A new project dubbed "494 Express Mart" will begin construction soon in New Caney, a representative for the project confirmed Nov. 12. The facility will include a gas station, washateria and food court.

The details: A timeline has not yet been finalized for 494 Express Mart, the representative said. According to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing for the project, the facility will be about 11,690 square feet in total.

• Opening date TBD
• 20712 Loop 494, New Caney

Here are the latest updates on four Montgomery County Precinct 4 road projects in the New Caney and Porter area.

Valley Ranch Parkway, FM 1314 turn lane
Project: The existing median on the north side of the intersection of Valley Ranch Parkway and FM 1314 will be removed, and a left-turn lane for motorists traveling southbound from Valley Ranch Parkway onto FM 1314 will be constructed.
Update: Construction began the first week of November and is expected to wrap up before Thanksgiving, Joshua Pascua, chief of staff for Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray, confirmed via email Nov. 6.

• Timeline: Early November-late November
• Cost: $99,000
• Funding sources: Montgomery County 2025 Road Bond, Precinct 4 Commissioner's Office

A new mobile bookstore is rolling into communities across Greater Houston, offering readers a joyful way to shop, owner Christie Hopson said.

A closer look: Enchanted Chapters hosts weekend pop-up events at breweries, festivals and other local gatherings, Hopson said. The mobile bookstore carries a variety of genres from romance to fantasy, thriller, mystery and children's books.

For November, Enchanted Chapters will appear at events in Cypress, Tomball, Seabrook, Katy and Conroe. Hopson said the goal is to bring the joy of discovering books directly to readers.

Texas is the nation’s largest energy producer, leading other U.S. states in both natural gas production and renewable energy generation, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows. Yet as people, businesses and data centers continue to move to the state, experts say Texas leaders need to harness new strategies to make energy more affordable and ensure the state power grid remains reliable.

The details: Amid high inflation nationwide, energy prices are on the rise in Texas, and residents are feeling the strain, experts said at the Texas Energy Summit, which ran from Nov. 4-6 in Austin.

In a June 2025 report, the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization, found that 65% of low-income Texans recently engaged in “energy-limiting behaviors,” such as turning off their air conditioning to reduce electric bills or underheating their homes in the winter. 

What they're saying: Experts said state lawmakers and officials could invest in energy efficiency and residential demand response programs to tackle affordability and grid reliability issues.