At a May 5 meeting, Sugar Land City Council approved a $791,576 design contract with Consor North America Inc. for the Sugar Land Trail Phase 2.

The second phase will build upon the project's first phase along the west side of Ditch H from Imperial Park near Matlage Way, traveling under Hwy. 59 and connecting to Phase 2 near Smart Financial Centre. 

The details: The 10-foot-wide concrete trail aims to support safer travel along Lexington Boulevard from Oxbow Drive to Hwy. 6 as well as along Austin Parkway between Lexington and Commonwealth boulevards, Senior Project Manager Greg Nichols said.

Additional project items include:

• A pedestrian bridge over Steep Bank Creek
• Modifications to pedestrian signals at four intersections

Sweet Paris Creperie and Cafe opened in 2012 in Rice Village as a fast-casual, bistro-style shop serving sweet and savory crepes in a European-inspired setting.

Now, founders Allison and Ivan Chavez are celebrating 14 years at their flagship location in May.

What's on the menu: Sweet Paris offers sweet crepes layered with fresh fruit, chocolate and house-made fillings as well as savory options like smoked salmon, chicken and melted cheese. The menu also includes coffee, salads and light fare such as Belgian waffles and paninis.

The celebration: To celebrate the milestone, the bistro will offer a lineup of celebratory, birthday-themed offerings throughout May at all locations, according to a May 4 news release.

On May 16, the first 100 customers to visit in-store will also receive a complimentary Sweet Paris swag bag, per the release.

• Locations vary

Democratic voters will choose their nominee for the Fort Bend County judge in a May 26 runoff election between Dexter L. McCoy and Rachelle Carter.

The big picture: The Democratic race for Fort Bend County judge is one of several county contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

McCoy and Carter were the two highest-performing candidates in the five-way primary race, with McCoy securing 40.45% of the vote to Carter's 18.91%.

Looking ahead: The winner of the May 26 runoff will face the Republican nominee for Fort Bend County judge, Daniel Wong, in the November midterm election.

Forty-four ZIP codes in the Greater Houston area have childcare deserts, with 28 of those ZIP codes designated as chronic childcare deserts, according to April 9 data released by the research and advocacy nonprofit Children at Risk.

The 2026 analysis shows childcare facilities tend to open in areas where it is already attainable, whereas more rural and low-income regions are overlooked.

Zooming in: An area is considered a childcare desert when the number of children under six years old with working parents surpasses the number of childcare providers by three times in a certain ZIP code, according to Children at Risk’s website. A ZIP code becomes chronic once it is listed as a childcare desert for three sequential years.

The bottom line: During the 2026 Children at Risk’s child care desert April 13 press conference, Santrice Jones-Hare, director of the Greater Houston Strong Start Alliance at Children at Risk, said Houston’s overall childcare quality has improved; however, families' ability to access that care remains an obstacle.

As health care costs continue rising in Texas and across the nation, state lawmakers are working to understand the factors that make health care unaffordable and what can be done to rein in prices.

The big picture: About 5.2 million Texans, or 16.7% of the state’s population, did not have health insurance in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

For years, advocates have called on Texas lawmakers to pass laws to drive down health care costs and improve access to health insurance. During a two-day hearing April 30 and May 1, a Texas House committee examined why health care costs are rising. Lawmakers will discuss potential policy solutions later this year, committee chair Rep. James Frank, R-Wichita Falls, said.

What's happening: Yale University professor Zack Cooper said that since 2000, U.S. health care spending has grown three times faster than inflation. The average health insurance premium for a family of four is $27,000 per year, he said.

“Every family is basically buying a new Toyota Corolla worth of health insurance," Cooper told lawmakers.