As the start of the 2026-27 school year looms closer Aug. 10, the Houston ISD Police Department and its partners will be bolstering security and safety measures, according to an Aug. 4 news conference for the school district.

Two-minute impact: With students slated to soon return to HISD’s campuses, 112 guards have been added to monitor schools, and more will be added, Houston ISD Police Chief Shamara D. Garner said during the news conference. Officers will also be patrolling campuses 24 hours per day, she added.

Quote of note: “The beginning of a school year represents new opportunities for academic growth, new opportunities to reconnect with friends or even make new friends,” Garner said. “But what is not new is our shared commitment to keeping our students safe and to do all we can to maintain a safe learning environment.”

Marshalls Department Store will open in the old Big Lots location in Merchant Park.

What is it: Marshalls is a national off-price retail chain offering discounted brand-name apparel, footwear, home goods and accessories. The retailer is known for its constantly changing inventory of name-brand merchandise at lower-than-department-store prices.

The details: According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, approximately $1.6 million in alterations and renovations will take place at the location on North Shepherd Drive through October 31. The location is over 25,000 square feet and will undergo new lighting, interior partitions, ceiling, plumbing and HVAC.

• 919 N. Shepherd Dr., Houston

Travelers flying through Houston's William P. Hobby Airport now have a new off-airport parking option with the opening of Hobby Airport Parking on July 13, according to a news release from Paquin Public Relations.

What you need to know: Located 2.5 miles from the airport, the new facility offers uncovered and covered parking, along with complimentary shuttle service, according to the release.

Ahead of the 2026 school year, the Texas Comptroller’s Office encourages all taxpayers to support Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free purchases on most clothing and school supplies during the annual tax-free weekend from Aug. 7-9. 

What you need to know: A variety of school supplies and clothing items can be purchased from a Texas store or an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. In most cases, exemption certificates are not required to buy qualifying items tax free, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. 

Qualifying items include:

• Clothing
• Footwear 
• School supplies
• Face masks
• Backpacks

Texas is halting the approval of new data center projects until state regulators can audit all data centers seeking to connect to the power grid, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Aug. 3.

The overview: The governor directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to conduct “a comprehensive verification and audit” of all data center applicants “before any additional data centers are approved to move forward.” 

Data center regulation has emerged as a bipartisan issue in recent months, and the move comes amid both growing public criticism of Texas’ booming data center industry and recent political pressure for Abbott to respond.

Zooming in: Abbott asked the PUC and ERCOT to collect information about the tax exemptions each data center is collecting; details about each project's anticipated water and electricity usage; and how data center developers will work to limit noise, light pollution and other impacts on local communities.

Officials did not say how long the pause would last or when the audits would begin.