Homes occupied by more than four unrelated adults could be fined up to $2,000 per day after Humble City Council banned the units from residential neighborhoods Jan. 22.

How we got here: City staff brought the restrictions to City Council due to a "rise of novel housing arrangements such as 'house sharing' or 'congregate living.'" The situations targeted by the ordinance typically involve the individual rooms in a single-family home being rented out to multiple families.

Quote of note: “It's not a hotel,” City Manager Jason Stuebe said. “It's not a boarding home. It's not an apartment building. It's this ungoverned gray area that everyone's trying to figure out how to regulate. But currently, there's not any state regulation on it.”

Diving deeper: The approved rules:

• Apply to buildings with three or more sleeping rooms rented separately
• Impose a fine of $500-$2,000 per day for violations
• Require a permit from the city for congregate living units to operate

A Harris County district judge granted an emergency court order on Jan. 26 to extend early voting in the runoff election for Texas’ 18th Congressional District after severe winter weather forced the closure of polling places Jan. 25-26.

The order requires Harris County to open all early voting locations from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Jan. 28 and from noon-7 p.m. Jan. 29 to restore the voting hours lost when polls closed due to hazardous weather conditions.

What happened: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth announced Jan. 24 that all early voting centers would be closed Jan. 25-26 due to inclement weather. Early voting was originally slated to run Jan. 21-27 with election day Jan. 31.

What they're saying: On Jan. 25, organizations including the Texas Civil Rights Project, Houston Justice and Pure Justice announced they had filed a lawsuit to expand early voting. Both Democratic candidates, Christian D. Menefee and Amanda Edwards, said they were in support of extending early voting.

• Aldine ISD
• Alvin College
• Alvin ISD
• Clear Creek ISD
• College of the Mainland
• Conroe ISD
• Cy-Fair ISD
• Friendswood ISD
• Fort Bend ISD
• Harmony Public Schools
• Houston City College
• Houston ISD
• Humble ISD
• Katy ISD
• Klein ISD
• Lamar CISD
• Lone Star College
• Magnolia ISD
• Montgomery ISD
• New Caney ISD
• Pearland ISD
• San Jacinto College
• Splendora ISD
• Spring ISD
• Tomball ISD
• University of Houston
• Willis ISD

Republican incumbent Dan Crenshaw will face three challengers in the race for the Republican nomination for Congressional District 2 in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

Some context: Congressional District 2 encompasses portions of northeast Harris County and southeast Montgomery County.

What you need to know: Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.

After 26 years in business, Houston-based clothing retail chain Francesca’s started the process of liquidating all merchandise and closing all stores in mid-January, according to a letter from company officials to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The company operates more than 450 stores in over 45 states, with 52 of those stores being in Texas, according to the company website.

What happened: In early January, the company received a notice of default from its lender that required the company to permanently shut down, according to the letter.

“After assessing options, the Company concluded, in its business judgment, that it had no alternative but to immediately cut costs, sell existing inventory, and ultimately cease operations,” the letter states.

• Began liquidating Jan. 14

Three Republicans are running for Texas attorney general in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The overview: After three terms as Texas' top lawyer, incumbent Ken Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate, leaving his office open. Joan Huffman, Mayes Middleton, Aaron Reitz and Chip Roy are seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general.

Stay tuned: The winner of the Republican primary will face the winning Democratic candidate in November. The winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

Three Democrats are running for Texas attorney general in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: After three terms as Texas' top lawyer, incumbent Ken Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate, leaving his office open. Anthony “Tony” Box, Joe Jaworski and Nathan Johnson are vying for the Democratic nomination to succeed Paxton as attorney general.

Looking ahead: The winning Democratic candidate will face the winner of the Republican nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.