USA Ninja Challenge officials celebrated a Feb. 9 opening of their new location in Humble, owner Shaun Ramautarsingh confirmed Feb. 27.

The details: Ramautarsingh said the franchise specializes in youth fitness and confidence building by offering obstacle course training programs for children ages 2-17.

A closer look: Ramautarsingh said the new gym serves families in Humble, Atascocita, and Kingwood. He noted the gym offers a fully structured, age-based curriculum designed to help kids progress physically and mentally in a safe, supportive environment, per a Feb. 26 news release.

While the obstacles in the gym represent physical challenges for the kids, Ramautarsingh said the goal of the gym is to help develop mental and emotional strengths.

What’s next: Looking ahead, Ramautarsingh said he’s interested in pursuing additional locations as the surrounding area continues to grow, per the release.

• Opened Feb. 9 
• 2323 S. Houston Ave., Humble

Select international travelers departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport will check in at Terminal E effective Feb. 27, Houston Airport System officials announced via news release Feb. 27.

What's changed: Previously housed in Terminal D, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have transitioned to IAH's newly expanded Terminal E. Per the release, passengers are encouraged to confirm their check-in location directly with their airline prior to arrival.

Officials said customer service representatives in bright orange polos are stationed in Terminals D and E to assist passengers; passengers arriving at Terminal D will be directed to make a 10-minute walk to Terminal E.

Stay tuned: Additional airlines will continue to transition from Terminal D to Terminal E in phases over the next few weeks, officials said. Officials said lounge locations and parking access remain unchanged.

As early voting begins Feb. 17, here is everything voters in the Lake Houston area need to know ahead of the March 3 primary election.

What residents should know: In Harris County, voters can cast their ballot at any polling location during early voting and on election day. Harris County will have 60 polling locations open during early voting and 224 polling locations open on election day, according to the Harris County Clerk's Office website.

Per the website, the polling locations will be open in accordance with the following schedule:

• Feb. 17-21: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Feb. 22: noon-7 p.m.
• Feb. 23-27: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
• March 3: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

• U.S. House, District 2
• U.S. House, District 29
• Texas House, District 3
• Texas House, District 142
• Harris County attorney
• Harris County clerk (Republicans and Democrats)
• Harris County district clerk
• Harris County judge (Republicans and Democrats)

A total of 346,797 in-person and mail-in ballots were cast early in the Harris County March 3 primary elections, according to the county clerk's office. The 10-day early voting period ran Feb. 17-27.

By the numbers: Unofficial totals from the Harris County clerk’s office show 209,402 ballots cast during the second week of early voting, almost 97% of which were in person.

All totals are unofficial until votes are reviewed in accordance with the Texas Election Code, according to the county clerk’s office.

Zooming out: Harris County early voter turnout increased by about 64%, or approximately 135,000 votes cast, compared to March 2024. The bump in early participation is on trend with statewide data, with more Democratic primary voters in particular showing up to the polls ahead of election day, according to Community Impact reporting.

Learn more: Primary election day is March 3. Registered Harris County voters may visit any of 60 voting centers from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. to cast a ballot, per the county clerk's office. 

Harris County commissioners will review the future of several county programs created with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, a 2021 federal aid package supporting local governments after the COVID-19 pandemic.

What happened: With ARPA support set to expire at the end of 2026, Commissioners Court voted Feb. 26 to consider nearly $14 million in general fund appropriations in fiscal year 2026-27 that would allow the county to continue the services.

Some context: Harris County launched an array of services related to job training, public health, housing and more using the one-time $915 million grant, Community Impact previously reported. 

Latest update: Commissioners Court directed staff to include funding for nine ARPA programs in the county's baseline FY 2026-27 budget. If adopted in September, the general fund allocations would allow programs to continue operations beyond 2026.

The county's ARPA steering committee recommended continued funding for the Apprenticeship Advantage, Eviction Support and Behavioral Health programs, among others, according to Commissioners Court documents. 

Primary election day in Texas is March 3. With dozens of state, regional and local races on the ballot, voters in the Republican and Democratic primaries will determine their parties’ nominees for the November midterm election.

At the polls: Polling places across Texas will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 3, according to the secretary of state.

On election day, voters in the following counties in Community Impact’s coverage areas can vote at any polling location within their county of residence: Bastrop, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Collin, Comal, Fort Bend, Galveston, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Tarrant and Travis. Registered voters in other counties are required to visit a polling place specific to their voting precinct.

Voters are required to bring photo identification to the polls.

On the ballot: Voters will choose their political parties’ nominees for the U.S. Senate, seven state offices, 10 state judicial seats, 38 congressional seats, nearly all state legislative seats and over half of the State Board of Education. Candidates who win their primaries will advance to the November ballot.