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With nearly 60 facilities and more on the way, Houston leads the nation as a hotspot for pickleball. The city has the highest number of pickleball courts in the country, according to Pickleheads, a community of players that tracks over 23,500 courts in 9,400 cities.

Houston has also hosted professional pickleball tournaments at Memorial Park and is home to the Houston Hammers, the first nationally-recognized professional team in the city.

What's new: Pickleball players attribute the sport’s exponential growth to multiple factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the smaller court size and its multigenerational appeal. However, Michael Kaplan, president of the Houston Pickleball Association, attributes the sport’s popularity to another reason—childlike discovery.

How we got here: The number of pickleball leagues, tournaments and players has risen over the past few decades, according to the USA Pickleball. Still, it wasn’t until the pandemic that the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, one of the leading trade associations for the industry, named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America.  

On Jan. 12, officials with the luxury beauty brand Blushington confirmed the address of its first Houston lounge ahead of its spring 2026 opening date.

The setup: Located at 3601 Westheimer Road in River Oaks, a Jan. 12 news release states that the lounge marks a major milestone in the brand's continued national franchise expansion and entry into the Texas market.

"Our location is iconic. With blowouts and skincare joining the makeup services that built the brand, this store marks a new chapter for Blushington,” said owner Courtney Freels. “This location, with its strong and complementary tenant mix, including River Oaks Donuts, will set the standard."

What they offer: Blushington offers professional blowouts, makeup applications and skincare services with a focus on inclusivity across skin tones, hair textures and ages, according to the release.

• 3601 Westheimer Road, Houston

Houston’s Infant and Early Childhood Development Enrichment Program will receive $100,000 more in funding to help children from low- to moderate-income families after Houston City Council approved the grant Jan. 14.

The overview: The additional $100,000 will fund education and support for young children through the program until Nov. 30. The program is a collaboration between the city and nonprofit Child Care Council of Greater Houston Inc., and is funded through the city’s Community Development Block Grant.

Learn more: The Infant and Early Childhood Development Enrichment Program provides:

• Care and development services for infants and children ages 0-5 years old
• Services for young parents experiencing homelessness via the support organization Covenant House Texas
• Information and resources for parents and families involved in the program
• Early childhood education services, including collaboration with parents and families

Eat Drink HTX, the sister fundraiser to Houston Restaurant Weeks, will return for its fifth year from Feb. 14 through Feb. 28, according to a Jan. 12 news release from the Cleverley Stone Foundation. 

At a glance: The two-week dining event was designed around the casual dining experience and features lower price points than Houston Restaurant Weeks. While menus won’t go live until Feb. 1, the foundation announced dinner will be priced at $25, with lunch and brunch both priced at $15. 

The local impact: Both Houston Restaurant Weeks and Eat Drink HTX were inspired by Cleverley Stone, the late philanthropist and food correspondent who was passionate about bringing business to restaurants during traditionally slower seasons of the year, according to the release.

Texas health officials are proposing sweeping new regulations on the state’s hemp industry, including raising the fees required to sell and manufacture consumable hemp products by roughly 10,000%.

The overview: In late December, the Texas Department of State Health Services published a slate of proposed rules regulating consumable hemp products. The proposals include:

• A prohibition on sales to customers under 21 years old
• Stricter testing and labeling requirements
• Guidelines for product recalls
• Tens of thousands of dollars in annual fees