Sugar Land officials are asking residents to report any feral hog activity as part of the city’s effort to better understand and mitigate it.

The breakdown: The city’s Feral Hog Mitigation Pilot Program, which started its 90-day data collection phase on Oct. 1, aims to locate hogs’ living areas to assess future action.

Feral hogs rely on rooting in the soil to find food, which can damage lawns, parks, landscaped areas and natural habitats, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Hogs can also cause millions of dollars in damage and possibly spread diseases.

Get involved: Residents who spot feral hogs or notice damage caused by hogs should report the information to the city via:

• Calling Sugar Land 311

• Emailing [email protected]

• The MySLTX app

• An online form

Why it matters: The pilot program comes after Sugar Land has received 20 reports of feral hogs this year, which is slightly higher than in past years, according to city data.

Missouri City officials will soon replace outdated fitness equipment and add a new playground to First Colony Trail Head.

Two-minute impact: At an Oct. 5 meeting, Missouri City City Council approved an approximately $245,000 contract with playground equipment company GameTime to redevelop the park with the goal of allowing parents to stay active while watching their children play.

The park, which is located near the intersection of Cross Lakes and Riverstone boulevards, already has 10 outdoor exercise stations, but that equipment has reached the end of its usable life, per agenda documents.

New additions will include:

• A $51,000 playground

• New exercise machines, such as a cardio walker, chest press, step-up station, body curl station and a balance board

• A new bench and picnic table

• Overhead shade

The funding: The project is funded through Park Zone 8 funds and a Texas Recreation and Parks Society State Initiative, per agenda documents.

Voters will choose between incumbent Gary Gates and Sandy Ibáñez for Texas House, District 28 in the Nov. 3 election.

The details: Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been minimally edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.

Here's what we asked them:

• Why are you running for this position?

• What would your top priorities be if elected?

• What are the biggest challenges facing this district?

• How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process?

• What projects are most important for the legislature to focus on for the future of Texas?

• What do you see as the greatest challenge for Texas/the Houston area in the next five years?

Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is celebrating 40 years in business across the Greater Houston area during the month of October, business officials confirmed.

The details: The first Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen opened its doors in 1986 on Westheimer Road in the Galleria area, per the restaurant website.

During the month of October, restaurant officials announced in a Sept. 29 news release that several new and returning menu items will be available for a limited time, including:

• Crispy Shrimp Spring Rolls: shrimp, ginger cilantro cream cheese and sweet & sour sauce

• Praline Cheesecake: creamy cheesecake layered with pecan praline crumble, topped with warm praline sauce

In their words: "For 40 years, Pappadeaux has been a place where families celebrate and friends gather to let the good times roll," Pappas Restaurants Chief Marketing Officer Christina Pappas said. "This anniversary is a celebration of our guests and the generations of team members who have made Pappadeaux the destination it is today.”

Texans interested in casting their midterm election ballots before Election Day can do so from Oct. 19-30, the state's early voting period.

The overview: Registered voters can visit any polling place in their county during early voting. They will receive a ballot with federal, state and local races—from the U.S. Senate and Texas governor to city and school district officials.

Dates to know

• Oct. 19: Early in-person voting begins

• Oct. 23: Deadline to apply to vote by mail

• Oct. 30: Early in-person voting ends

• Nov. 3: Election Day

Something to note: Local election officials are also working through a backlog of voter registrations after the Texas Department of Public Safety failed to send some registration records to counties, according to previous reporting. Texans who registered before the Oct. 5 deadline but do not appear on the rolls can still cast a provisional ballot, per the secretary of state.

More details: To check out candidate Q&As and review all races on local ballots, visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide.