Lone Star College System will offer a new bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with an expected launch date of fall 2026 after the help of a $200,000 grant from Houston Endowment, according to an Aug. 13 news release.

The gist: The four-year degree will end in a teacher certification in elementary education, said Rebecca Saiz, LSCS executive director for the educator preparation program.

How we got here: There has been a significant rise in the number of uncertified teachers in Texas for the past five years, according to the Texas Education Agency. Saiz said LCSC hopes to help tackle the rising numbers in uncertified teachers with the new bachelor’s program.

Looking forward: The initial cohort will launch with 150 teacher candidates, pending approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as well as the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, per the release.

Pooch’s Boarding and Daycare is nearing completion on a full interior remodel that adds upgraded “luxury” kennel suites while continuing to offer dog boarding, day care and grooming, owner Courtney Fetzer said.

The details: Fetzer said the business never closed during the project, instead rebranded and remodeled in phases so pet parents could keep their regular routines. The final touches—including a few remaining luxury kennels—are expected to be finished by the end of December.

• 9955 FM 2920, Tomball

Symphony North of Houston is celebrating its 50th anniversary season, showcasing five decades of community orchestral music in northwest Harris County and the Greater Houston area, CEO and President Steve Sands said.

The details: The nonprofit community orchestra was incorporated June 30, 1975, and now features about 65 volunteer musicians who rehearse and perform together while working in careers ranging from education and engineering to law and banking, Sands said.
Sands said Symphony North performs its concert season at Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball and operates on a philosophy that classical music should be accessible to everyone. Admission to concerts is by donation. 

The impact: The orchestra presents a series of concerts each year aimed at enriching the community’s cultural life while giving members a place to continue their musical education and performance experience, Sands said. 

Following the Dec. 8 deadline to file for a place on the 2026 primary ballots, 26 candidates filed to run across seven races in Harris County ahead of the March primary elections.

The big picture: Six races are being contested by Democratic and Republican candidates across the March primary elections. During the primary, voters will select the Democratic and Republican party nominees who will then appear on the November 2026 general election alongside any independent or other party candidates. The last day for candidates to file to run in the primary elections was Dec. 8, per the Texas Secretary of State's website.

What else? The deadline to register to vote in the 2026 primary elections is Feb. 2, with early voting starting Feb. 17 and election day March 3. 

When Harris County commissioners meet Dec. 11, they’ll review several agenda items on the docket, including updates on the county jail and discussions on renewing full property tax exemptions for child care providers and tackling countywide food insecurity.

The context: Items for discussion at the upcoming December court meeting include the reauthorization of full property tax exemptions for eligible child care providers in the county. In 2024, an estimated 327 Harris County child care providers qualified for 100% property tax exemption after Harris County commissioners authorized the exemptions at a March 26, 2024, court meeting.

Also on the agenda: Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones is requesting that Harris County Public Health develop a countywide strategy to address food insecurity, according to her agenda item pending approval. The overall food insecurity rate for Harris County is 18.2% as of 2023, according to Feeding America’s 2025 “Map the Meal Gap” report published May 14. That percentile has risen since 2019, when it was 13.9%—or 644,710 people—according to the 2023 report.

Travelers will be able to fly directly to Rome from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, or IAH, beginning May 1, 2026, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Dec. 2.

In a nutshell: Italian airline ITA Airways will offer the flights to Rome Fiumicino Airport, Whitmire said during a press conference. The new Houston connection marks the ninth U.S. destination for the airline, officials said.

Joerg Eberhart, CEO and general manager of ITA Airways, said the airline will start with three nonstop flights per week in May and ramp up to five flights per week by June. The flights are already available for purchase through the airline, he said.

Quote of note: “If we look at what’s going on in the Italian economy and the Houston economy, this gives us now the opportunity to go to Italian companies and try to track more of them and locate their U.S. headquarters here in Houston because we’ve got this great service now,” Houston Airports Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said.

Texas voters will see 18 statewide races on the ballot in 2026.

The overview: Texas will hold Republican and Democratic primary elections on March 3 to determine who will appear on the statewide ballot in November. Texas is one of 17 states with open primaries, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, meaning registered voters can cast their ballots in either primary and do not need to register with a specific party.

What to know: The 18 statewide races on the 2026 primary ballots are:

• U.S. Senate
• Governor
• Lieutenant governor
• Attorney general
• Comptroller of public accounts
• General land commissioner
• Agriculture commissioner
• Railroad commissioner
• Texas Supreme Court, chief justice
• Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 2
• Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 7
• Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 8
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 3
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 4
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 9
• 15th Court of Appeals, chief justice
• 15th Court of Appeals justice, Place 2
• 15th Court of Appeals justice, Place 3