HTeaO officials said the company held the grand opening for its new Atascocita location on Feb. 14. The new location is owned by franchise owners Amanda West McGee and John McGee.

What they offer: Founded in 2018, HTeaO has over 140 locations and offers ultra-premium tea, water and coffee products, and caters to customers both in-store and through drive-thru services.

Each location boasts over 20 crafted flavors of sweetened and unsweetened tea, made using a proprietary water filtration system and 100% natural ingredients.

• Opened Feb. 14
• 17622 W. Lake Houston Parkway, Humble

The Lake Houston area’s Hispanic population grew by more than 22% over five years, rising from 92,246 residents who identified as Hispanic or Latino in 2019 to 113,400 residents in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

The overview: On Jan. 29, the U.S. Census Bureau released new five-year data for 2024 as part of its American Community Survey, which represents a five-year estimate of the population across the country from 2020 to 2024. 

A closer look: Overall, the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic or Latino in the Lake Houston area rose from 32.3% in 2019 to 35.4% in 2024, bureau data shows.

Similarly, the Lake Houston area’s Black population grew by roughly 17.9% over five years, rising from 64,883 residents who identified as Black or African American in 2019 to 76,483 residents in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Additionally, the percentage of individuals identifying as white dropped by roughly 8.5% in the Lake Houston area, falling from 113,831 residents in 2019 to 104,175 residents in 2024, census data shows.

An airline at George Bush Intercontinental Airport will premiere two new nonstop routes to Mexico beginning June 1.

What’s new: Volaris—which opened at IAH in 2015—will launch flight routes from Houston to Querétaro, Mexico, and Puebla, Mexico. Flights will be offered three times per week, and tickets became available for purchase Feb. 3.

Notable quote: “Houston is a key market for the airline, and these connections to Querétaro and Puebla strengthen a network designed to serve the needs of our binational communities,” Volaris Executive Vice President Holger Blankenstein said.

Some context: Volaris also offers flights from Houston to:

• Guadalajara, Mexico
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Morelia, Mexico
• San Luis Potosí, Mexico
• San Salvador, El Salvador

More Houston-area residents were able to attain a home at the end of 2025 as mortgage rates and home prices eased, according to a report from the Houston Association of Realtors.

The gist: According to HAR’s housing attainability report, 44% of households in the Greater Houston area could afford a median-priced home in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 40% in 2024.

The median home price declined to $337,200, with a monthly mortgage payment being $2,280, compared to $2,490 in 2024. To afford a median-priced home in Houston, households needed to earn at least $91,200 annually, states the report.

Thousands of students who apply for Texas’ education savings accounts will likely not be accepted into the first year of the program, application data from the state comptroller’s office shows.

What's happening: Over 101,000 students had applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts as of Feb. 15. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. March 17.

Program funding is capped at $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year, meaning between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted. With demand expected to outpace available funding, applications will be prioritized through a need- and income-based lottery system.

Zooming in: Over 70% of program applicants were from low- or middle-income households, according to data from the comptroller’s office. Under Senate Bill 2, the 2025 law that created the program:

• “Low-income” is defined as families with annual household incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, or about $66,000 for a family of four.
• “Middle-income” is defined as families with incomes at or below 500% of the federal poverty line, or about $165,000 for a family of four.