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As Cypress continues to accommodate a booming population, several hospitals along Hwy. 290 are in the process of expanding or have recently opened new towers to increase inpatient capacity.

The overview: Memorial Hermann Cypress, Houston Methodist Cypress and HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress all announced multimillion-dollar expansions between 2024 and 2026. Leaders from each of the hospitals said it’s important to match community growth with new spaces and services so residents don’t have to commute to the Texas Medical Center.

"When they’re that far from home, the families can’t visit and be with them when they’re ill, and often people may not seek the services because it’s too difficult for them,” said Marci Holub, chief operating officer at Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital.

The need: Cypress-area ZIP codes have grown in population across the board since 2019, with notable spikes in communities near the Hwy. 290 and Grand Parkway corridor, according to five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Traditional Sichuan restaurant Duck N Bao's original location in Cypress closed June 1, per an announcement on their social media accounts.

Current situation: Founders Grace and Leo Xia opened the Cypress location in 2020, and have expanded to two other locations, according to the website. Duck N Bao's other two locations in the inner-loop are still open, and located in:

• Rice Village: 5215 Kelvin Drive, Houston

• Memorial: 5535 Memorial Drive, Ste. O, Houston

On the menu: Duck N Bao's menu includes:

• House made dim sim and dumplings

• Peking duck

• Soups

• Fried rice and noodles

They also offer a variety of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drink options, such as traditional Chinese Baijiu and Japanese Sake.

• Closed June 1

• 17333 Spring Cypress Road, Ste. H, Cypress

Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Petersen announced her formal resignation minutes after Harris County commissioners approved a new plan in partnership with the Harris County Flood Control District and the Texas General Land Office to complete $322 million in disaster recovery and flood mitigation projects by February 2027.

The breakdown: HCFCD Assistant Director of Operations Scott Elmer said the new plan with the GLO involved getting all 11 disaster recovery projects through the current project status by the February 2027 deadline, and then rolling over the remaining phases of the projects into the flood mitigation project deadline in March 2028.

What's next: While commissioners agreed to move forward with the project plans in partnership with the GLO, they will first need to find a replacement for Petersen after her resignation. 

According to the Office of County Administration, commissioners will consider next steps for the position at the June 25 meeting while the OCA manages the department in the interim.

The Texas Education Agency released results June 10 from this year’s State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness end-of-course exams.

The overview: High school students who took the year-end exams this spring made gains in all subjects, TEA data shows. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said students’ academic progress was due to “focused instruction and high expectations” in the classroom.

What you need to know: Individual STAAR results are shared through the state assessment portal. Each Texas student receives a unique access code for their results. Families can find the code on the first page of their child’s report card or contact their school, according to the TEA.

Texas public school students in third through 12th grade take the exam each spring, and it is used to measure student progress and teacher performance.

What's next: The TEA is scheduled to release STAAR scores for third- through eighth-grade students June 16.