Houston City Council members officially approved a $28 million grant Dec. 3 to address unsafe road conditions along the Bissonnet Corridor.

The item, which originally appeared on the Nov. 19 agenda, was tagged ahead of Thanksgiving by council member Sallie Alcorn, whose office stated that she tagged the item for council member Edward Pollard, who was absent that week.

With the return of Pollard, the item was approved unanimously.

The overview: The project includes rehabilitating 7 miles of Bissonnet Street from South Dairy Ashford Road to Hillcroft Avenue, a feat that includes improving crosswalks and lighting, as well as installing bike lanes and dedicated turn lanes.

Next steps: The project is currently in the design phase. Construction is anticipated to start in spring 2027 and be wrapped up by the end of 2028.

“For a stretch of Bissonnet that has not had a lot of investment in the years, this is a welcome project for those residents and business owners,” Pollard said. “I am glad to see it's finally getting pushed forward."

A new halal Mexican cuisine concept held a grand opening for its first Houston food truck on Nov. 8.

The overview: Founded by Ahmad Kilani, the creator of Clutch City Cluckers and Juicy Joint, Trippin Taco offers cuisine inspired by Mexico City, including halal Angus beef. 

On the menu: The truck is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 a.m., serving birria tacos, nachos, tamales and fusion ramen bowls.

• 5550 Val Verde St., Houston

Check out these eight restaurants and bars serving holiday cocktails throughout December. This list is not comprehensive, and details are subject to change.

Buttermilk Baby: The restaurant is featuring several limited-time beverages for the holidays, including Candy Cane Crush, alcoholic or nonalcoholic Santa’s Nog, and alcoholic or nonalcoholic Baileys Hot Chocolate.

• Available through Dec. 31 
• $4.99-$13.99 (per drink)
• 600 N. Shepherd Drive, Ste. 250, Houston

Good God Nadine’s: The Heights bar is serving a line-up of classic, photo-worthy cocktails for the holidays, such as a Gingerbread Martini and Dreaming of a White Cosmo. 

• Available through Dec. 31
• $15 (per holiday cocktail)
• 33 Waugh Dr., Houston

Travelers will be able to fly directly to Rome from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, or IAH, beginning May 1, 2026, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Dec. 2.

In a nutshell: Italian airline ITA Airways will offer the flights to Rome Fiumicino Airport, Whitmire said during a press conference. The new Houston connection marks the ninth U.S. destination for the airline, officials said.

Joerg Eberhart, CEO and general manager of ITA Airways, said the airline will start with three nonstop flights per week in May and ramp up to five flights per week by June. The flights are already available for purchase through the airline, he said.

Quote of note: “If we look at what’s going on in the Italian economy and the Houston economy, this gives us now the opportunity to go to Italian companies and try to track more of them and locate their U.S. headquarters here in Houston because we’ve got this great service now,” Houston Airports Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said.

Nine new medical cannabis dispensaries could soon open in Texas, the Department of Public Safety announced Dec. 1.

The overview: The nine companies were preliminarily approved to join three existing dispensaries that provide medical-grade, low-THC products to eligible patients through the Texas Compassionate Use Program. The program's expansion comes after state lawmakers passed House Bill 46 this spring.

Lawmakers also allowed dispensaries to store products in multiple locations, which advocates said would cut costs, and added more qualifying conditions to the program.

Zooming in: The nine providers given conditional licenses Dec. 1 are:

• Verano Texas LLC in West Texas
• Trulieve TX Inc. in the Panhandle
• Texas Patient Access LLC in North Texas
• Lonestar Compassionate Care Group LLC in North Texas
• Lone Star Bioscience Inc. in South Central Texas
• PC TX OPCO LLC, dba PharmaCann, in Southeast Texas
• Texa OP, dba TexaRx, in the Rio Grande Valley
• Story of Texas LLC in Southeast Texas
• Dilatso LLC in North Texas