At-large council member Willie Davis has proposed a new amendment to an ordinance to establish local load securement standards for passenger cars and trucks in Houston after several incidents involving unsecured cargo posing a safety hazard to residents were reported or personally experienced.

Davis suggested the proposed ordinance during a Proposition A committee meeting July 28.

The specifics: The ordinance would require motor vehicles and/or any attached trailers to secure loads or cargo with a securement device of "sufficient strength" to prevent their loads from moving, thus preventing the cargo from ending up on the roads and/or highways, per the ordinance. The draft proposal also defines words listed in the ordinance, including load or cargo, securement device and moving.

Why it matters: A presentation at the committee meeting given by Davis noted that the objective of the amendment is to reduce the frequency of the type of public safety hazard that can lead to vehicular crashes caused by road debris.

The Coronation Theater, a community-driven home for improv comedy, classes and corporate training in Houston, officially opened its brand-new building July 25 on Canal Street.

What changed: The theater relocated from its intimate 1,000-square-foot space on Rusk Street to a new 3,200-square-foot venue in the city's east end in late July.

According to a July 14 news release, the new venue features an 85-seat theater, dedicated classroom, full bar and kitchen with seating for 45 guests, upgraded lighting and sound, and a large meeting room that can host up to 60 people.

Pande said the expanded venue allows the theater to run extended programming and make room for additional theater arts beyond improv, such as scripted shows, comedy-adjacent programming, sketch comedy, and themed experiences. Guests can expect to see a rotating cast of six to 15 performers depending on the night, per the release.

More information: In addition to the expanded showtimes and offerings, The Coronation Theater will also continue to offer classes, corporate training and off-site offerings.

• 3100 Canal St., Ste. 100, Houston

Greater Houston suburban areas such as Magnolia, Brookshire and La Marque are trending in home sale growth, according to the Houston Association of Realtors' latest Hottest Communities report for the second quarter of 2026.

Breaking it down: Construction of new homes was a significant factor for the growth of many of the top 10 communities, per the report. Additionally, six of the top 10 communities had an average home price below the Houston-area average of $455,159.

The list is led by the Magnolia/1488 West area, which saw a 61.6% increase in sales compared to 2025. Meanwhile, the Huffman area, east of Atascocita, had a 58.2% increase, while Conroe Southwest saw a 38% gain.

What they’re saying: “The communities seeing the most growth right now are the ones where buyers have choices,” HAR Chair Theresa Hill said. “New construction is expanding options and helping more buyers find homes that align with their needs and budget.”

Texas lawmakers are considering cutting a costly, decade-old tax break for the state’s booming data center industry.

The overview: Texas spends more than $1 billion annually on the sales tax exemption, and the comptroller’s office estimated in 2025 that due to the program, the state will lose about $3.2 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years.

The Lone Star State is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, and the Data Center Coalition, which advocates for the industry, has argued that the tax break program is key to maintaining that title. Senators and members of the public who spoke at a July 27 hearing disagreed.

Looking ahead: Amid a bipartisan push for more regulation of data centers, senators indicated that they intend to add more strings to the tax exemption program or eliminate it entirely.

"The question is whether or not we need to have a special session where all of us are focusing in on this," Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said.

“We do,” Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, replied.