On Nov. 1 2024, Harris County officials approved a policy that halved the amount of time—from 30 to 15 days—a pet can stay in the animal shelter before being considered for euthanasia.

The big picture: Euthanasia is the last resort for animals within its custody, according to HCP officials. However, it is an essential component of its operation to ensure the health and safety of other pets in the shelter and residents in the community.

Corey Steele, director of veterinary public health at Harris County Public Health, said euthanizations increased by 1,355 from November 2024 to October 2025. Steele said HCP sent out a survey to over 1,000 animal networks and animal welfare organizations to get their input on the issue.

The impact: Sarah Mills, senior director of operations at nonprofit animal advocacy group PetSet, said when it comes to animals in shelters, there are limited options.

“There are very difficult decisions that have to be made, but the reality is not every dog is adoptable,” Mills said.  

When Abbas Kataya stepped into Nadia's Mediterranean Grill during a visit from the United Kingdom, he didn’t expect a casual stop to turn into a life-changing decision. However, in 2016, when his mother's cousin, Nadia, shared plans to retire and offered him the restaurant, Kataya saw more than a business opportunity, he saw a continuation of a family legacy. 

What's special about it? Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in the restaurant industry and ownership of two eateries in the U.K., Kataya took the reins of the Mediterranean staple bringing international perspective and deep rooted tradition to a restaurant that still carries the family name. At Nadia's Mediterranean Grill customers can find home-style cooking with fresh ingredients locally sourced by Kataya himself.

On the menu: Starting with its homemade hummus, made with blended chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice with a hint of garlic and topped with extra virgin olive oil and served with pita, Kataya said every dish at Nadias is created with passion.

Hundreds of volunteers will hit the streets Tuesday night across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties to begin the annual Point-in-Time survey, which catalogues the number of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in the three counties.

How it works: The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County and The Way Home have been conducting the annual survey since 2011. The survey provides a snapshot of sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness year-over-year.

Volunteers will count sheltered individuals Feb. 23 as the official "night of record," according to a Feb. 20 news release. Meanwhile, the unsheltered portion of the count will take place over three days—Feb. 24-26.

Why it matters: The count is typically a part of a federal funding process for local homelessness response systems like The Way Home.

"The count helps identify service gaps, geographic shifts and emerging needs across the region and allows the community to track trends over time using a consistent methodology."

A total of 137,395 in-person and mail-in ballots have been cast in Harris County, more than halfway through the 10-day early voting period ahead of the March 3 primary election.

In a nutshell: Early in-person voting runs from Feb. 17-27, and election day is March 3. 

In Harris County, voters can cast their ballot at any polling location during early voting and on election day. The county has 60 early voting locations.

In Texas, to vote in either a Democratic or Republican primary election, voters do not have to be registered to vote in that party, but must choose one party's election.

Quote of note: “Primary elections are the first step to November,” Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said via the release. “As we enter the midterm election season, I urge voters to educate themselves on the issues and candidates, and to make their voices heard early in the process.”

Some context: During the March 2024 primary election, 211,223 voters cast ballots during the entire early voting period, as previously reported by Community Impact.