Humble ISD officials celebrated the opening of a new “City of Elements”-themed playground at Whispering Pines Elementary on March 4.

The details: According to a Feb. 25 news release, the playground is designed for children ages 5-12 and includes the following features:

• A 29-foot-tall “Tree of Life” rope climbing play tower
• A nine-seat swing set
• Hangout hammocks
• Tactical play panels

• Opened March 4
• 17321 Woodland Hills Drive, Humble

Check out what's happening in the Lake Houston area this weekend, March 20-22.

Parkinson Society-Kingwood Turtle Trot: This second annual 5K walk/run through the Kingwood greenbelt will benefit the Houston Area Parkinson Society.

• March 21, 8 a.m.-noon
• $35 (per person), $50 (per family)
• Kingwood Methodist Church, 1799 Woodland Hills Drive, Kingwood

• March 21, 6:30 p.m. (doors open), 7 p.m. (event starts)
• $25 (early bird), $30 (at the door)
• Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble

• March 21, 7 p.m.
• $23-$28 (admission)
• The Nathaniel Center, 804 Russell Palmer Road, Kingwood

Harris County Commissioners Court will review more than 450 agenda items March 19, including a public hearing on the proposed parkland acquisition for Ben Taub Hospital's expansion as well as potential changes to the county's criminal legal system.

The overview: In compliance with Chapter 26 of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Code, commissioners will hear from community members about the proposed acquisition of 8.9 acres of Hermann Park to make way for a $410 million expansion of Ben Taub Hospital. 

Hospital officials say the expansion is critical to address bed capacity limitations at the Level I trauma facility. However, some residents are concerned with the potential environmental implications. 

Also on the agenda: Commissioners are also set to discuss potential operational and fiscal changes to county's legal system as a result of Senate Bill 9, a 2021 law that shifted bail-setting authority for certain violent offenses to elected judges.

Stay tuned: Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are held at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston. The administration building is located at 1001 Preston St., Houston.

More moderate prices have led to an influx of homes hitting the market, according to the Houston Association of Realtors' February 2026 housing market update. While there was a slight decrease in home sales, buyer activity has increased across the region.

The gist: According to HAR, property sales of all types compared to February last year have dwindled by 3.3%, with 7,024 properties sold. Despite this, the number of properties listed has risen by 14.3%, with 55,710 properties now available. 

According to HAR Chief Economist Ted C. Jones, the Houston housing market has been “bottoming out” for the past several years and is now returning to pre-pandemic levels.

As it stands right now, the median price declined 0.9% year over year in February to $322,078. Homes have also been spending more time on the market this February compared to last February—the average days spent on the market for a home went from 60 to 69 days, which is the highest it’s been since March 2013, when the average time was 74 days.