Pines Montessori School will hold a grand opening celebration for its new building in February, Head of School Patty Sobelman confirmed via email Dec. 8.

The details: Sobelman said work is nearing completion on the school's new two-story lower and upper elementary building, which will span 12,000 square feet. Sobelman noted elementary students will move into the new building as soon as possible in the spring semester.

What to expect: According to information in the school's December "Connections" issue, the grand opening will be held Feb. 20 from 6-8 p.m. and include a ribbon cutting ceremony, hors d'oeuvres, music and door prizes.

Some context: Currently in its 48th year, Pines Montessori School is a private Montessori school in Kingwood for students from 6 weeks old to 8th grade.

• Expanding Feb. 20
• 3535 Cedar Knolls, Kingwood

Frontier Airlines has added three new nonstop routes out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport, airline officials announced in a Dec. 18 news release.

The details: Per the release, the new nonstop routes include IAH to:

• La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala, beginning Dec. 18
• El Salvador International Airport in Comalapa, El Salvador, beginning Dec. 19
• Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, beginning Dec. 20

• Guatemala: $49
• El Salvador: $59
• Honduras: $49

On Dec. 17, Houston City Council opted to postpone a decision on whether to use $30 million of the city’s Storm Water Fund to demolish dilapidated buildings throughout the city.

The overview: The $30 million Houston Public Works projects would impact “dangerous buildings throughout the city,” and include assessing buildings, getting rid of asbestos, removing hazardous materials and demolishing structures. City Council considered three contracts with firms for the projects before pushing the decision to a future meeting.

Dive deeper: Each Houston City Council district has at least one building included in the work recommended by Houston Public Works. However, 86% of the buildings are located in districts B, D, I and H with the totals being:

• 112 buildings in District B
• 86 buildings in District D
• 50 buildings in District I
• 48 buildings in District H

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from Dec. 15-19.

Did you know? Grand Parkway, or State Hwy. 99, is now moving into the southeastern region, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. 

The project will extend the highway 14 miles from FM 646 in League City to south of FM 2403 in Alvin, TxDOT documents show. The expansion project is slated to start construction in 2027.

In case you missed it: Two Spring ISD schools, Link Elementary School and Dueitt Middle School, will close next school year as the district faces falling enrollment and a $13 million fiscal year 2025-26 budget shortfall, according to a Dec. 10 SISD news release. 

Check this out: From a new burger spot to a new taco truck, read six dining updates across the Greater Houston area, including restaurants that recently opened or are celebrating anniversaries, as reported by Community Impact.

Community Impact compiled important holiday travel-related information, including what to know about traffic and airport activity, gas price data, and driver safety tips ahead of the year-end travel season, which runs Dec. 20-Jan. 1.

The overview: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations the weekend before Christmas, with many travelers expected to hit the road Dec. 21-22. Congestion is also expected as some Texans return home Dec. 26, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1, although AAA warned in a Dec. 10 news release that unexpected delays could arise from severe weather or crashes.

For the first time, more than 8 million people nationwide are expected to take domestic flights during the year-end holidays.

More information: Texas drivers will likely pay less for gas this holiday season than in recent years, AAA fuel data shows. On average, one gallon of unleaded gas costs about $2.51 in Texas as of Dec. 18, down from $2.65 one year prior.