The Willis ISD board of trustees approved a $1,000 employee retention stipend at its Oct. 21 regular board meeting.

The cost: This stipend is part of a district-wide initiative to support employee retention, following a previous $1,500 stipend approved at an April 22 board meeting. The details of the new stipend include:

• It will be released in December.

• It applies to anyone employed by the district as of Nov. 1, 2026, who remains until May 26, 2027.

• Any employee who leaves or has their contract terminated must repay the full amount.

Notable quote: Garrett Matej, Willis ISD chief financial officer, noted that these payments help attract new employees and show appreciation for their work. "Retention stipends are one of the ways the Board invests in the people who serve our students every day," said Matej.

The first week of early voting saw 104,054 ballots cast in Montgomery County, according to the county’s elections department.

Early voting runs through Oct. 30. The number of ballots cast so far represents 21 percent of Montgomery County’s 487,232 registered voters for the November 2026 election, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.

What you need to know: All registered Montgomery County voters can cast a ballot at any of the county’s 10 polling locations.

For the rest of early voting, polling places have expanded hours and are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport welcomed travelers to its redeveloped Terminal B North Concourse on Oct. 22, following an official unveiling on Oct. 21.

The big picture: The three-level, 765,000-square-foot facility is part of United Airlines' $2.6 billion Terminal B Transformation Program. The project began in November 2023 and is expected to increase the number of customers who can fly on peak travel dates in 2026 by 40% compared to 2023.

Zooming in: The redeveloped terminal features the following amenities:

• A 54,000-square-foot United Club, which is the largest airline club in the Americas

• Seating for 800 travelers, two full-service bars and two buffet stations inside the club

• 22 mainline gates, giving United Airlines 48 gates in Terminal B

• 10 large-scale art installations and a dedicated sensory room

• 105,000 square feet of space for retail and concessions

• Climate-controlled jet bridges and a new baggage handling system

Looking ahead: The expansion will also allow United Airlines to add new international destinations, including service to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico; Cartagena, Colombia; and Caracas, Venezuela.

A guide to haunted houses and ghost tours throughout the Greater Houston area offers several spooky activities ahead of Halloween. The non-comprehensive list features eight haunted houses and four ghost tours:

• Creepy Hollow Haunted House in Rosharon, featuring multiple themed scary attractions and a Lights Out with Krampus scare.

• Haunted Drive in Cleveland, a drive-thru haunted house with optional hay rides and a haunted maze.

• Houston Terror Dome Haunted House in Channelview, offering themed haunted houses, paintball, escape rooms, a pumpkin patch and axe throwing.

• Purgatory Scream Park in Kingwood, featuring four attractions including Hysteria and Deadwood.

• Redrum Fear Park in Richmond, which offers a twisted circus, a haunted movie theater, a defunct asylum and laser tag.

• The Thirteenth Floor in Houston, geared for guests 13 and older.

• Voodoo Bayou Haunted Trail in New Caney, featuring PG-13 entertainment.

• Woods of Kaos in Cleveland, a 30,000-square-foot haunted house.

• Houston Ghost Tour, The Last Stop Ghost Tour, Lizzy Borden Ghost Tours and Old Town Spring/Tomball Ghost Walk, which all offer guided walking tours.