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Several places offer pickleball facilities around the Tomball and Magnolia area. Check them out below. This list is not comprehensive.

Ace Pickleball Club
Ace Pickleball Club is dedicated to making pickleball fun, accessible, and community-focused for players of all skill levels. It offers climate-controlled facilities with unlimited open play and a range of programs and events.
Number of courts: 13
Membership cost: $20 drop-in, $59 monthly (mid-day membership), $119 monthly (unlimited membership)
Additional offerings: Intro to Pickleball class, Starter Series and Essential Series clinics, ladies mixers, round robins, flex league, ball machine reservations, court reservations, two free guest passes per month, tournaments

• 30031 FM 2978, Magnolia

• 11703 Spring Cypress Road, Ste. H, Tomball

Young Chefs Academy is now open in Tomball, owners Chris and Elizabeth McKelvey confirmed.

In a nutshell: Chris and Elizabeth McKelvey said the business’s primary program is membership-based, where kids ages 4-16 come in once per week to learn culinary skills. Young Chefs Academy also hosts events such as birthday parties, summer camps and family events.

• 1417 Graham Drive, Ste. 500, Tomball

A total of $43,000 in art grants have been awarded by The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in partnership with The Woodlands Arts Council to initiatives across Montgomery County.

The Performing Arts Microgrants program for 2026 continues a program that has invested $130,000 in performing arts education and access since 2024, according to a news release.

Measuring the impact: Microgrants go toward programs such as music instruction, performance opportunities, equipment and expanded arts programming, according to Jan. 16 news release.

Recipients of the latest grants include:

• Caney Creek High School
• The Woodlands Symphony Orchestra
• Patterson Elementary School
• Conroe High School

To help reduce pet overpopulation while supporting responsible pet ownership, Harris County Pets is expanding low-cost spay and neuter services with appointments available every Tuesday and Thursday throughout February.

What you need to know: Starting Feb. 3, Harris County Pets—the open-admission animal shelter for unincorporated Harris County—is offering spay and neuter surgeries for $40 per pet performed by licensed veterinarians, per a Feb. 2 news release. 

In observance of Spay and Neuter Awareness Month and Responsible Pet Owners Month, HCP will serve up to 20 dogs and cats each date.

Quote of note: “At Harris County Pets, prevention is one of the most powerful tools we have to save lives,” said Corey Steele, director of HCP and the Veterinary Public Health Division at Harris County Public Health.

The details: Per the release, demand for these services are high, and appointments are required and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Harris Health officials are one step closer in the process of acquiring nearly 9 acres of Hermann Park—also known as the Warnecke Tract—as part of a $410 million Ben Taub Hospital expansion at the Texas Medical Center after Harris County commissioners voted in favor of the March 19 formal public hearing date.

Quote of note: “None of this gives permission to just move forward with impunity,” Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said. “Without creating consensus or at least making the effort to create consensus and dialogue.”

The gist: The unanimous vote at the Jan. 29 Commissioners Court meeting paves the way for Harris County to condemn approximately 8.9 acres of parkland for the proposed hospital expansion.

Zooming out: Public town hall meetings across the county have occurred since October, including in all four county precincts, discussing the hospital district’s proposal—a prospect that has raised concerns among some residents and community members.

The University of Houston is set to open applications in February for a new online graduate certificate aimed at preparing students for jobs in Houston’s rapidly growing film and television industry, according to a Jan. 22 news release.

What you need to know: Housed in the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts, the Graduate Certificate in Film and Media Production and Leadership will offer evening synchronous online classes and is designed to build a local workforce pipeline for producers and project leaders, said Fleurette S. Fernando, associate dean and director of the Arts Leadership Program.

Quote of note: “We really wanted to ride that wave and create a program that can help to strengthen workforce development in film and television in Houston,” Fernando said.

More details: UH officials tied the launch to growing production momentum statewide following Texas Senate Bill 22, which allocates $300 million every two years to film and TV incentives.

Community Impact is now covering BCS, from growth and schools to business and city happenings.

Live, work or hang out in Bryan or College Station? Or know someone who does? Stay connected or share with your neighbors.

Texas families can soon apply to receive state funds for private education or homeschooling under the state’s new education savings account program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts.

What's happening: The application opens at 9 a.m. Feb. 4 and is designed to be completed in about 15 minutes, according to the state comptroller’s office. Families can apply through 11:59 p.m. March 17.

Parents must submit information about their family's residency, household income, their children's educational history and each child's special education status, if applicable.

The details: To be eligible for the program, students must:

• Reside in Texas
• Be U.S. citizens or lawful residents
• Be eligible to attend a Texas public school, open-enrollment charter school or pre-K program