It was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the Lone Star College System noticed a lot of students who didn’t have the necessary items needed to make ends meet. That’s when Carolina Redmond, who is the executive director of care programs at LSCS, said the college developed a centralized tracking system, or care request form, so students could log in through their school portal and identify in confidentiality what it is that they need, whether that be food, clothing or hygiene items.

In a nutshell: Now, LSCS operates multiple care centers at its campuses, including LSC-University Park, LSC-Tomball and LSC-Montgomery. 

By the numbers: Redmond said LSCS has seen a rise in student visits at a few of its care centers in the 2025 spring semester. Redmond said in the spring, the LSC-Montgomery care center had about 2,037 visits, the LSC-Tomball location had about 5,125 students visit and around 3,676 students visited the LSC-University Park care center.

Black Bear Diner is now open at the intersection of the Grand Parkway and Hwy. 249 in Tomball. The California restaurant is dedicated to “great food, great service and great atmosphere," co-founder Bruce Dean said.

More details: The restaurant is open 7 days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., serving customers all-day breakfast, along with lunch and dinner options.

• 25517 Hwy. 249, Tomball

The Montgomery County Memorial Library System announced a new systemwide program, Innovate@MCMLS, intended to engage community members with technological and creative tools, according to a Dec. 3 news release.

The details: The initiative will begin in January at the Kevin Brady Library and Community Center in The Woodlands and will promote and provide information, education, culture and innovation opportunities for Montgomery County residents, according to the release. ​​​​

The specifics: The library will add an innovation space that will include a professional podcast studio with audio and video production capabilities as well as a makerspace with fabrication tools, 3D modular printers and scanners and other equipment, according to the news release.

Remember this: The Kevin Brady Library and Community Center officially opened on Sept. 2 at 2250 Buckthorne Place, The Woodlands. The center is named for Kevin Brady, who represented Texas' 8th Congressional District from 1997 until 2023, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.  

Germany, Portugal and Saudi Arabia are three of the seven teams that have been flagged to play in Houston for the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament in June.

Breaking it down: Seven total matches will be played in Houston, including five group stages and two knockout-round games between June 14 and July 9. The five group stages include:

• June 14: Germany vs. Curaçao
• June 17: Portugal vs. Congo DR/Jamaica/New Caledonia
• June 20: Netherlands vs. Albania/Poland/Sweden/Ukraine
• June 23: Portugal vs. Uzbekistan
• June 26: Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia