According to the Texas Education Agency, a Career and Technical Education program is a coherent course with a focus on academic standards and technical skills for future careers. The rise in popularity of both districts' CTE programs has led to an increase in district investment.

The big picture: Tomball ISD’s CTE program offers 13 career clusters with 28 specialized programs. They have a health program held at Tomball Star Academy and their Future Educators P-TECH is opening this fall at Tomball West High School. Tomball Innovation Center hosts many of the district's CTE career clusters, including but not limited to:

• Aviation lab
• Cybersecurity lab
• Law enforcement & legal studies labs
• Graphic design lab
• Emergency medicine

The director of the TISD CTE program, Karla Sandoval, has said that making sure the students are set up for long-term success is MISD’s highest priority.

“Ensuring that our graduates are well prepared for their lives after high school, whether that includes postsecondary training, education, immediately entering the workforce, or serving in the military, is our highest priority,” Sandoval said.

The indoor youth tumbling and cheerleading gym relocated this past July from Tomball to a new facility located in Magnolia. 

Two-minute impact: Ace Elite Cheer & Tumbling officials confirmed the gym's relocation to a new facility in Magnolia to provide more space for their various classes. The classes and private lessons the gym offers specialize in developing skills for tumblers and cheerleaders.

The classes accommodate children aged 4-18, with strength training, skill and basics-focused classes are offered for interested athletes. The facility is staffed with eight experienced coaches with decades of experience in competitive cheerleading and tumbling. 

The facility also participates in full- and half-season competitive cheer competitions. The full season runs from Aug. 1-May 1, and the half season runs from Nov. 1-May 1. Any athletes or parents who are interested in competing or training can register online.

• Opened July 7
• 36811 FM 1774, Magnolia

The Houston Food Bank is expanding its reach in Northwest Houston with a new 310,000-square-foot facility. Officials broke ground on the building during a ceremony Sept. 1, marking the latest expansion of the region’s food bank.

The gist: The new facility will expand the food bank’s distribution capacity and community engagement, according to a news release.

HFB President and CEO Brian Greene said the food bank is expected to double its output once the building is open in two years. The increased output is equivalent to an additional $250 million in community resources, he said.

The details: The 52-acre site, donated by Chevron, is valued at $10 million and will allow the HFB to combat food insecurity on a greater scale. The HFB is a nonprofit, serving 18 counties in southeast Texas and providing food and programs for nutrition education and health management.

For the first time in over a decade, there is no incumbent in the Texas attorney general's race as Republican Ken Paxton runs for U.S. Senate.

Democrat Nathan Johnson, a state senator from Dallas; Republican Mayes Middleton, a state senator from Galveston; and Libertarian Tom Oxford, an attorney from Nederland, are running to replace him this November. Community Impact asked the candidates for their perspectives on Texas' open records laws, state litigation and other topics.

How we got here: Johnson and Middleton each won their primary runoff elections in May, Community Impact reported, while Oxford was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

Looking ahead: Early voting in eight statewide races and dozens of local elections runs from Oct. 19-30. Election Day is Nov. 3.