After a decade in the entertainment industry, Humble resident Darian Ortiz turned a pandemic side hustle into a full-fledged fashion venture. What began with selling graphic T-shirts on social media and participating in local pop-up markets grew into The Rowdy Chick, a brick-and-mortar boutique in Downtown Humble. Named to represent her outgoing, fearless spirit, Ortiz said the clothing boutique opened in December 2024.

Quote of note: “I've always been a very active community member, or so I thought, as far as volunteering or getting involved in what I can be, and when I opened the storefront, I did it with community in mind,” Ortiz said. “But once we opened ... the amount of community support that we received was a life-changing thing. It changed my whole spirit.”

What's special about it? Ortiz said when selecting pieces for her boutique, she does it with affordable prices in mind to offer the community a variety of affordable, comfortable, and chic, elegant pieces. 

Construction is underway on a new Dollar Tree in Humble and is expected to wrap up by April 30, according to an Aug. 27 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. 

The overview: Per the filing, the 9,940-square-foot newly constructed building is estimated to cost $2.37 million.

What they offer: With over 8,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, Dollar Tree offers everyday essentials, crafts, seasonal and party merchandise, per the website. Dollar Tree recently changed its primary price point to $1.25.

• 15735 Woodland Hills Drive, Humble

After years of being locked in a standstill, planners of the Coastal Texas Project announced the approval of two engineering design contracts.

The details: The Gulf Coast Protection District announced Dec. 2 that it had approved two contracts with global engineering firms Jacobs and HDR to design the gates, beaches and dunes portions of the initially authorized $34 billion project, respectively.

Why it matters: The gates are expected to be the world’s largest flood gate system when built and will be located along the 2-mile-wide waterway between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula. The dune system will strengthen coastal barriers against storm impact along the Bolivar Peninsula and West Galveston Island, according to a news release.

Approximately three dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, impacting how artificial intelligence is used in state government, when local officials can raise taxes after natural disasters and how much of businesses' inventory is taxed.

The background: The changes come after Texas’s biennial legislative session ended in early June. Gov. Greg Abbott signed over 1,100 laws passed by state lawmakers, many of which took effect in June or September.

The details: Some of the bills becoming law in the new year are:

• House Bill 9, which will expand a tax exemption for business owners
• House Bill 30, which will tighten regulations on counties' and cities' abilities to raise tax rates after natural disasters
• House Bill 149, which will regulate the fast-growing AI industry
• House Bill 247, which will exempt certain border security infrastructure from property tax increases
• House Bill 1399, which will create a property tax exemption for stores selling animal feed
• House Bill 2508, which will establish a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of certain military members