Kemah City Council discussed the possibility of a 90,000-to-120,000-square-foot mixed-use development along Hwy. 146 at its April 8 meeting, which sparked a debate among council members and the wider community about Kemah’s identity as a tourist destination or “bedroom community.”

What happened: During a special meeting held April 8, City Council heard a presentation from Houston-based Collaborate Architects, who were seeking to build the development, which would be anchored by a sports and event center, which supporters said they hoped would both make Kemah more attractive to tourists while offering a social gathering place for locals.

The cost: This development is structured as a public-private partnership where the state-funded rebate specifically covers the sports complex and event center, which would be covered by a 6.25% sales tax rebate.

The timeline: The project is currently in its early planning stage, but after feasibility studies have been conducted and if the city approves the project, the construction is expected to take two to three years, Garcia said.

Clear Creek ISD board of trustees approved the renewal of the district’s Leader in Me program at its April 13 meeting, extending a districtwide leadership initiative focused on student academic, behavioral and social development, according to district documents.

Why now?: The Leader in Me program, created by the leadership company FranklinCovey, is designed to help students develop skills for post-secondary education and beyond, such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, self-discipline and problem-solving, according to the district’s website.

Part of the district since 2016, the four-year renewal continues the program’s phased rollout as part of the district’s Vision 2030 plan, which aims to expand Leader in Me to all elementary campuses by 2030, according to the district’s website.

Nearly eight months after a Democratic walkout over congressional redistricting, a GOP-led Texas House committee moved to charge 52 of their Democratic colleagues up to $8,354.25 each in fines.

What happened: After six hours behind closed doors, the House Administration Committee approved the fines in a brief public session April 10. The panel's six Republicans voted to impose the fines, while the five Democrats voted against them.

The background: Over 50 House Democrats left the state in early August to fight a plan to redraw Texas’ congressional boundaries. They remained out of Texas for two weeks, impeding the progress of legislation during two special legislative sessions, although the congressional map and more than a dozen other bills ultimately passed after the Democrats returned to Austin.

Something to note: The fines were reduced by $1,000 per person to reflect two days when the House was not in session, lawmakers said. Some Democrats were also charged lower amounts because they did not participate in the full two-week walkout or their absences were partially excused.

Texas retailers can resume selling smokable hemp products after a Travis County judge temporarily blocked some of the state’s sweeping new regulations on the hemp industry.

The background: On March 31, the state health department enacted rules changing how THC content is measured in consumable hemp, which industry experts said effectively outlawed most smokable hemp products.

The Texas Hemp Business Council, a federal hemp industry group, and several local hemp companies sued the state April 8, arguing that the state health department does not have the authority to reclassify legal THC levels. State officials have defended the rules, saying they are in line with a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who at the time called for stricter oversight of the multibillion-dollar hemp industry.

The latest: Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble sided with the hemp industry in an April 10 ruling, directing the state not to enforce the new THC testing requirement and a restriction on the transportation of hemp products between states. An additional hearing is scheduled for April 23.