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Houston City College is working to provide opportunities for high-demand fields with its Connect 2 Workforce Program.

What’s happening: The program offers scholarships for dozens of short-term training tracks in construction, digital technology, health sciences, manufacturing and transportation, which can all be completed in less than 16 weeks, officials said.

Following program completion, graduates may qualify for technician jobs in several fields including air conditioning, plumbing, electrocardiography, phlebotomy, patient care, welding, commercial truck drivers and data analysts.

Zooming out: The college also launched its Houston Reconnect Initiative, a scholarship program aimed at supporting students financially by paying tuition and fees for those who are interested in finishing their degree at HCC.

In their own words: “Both of these programs allow HCC to make a profound difference for people who may wish to quickly earn a credential or move on toward an academic degree,” Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher said.

Katy-based Local Table is set to open its sixth location in Missouri City.

On the menu: The new 6,700-square-foot location will feature a variety of dishes such as sharable appetizers, pitas, sandwiches, pizzas and salads, officials announced in a Feb. 13 release. The menu also offers several signature entrees such as the Local’s Kabob Plate, Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl and the Honey Ginger Glazed Salmon.

The restaurant offers a separate brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays, per the release.

Notable quote: “Every Local Table location is born from the community around it—our guests shape who we are. We’re honored to create spaces where neighbors can gather, share meals, and feel at home,” co-owner Shervin Sharifi said in the release. "Missouri City has already shown us so much warmth, and we can’t wait to become part of the fabric of this community.”

• 3434 FM 1092, Missouri City

Fort Bend County officials broke ground Feb. 18 on a $2 million juvenile vocational training center in Richmond to ensure the county is meeting the growing number of juveniles entering the detention system.

The details: Kyle Dobbs, executive director and chief juvenile probation officer at Fort Bend County’s juvenile probation department, said the 6,700-square-foot center—set to be located at 122 Golfview Drive—will offer instruction for approximately 60 kids ages 14-17 in six different skills, including:

• Welding
• Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
• Electrical
• Carpentry
• Digital media
• Cosmetology

During an arctic blast last month, the Texas power grid remained stable throughout the storm and the state came away largely unscathed. The Lone Star State has not seen widespread blackouts since February 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and nearly 250 people died.

The response: In Uri’s wake, state lawmakers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas made changes to restructure ERCOT’s governing board, mandate earlier public alerts during tight grid conditions and require that energy providers “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Roughly 40,000 megawatts of power—enough to serve about 10 million residential customers—have been added to the grid since 2021 and the state’s energy supply has become more diverse.

Looking ahead: State leaders have expressed confidence that the grid would hold up during “a storm similar to Uri.” Yet some energy analysts caution that rapidly rising electric demand, driven by the construction of new data centers throughout Texas, means challenges may still lie ahead.