As Superintendent Carol Nelson retires at the end of the 2025-26 school year, Alvin ISD has employed the Texas Association of School Boards Executive Search services to assist with the search for a new superintendent, according to a Feb. 20 news release from the district.

What you need to know: As part of the district’s superintendent search, AISD’s board of trustees has requested school staff and the public to provide input in developing a profile of the leadership qualities that would be desired of the new superintendent.

The questionnaire allows community members to provide feedback on the perceptions of AISD currently, strength and areas for improvement. The questionnaire also allows members to rank the importance of professional experience and educational attainment, as well as characteristics and traits they would like to see out of the new superintendent.

Houston-founded Chair King Backyard Store will open a new showroom in Pearland in early March, representatives of the brand said.

The details: The massive showroom will span 12,000 square feet and will be located in The Crossing at 288 shopping center, according to a Feb. 10 news release from the brand.

What they offer: The retailer sells outdoor furniture like daybeds, sofas, dining sets, fire pits and garden accessories.

What else: Founded in 1950 in Houston, the company now operates over 22 showrooms in Texas, according to the release.

• 2608 Smith Ranch Road, Pearland

A major new natural gas power project in east Houston just cleared another state milestone, pushing a planned 455-megawatt plant closer to reality as Texas races to add generation amid rising demand.

What this means: Gov. Greg Abbott announced the new unit planned at the existing Greens Bayou facility has been designated a qualified project under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation program, according to a Feb. 17 news release. The plant represents $617 million in capital investment and is expected to start producing electricity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas region in 2028, according to the governor’s office.

The project is intended to strengthen grid reliability and create jobs, crediting state leaders and local partners for helping move the plan ahead, per the release.

What’s next: According to the release, with the JETI designation now in place, the focus shifts to the buildout and timeline leading up to the planned 2028 start date—when the additional capacity is expected to begin feeding electricity into the ERCOT grid.

• 2026 Tour de Houston bike ride set for April 12
• Houston to apply for $80M in federal grants to enhance security at FIFA World Cup
• $617M NRG Energy power plant moves forward at Greens Bayou site, state says
• Houston City College launches workforce connection, reconnect programs
• University of Houston-Downtown to guarantee admission for Houston ISD graduates

During an arctic blast last month, the Texas power grid remained stable throughout the storm and the state came away largely unscathed. The Lone Star State has not seen widespread blackouts since February 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and nearly 250 people died.

The response: In Uri’s wake, state lawmakers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas made changes to restructure ERCOT’s governing board, mandate earlier public alerts during tight grid conditions and require that energy providers “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Roughly 40,000 megawatts of power—enough to serve about 10 million residential customers—have been added to the grid since 2021 and the state’s energy supply has become more diverse.

Looking ahead: State leaders have expressed confidence that the grid would hold up during “a storm similar to Uri.” Yet some energy analysts caution that rapidly rising electric demand, driven by the construction of new data centers throughout Texas, means challenges may still lie ahead.