Parents in the New Caney and Porter areas face challenges finding affordable or highly rated local childcare.

The overview: Data from Children at Risk and the Texas Workforce Commission highlights the local shortage:

• The nonprofit Children at Risk considers the Porter ZIP code 77365 a childcare desert because it has fewer than 35 childcare seats per 100 working parents.

• Under the Texas Workforce Commission standard, both the New Caney and Porter ZIP codes were considered childcare deserts in 2025. This standard defines a desert as having at least three times more working parents with young kids than the capacity of licensed local facilities.

• Capacity drops even further for New Caney and Porter when looking at subsidized and high-quality childcare.

The cost: Additionally, average daily childcare market rates for the Gulf Coast region in 2026 outpaced overall Texas averages for children up to 5 years old.

An $8 million project to expand Plum Grove Road near the entrance of The Trails community in New Caney is now finished, a spokesperson for the community confirmed via email Sept. 28.

Latest update: The roadway was expanded to four lanes, and traffic signals were installed on Plum Grove Road north and south of where the road intersects with the Grand Parkway, as previously reported by Community Impact. Construction ended one-third of a mile north of Plum Grove Road’s intersection with the Grand Parkway.

Work wrapped up on the project in September, the spokesperson confirmed.

What else? Construction on the Plum Grove Road project began in the summer of 2024, as previously reported. The project was funded by Plum Creek Management District 1A, Castle Hill Partners—the developer of The Trails—and the Texas Department of Transportation.

Several fall festival events are scheduled this month, though events are subject to change. The upcoming activities include:

• Katy Rice Harvest Festival on Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Oct. 11 from noon to 6 p.m. in Katy

• Pumpkin Float on Oct. 10 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in The Woodlands

• Halloween Bash on Oct. 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in The Woodlands

• Tricks & Treats on Oct. 17 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Missouri City

• ArBOOretum on Oct. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Houston

Several trending stories emerged from the northern portion of the Greater Houston area between Sept. 25-Oct. 1:

• Power Electronics breaks ground on 53-acre manufacturing campus in Houston area

• TxDOT proposes $209M widening for portion of Grand Parkway

• Maintaining Lake Houston: Dredging and Maintenance District looks to provide long-term solution

• Klein Farmers Market to hold grand opening in Spring-Klein area

• Walmart debuts modernized store, expanded offerings in Porter

• Midnight Cravingz announces grand opening, specials

• Tomball and Magnolia businesses work against rising costs

• Conroe Icehouse opening soon