Two candidates are running for Harris County Clerk in the upcoming election. The candidates are Mike Wolfe and incumbent Teneshia Hudspeth.

Key details for voters include:

• Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30.
• Election day is Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Registered voters are permitted to cast their ballot at any polling location during both early voting and on election day.

Harris County and the Texas Department of Transportation have provided updates on eight transportation projects in the Cypress-Fairbanks area:

• Hwy. 290 resurfacing: A $2.7 million project from Badtke Road to Telge Road, with bids starting in September and construction estimated to begin in October 2026.
• Grand Parkway widening: A $119.9 million project to widen the parkway from four to six lanes between West Road and I-10. Construction has started.
• Jones Road asphalt rehabilitation: A $3.3 million project repairing asphalt on Jones Road and Woodedge Drive. Work is ongoing.
• Cypress Creek Estates Subdivision improvements: A $10.1 million drainage and pavement project where construction is underway.
• Barwood subdivision improvements: A $11.7 million drainage and pavement project. Construction is underway and expected to finish by the end of the year.
• Cypress North Houston Road: A $17.6 million widening project that started construction over the summer.
• Grant Road widening: A project to widen the road to a four-lane boulevard, currently in the design phase.
• Greenhouse Road: A $76 million underpass project that broke ground on May 19.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality must stop issuing new permits for data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sept. 21.

The overview: His order expands an existing pause on data center development in the state amid consistent public criticism of the booming industry. Abbott, who is running for a fourth term as governor, has recently moved to slow the growth of data centers after calling Texas “the epicenter of AI development" last year.

The context: Hundreds of proposed data centers are currently being audited by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state power grid.

Some developers may be able to get around the ERCOT pause by building in-house power infrastructure that is not connected to the grid, experts have said.

However, any construction project impacting at least 1 acre of land requires permits from TCEQ.

What they're saying: "As Texas faces increasing pressure on our water supplies and electric grid, we need to ensure that data centers operate efficiently and sustainably," said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas.