed $3.096 billion budget, which was presented to the court Aug. 18. The court will also review the proposed tax rates and potentially set them as the county faces a $181 million shortfall.

The county’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed a tax rate of about $0.67 per $100 of property valuation, a 7.6% increase from last year, according to an agenda document. 

Also on the agenda: Commissioners will consider a 30% raise for County Treasurer Carla Wyatt. An all-citizen committee recommended increasing her pay to $181,411 annually during a meeting Aug. 20. The consideration comes as the court is planning to seek legislative approval to eliminate the treasurer's office permanently.

Shipley Donuts is celebrating its 90th anniversary–nearly a century after its opening in 1936–with a 10-week-long promotion running until Oct. 18, according to a news release.

The special began Aug. 10 and is set to rotate through various value deals, in addition to debuting limited-time birthday-themed donuts.

The history: Shipley’s story began nine decades ago in the oven of its original bakery located at 1417 Crockett St., Houston. The bakery’s founder, Lawrence Shipley Sr., sold his handcrafted, pillowy donuts dipped in a warm glaze wholesale for just five cents a dozen, per the release.

Flash forward to the present: the Houston-based donut parlor still serves that same hexagon-cut treat fresh every morning, now from nearly 400 locations across 13 states.

What to expect: At participating locations, customers can get a taste of the all-new Birthday Bullseye, a festive spin on Shipley’s classic Strawberry Bullseye.

The donut is available individually and as part of the limited-time 1936 Shipley Favorites Box, a nostalgic dozen consisting of other beloved flavors.

On Sept. 1, the State Board of Education moved forward with an overhaul of what Texas high schoolers will learn in four social studies courses: U.S. History, U.S. Government, World History and World Geography.

What's happening: Roughly 100 Texans testified about the high school curriculum rewrite at an Aug. 31 meeting, with the debate revolving around how students would learn about the two largest world religions, Christianity and Islam.

Dozens of Muslim Texans asked that students learn about the religion’s core principles and how Muslims have contributed to advancements in math, science and medicine throughout history.

Some testifiers said the social studies curriculum should highlight the role of Christianity in the founding of Texas and the U.S., praising the board for prioritizing “American exceptionalism” and topics that they said would teach students to love the country.

The context: The discussion comes as the Republican-led board nears the finish line on its new K-12 social studies curriculum standards.

If approved, the new requirements will be rolled out to public school classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.