National fitness chain Stretch Zone has opened a studio in the Spring area, co-owner Belle LeBlanc confirmed.

Representatives from CenterPoint Energy plan to share information and answer questions about an upcoming electric grid resiliency project in Jersey Village during a town hall meeting. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 17 at the Civic Center Auditorium, located at 16327 Lakeview Drive in Jersey Village.

According to the meeting announcement, residents can ask questions and learn more about the upcoming work. The project is expected to bring city-wide replacements of the following:

• Utility poles

• Power lines

• Equipment

A budget workshop presentation on Sept. 10 revealed that Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 projects an $8.1 million shortfall for its fiscal year 2026-27 budget. The district, which supports the Cy-Fair Fire Department, projects $109.6 million in revenue and $117.8 million in expenditures based on a no new revenue rate of $0.038548 per $100 of valuation. Commissioners previously proposed a property tax rate of $0.045 per $100 of valuation.

Assistant Chief of Administration Mike Clements attributed the projected shortfall to the new full-time employees needed to staff two upcoming fire stations. The department expects continued shortfalls in future fiscal years as it adds more stations and personnel to match community growth.

The Harris County ESD 9 board of commissioners is slated to meet at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 for a budget workshop.

Houston-based rocket propulsion company Venus Aerospace opened a new propulsion test stand at the Houston Spaceport on Sept. 10.

The gist: The new test stand is a part of "critical infrastructure to support the continued development and maturation of its rotating detonation rocket engine technology," according to a Sept. 10 news release from the company.

The $3.9 million test stand was funded through the Texas Space Commission's Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund, which is part of the state's investment in growing Texas' aerospace and space economy, the news release notes.

Quote of note: “Building and testing propulsion systems at this pace requires the right infrastructure around the technology,” CEO and Co-Founder Sassie Duggleby said. “We’re grateful to the Texas Space Commission and the state of Texas for investing alongside companies like Venus."