The Katy ISD school board will vote on the design of the new Opportunity Awareness Center building as the district looks to expand the growing Miller Career and Technology Center in its former space. 

The Feb. 23 vote will come after a design presentation at the board’s Feb. 16 work study meeting sparked several concerns from board members about the new space.

The specifics: The Opportunity Awareness Center, or OAC, is the disciplinary alternative education program for Katy ISD, which serves students across kindergarten through the 12th grade who have broken the Texas Education Code or the district’s student code of conduct, OAC Principal Janelle Coleman said.

By the numbers: The proposed OAC center—slated to be just under 20,000 square feet, which is less than half of the program’s current space—would decrease the number of secondary seats from 345 to 180, officials said. However,

Moving forward: Katy ISD is set to vote on the design at its Feb. 23 board meeting following an implementation presentation, per board request.

Scotty’s Bar & Grill has opened its doors in Katy with the goal of becoming a “neighborhood hangout,” Owner Dina Muller said.

On the menu: The menu centers around a variety of wings, tacos, burgers, sliders, steaks and seafood options such as grilled catfish and shrimp, according to its menu posted on Facebook.

The eatery also offers brunch on weekends with menu items including steak and eggs, chicken and waffles and pancakes as well as various omelets.

Also of note: Scotty’s also offers bingo and live music, alongside 30 big-screen TVs, Muller said.

• 20455 Katy Freeway, Katy

Fort Bend County officials broke ground Feb. 18 on a $2 million juvenile vocational training center in Richmond to ensure the county is meeting the growing number of juveniles entering the detention system.

The details: Kyle Dobbs, executive director and chief juvenile probation officer at Fort Bend County’s juvenile probation department, said the 6,700-square-foot center—set to be located at 122 Golfview Drive—will offer instruction for approximately 60 kids ages 14-17 in six different skills, including:

• Welding
• Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
• Electrical
• Carpentry
• Digital media
• Cosmetology

During an arctic blast last month, the Texas power grid remained stable throughout the storm and the state came away largely unscathed. The Lone Star State has not seen widespread blackouts since February 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and nearly 250 people died.

The response: In Uri’s wake, state lawmakers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas made changes to restructure ERCOT’s governing board, mandate earlier public alerts during tight grid conditions and require that energy providers “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Roughly 40,000 megawatts of power—enough to serve about 10 million residential customers—have been added to the grid since 2021 and the state’s energy supply has become more diverse.

Looking ahead: State leaders have expressed confidence that the grid would hold up during “a storm similar to Uri.” Yet some energy analysts caution that rapidly rising electric demand, driven by the construction of new data centers throughout Texas, means challenges may still lie ahead.