Driven to provide extracurricular art activities for children in the north Houston area, Katy Art School was founded in the Cinco Ranch area by Luralynn Lombardi in 2014. After serving the Katy area for over 10 years, Katy Art School expanded to the Cypress area in December 2024 to serve students in the Cypress area.

About the program: Operated alongside eight ISD-certified teachers, Katy Art School serves children ages 5-17. The art school offers students a space to practice their art skills without the pressure of grades or time restraints, Cachia said.

Quote of note: “I tell my kids the main purpose [of art] is actually to not be perfect. The whole gist of art, of course, is that there are styles, there are things that you can do to make it look amazing, and there're rules, right? But here at the Katy Art School, what art means to me and my staff, confidently, I can say, is that it's yours and it's imperfect,” Cachia said.

Qwik Pack and Ship Hockley officials confirmed the family- and veteran-owned shipping business is slated to open Sept. 15.

The gist: Qwik Pack and Ship is owned by Troy and Jeannine Stanglin, per previous Community Impact reporting. According to the website, Qwik Pack and Ship's services include, but are not limited to:

• Shipping: FedEx, freight, US Postal Service, international and package drop-offs
• Packing: supplies and professional packing
• Documents: copying, fax, scanning, shredding and notary public
• Printing: business cards, flyers, brochures, posters and banners
• Mailboxes: physical and digital rentals

Per the website, Qwik Pack and Ship also plans to offer office supplies and passport photos. Qwik Pack and Ship officials said they are offering one month free for mailbox rentals, and 10% off all services and products until the end of the month.

• Opening Sept. 15

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas General Land Office in the Nov. 3 election.

The overview: Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neill Snider are challenging Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham for the seat.

Buckingham ran uncontested in the March Republican primary, Community Impact reported, while Flores won the Democratic primary. Snider was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The context: The state land commissioner manages 13 million acres of state lands, with duties such as allocating disaster recovery funds, leasing state lands to generate revenue for the Texas Permanent School Fund, preserving state landmarks such as The Alamo and overseeing several veterans programs.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.