The Shenandoah City Council approved establishing a tourism advisory board in a 3-2 vote at its Sept. 24 meeting, with council members Ron Raymaker and Charlie Bradt voting against the motion.
What to know: The tourism advisory board will serve as an advisory council and work to make recommendations to the Convention & Visitors Bureau Director John Mayner about promotional opportunities, per the agenda packet.
Digging deeper: The CVB is funded by the municipal hotel occupancy tax, which brings the city revenue which must be used for promoting tourism, according to the Texas Comptroller's office. The 2025-26 budget for the CVB is estimated at $2.11 million, compared to $1.39 million in 2024-25, an increase of $720,000.
Greenlight Pet ER–The Woodlands is now open on Research Forest Drive.
The details: Greenlight Pet ER is a 24-hour veterinarian pet hospital where walk-ins receive immediate evaluations through X-rays, lab work and ultrasounds, according to the company.
7901 Research Forest Drive, Ste. 1100, The Woodlands
Harris Health eyes Hermann Park land for $410M Ben Taub hospital expansion
The Harris Health board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution Sept. 23 calling for the acquisition of a portion of Hermann Park to support the expansion of Harris Health Ben Taub Hospital, according to a news release.
Current situation: The board authorized the Harris Health legal team to take all necessary actions to purchase three parcels of land in Hermann Park—totaling about 8.9 acres, or 2% of the park—by eminent domain. The land currently belongs to the city of Houston, which oversees the park’s operations.
How we got here: Harris County voters approved a $2.5 billion Harris Health hospital bond in 2023, which included plans for the Ben Taub expansion, according to past Community Impact reporting. The $410 million project would add approximately 100 patient rooms to the hospital, which has been consistently operating at and beyond its 402-bed capacity, according to the release.
Thousands of Texas businesses barred from selling THC to customers under 21
Many Texas retailers can no longer sell consumable THC products to customers under 21 years old after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved two emergency rules Sept. 23.
The overview: The new rules, which were drafted after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a Sept. 10 executive order requesting tighter THC regulations, apply only to retailers that sell alcohol. The rules state that businesses may not sell, serve or deliver consumable hemp products to minors and must check all customers' IDs before selling them THC products.
Zooming in: About 60,000 Texas businesses hold TABC licenses and will be prohibited from selling THC products to minors. Those businesses include bars, restaurants, liquor stores, grocery stores and some convenience stores.
However, the rule does not apply to THC retailers that do not sell alcohol or have a TABC license, such as smoke shops, gas stations or online sellers. The TABC and the Texas Department of State Health Services are working to determine how to best enforce age restrictions for THC retailers that do not sell alcohol, agency spokespeople said.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Houston area.
Aki Sushi and Asian Fusion opened its doors in Manvel in September. Nestled in Manvel Town Center, the family-owned restaurant serves steak and sushi that is made fresh daily, as previously reported by Community Impact. At the restaurant, customers can choose from a variety of sushi, including popular items such as spicy tuna rolls, shaggy dog rolls and California rolls. Additionally, Aki Sushi and Asain Fusion offers bento boxes, rice and noodle dishes, hibachi, nigiri and sashimi.
🥩 New Brazilian steakhouse coming to Webster in 2026 (Read more)
🍔 Smalls Sliders opens fourth Texas location near Hwy. 249, Grand Parkway (Read more)
😋 Newly opened boba cafe serves authentic Japanese food, fresh boba (Read more)
🆕 New Mediterranean restaurant opens in Pearland (Read more)
Owner Letty Martinez said she has plans to open The Taco Shop in Humble this fall.
Martinez said The Taco Shop will offer authentic Mexican breakfast options and will be located two doors away from her other restaurant, Letty’s Authentic Mexican Cocina.
“Letty’s usually opens at 11 a.m. so I wanted to open a restaurant to offer breakfast,” Martinez said.
