Early voting for the runoff election between Dwight A. Boykins and Alejandra Salinas for Houston City Council, At-Large Position 4, started Dec. 1 and will go through Dec. 9. Election day is Dec. 13.

Taking a step back: Fifteen candidates originally ran for the position in November. However, after residents across Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend counties cast their votes, Boykins and Salinas were sent to a runoff after no candidates received more than 50% of the votes.

Salinas received 38,127 votes, while Boykins trailed slightly behind with 37,816 votes.

Something to note: The winner of the runoff election will fill an unexpired term ending Jan. 1, 2028.

La Cocina de TJ specializes in birria, a traditional Mexican dish made with either goat meat, beef or lamb, according to the restaurant’s social media.

On the menu: Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, La Cocina de TJ is open seven days a week starting at 8 a.m. The restaurant offers classic Mexican staples such as street tacos and burritos, as well as more unique dishes.

One more thing: Additionally, La Cocina de TJ offers catering and event services as well as a daily happy hour from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., featuring $5 house margaritas, $6 wine and $4 domestic beers.

• 2025 N. Durham Drive, Houston

A new $617 million natural gas power plant is slated to be built in east Houston after the project was selected for a loan by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

About the project: North American power company NRG Energy’s 455 megawatt power plant will provide power from the company’s Greens Bayou Generating Station to Electric Reliability Council of Texas' grid beginning in 2028. The new plant will connect with ERCOT’s Houston Load Zone, which provides power to Houston, Pasadena and The Woodlands, and is one of Texas’ largest electricity centers.

Quote of note: “Our investment at Greens Bayou reflects NRG’s commitment to delivering dependable, dispatchable generation when Texans need it most,” said Robert J. Gaudette, NRG executive vice president and president of NRG business and wholesale operations. “These units will strengthen grid resilience, create local jobs and support economic vitality.”

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County was awarded more than $100 million in federal funding for several low-emission initiatives aimed at significantly improving air quality across METRO’s service area.

“This funding represents a major step in our effort to transition METRO’s fleet to cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles,” interim President Tom Jasien said in a Nov. 24 news release. “These improvements will strengthen our commitment to sustainability while ensuring we continue to deliver reliable service for the Houston region.”

Zooming in: METRO officials said the $100 million grant will allow for the following projects to be completed:

• Replacing at least 100 aging diesel buses with new compressed natural gas buses
• Building a new CNG fueling station
• Upgrading maintenance facilities to support expanded CNG operations