HTX-BMW: Impact 11/10/2025

Rice University officials unveiled plans Nov. 6 to transform the west side of the campus to create what they are calling the "Gateway Project," which includes creating a pedestrian-friendly corridor that will link the campus to the center of the Rice Village Shopping Center. The plans also include renovating the 75-year-old Rice Stadium.

The specifics: According to a news release, the new pedestrian-oriented street will extend Amherst Avenue two blocks east from Morningside Drive, through Chaucer Drive, to a new campus entrance near Entrance 13A on Greenbriar Drive.

The corridor is intended to serve as a "vital connection" between Rice Village and the university campus by activating underused outdoor spaces and creating a walkable pathway lined with trees, lighting and green spaces.

More details: The Gateway Project will also include a complete renovation of Rice Stadium, a venue that is 75 years old and last saw significant renovations in 2016. The project includes demolishing the existing press box, upper bowl and upper concourse to make way for a new three-level west concourse building.

A crafter at heart, Amara Aigbedion began experimenting with candle-making when she was in college. She recruited her sister-in-law, Bukola Aigbedion, and the duo started hosting pop-up shops in 2017. 

“I got the idea when I was in business school,” Amara Aigbedion said. “We had a fundraising thing where I donated a candle-making workshop as the gift, and someone bid on it."

The pop-ups were popular from the start, and the Aigbedion sisters turned Love & Make into the business it is today, which is open seven days a week, even as they both work full-time jobs outside of Love & Make.

• 2516 Times Blvd., Houston

Community Impact interviewed Ron Papsdorf, the Chief Transportation Officer for the Houston-Galveston Area Council, about the current state of transportation in the Greater Houston area.

The gist: H-GAC is a regional organization through which local governments consider issues and cooperate in solving problems in areas such as transportation. Papsdorf, who stepped into the role of chief transportation officer in June, spoke about the biggest priorities and challenges for transportation in the Greater Houston area as well as new trends he is seeing in mobility needs across the region.

Missed any Community Impact articles from this week? Check out the top trending stories from Community Impact's coverage areas in Houston from Nov. 3-7.

1. Houston Airport System issues advisory about indefinite TSA delays

2. See unofficial voting results for LCISD’s $1.99B bond

3. Unofficial voting results show all three Magnolia ISD bond propositions fail

4. Conroe ISD's Grand Oaks zoning plan in the works as area continues to grow

5. Sugar Land to make code changes as 52-acre Lake Pointe redevelopment nears construction

Harris County commissioners opted not to draft regulations on roadside vendors and panhandlers in unincorporated areas of the county in a split vote Oct. 30.

The overview: In May, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 2012, which allows counties to curb roadside and parking lot soliciting. The bill permits restrictions on people asking for money or selling food or merchandise, including animals, along roadways.

What happened: During Harris County commissioners’ Oct. 30 meeting, a motion to pursue drafting panhandling and roadside soliciting regulations failed, with Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones voting against the measure; Judge Lina Hidalgo was absent from the meeting. 

Remember this? If the motion would have passed, the county attorney would have worked with court offices to draft an ordinance including:

• Clear prohibitions on panhandling that affects traffic lanes, medians and other areas that pose safety risks
• A focus on improving traffic flow and quality of life by creating designated safety zones away from busy traffic
• Opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness to be directed to resources

More than 20 months after wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle in early 2024, burning over 1.2 million acres of land, state lawmakers questioned if Texas has the tools needed to tackle another major fire.

The context: Texas is always a fire-prone state, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. The association’s website reports that annual wildfire risk is most severe from February-April, when dry grasses and high winds can cause fires to spread, and August-October, when high temperatures and droughts contribute to fires.

“Our purpose today is to figure out—what is our response going to look like next February and March?” Rep. Ken King, a Republican representing Canadian and other Panhandle communities, said during a Nov. 3 committee hearing. “Are we better prepared … or are we in the same position we were in 2024, when our response was lacking?”

The details: Officials said Texas owns just two firefighting aircraft, with others "essentially [subleased] through the federal government."

During peak wildfire season, this means Texas may have access to limited resources.