The first steps of the reconstruction of West Alabama Street are underway, with surveying and designing currently in process.

Board members of the Montrose Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone received an update on the project’s progress during an April 20 meeting, which included a possible construction timeline.

About the project: The project will improve drainage and mobility along West Alabama Street from Shepard Drive to Spur 527. Improvements include:

• Full concrete roadway reconstruction
• New city-compliant 6-foot sidewalks
• New street lighting
• Larger storm sewers
• Sanitary sewer and water lines
• Updated traffic signals
• New traffic light at Hazard Street

The popular drive-thru coffee franchise is planning to open a new location near the Houston Heights, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. 

About the project: Located on North Durham Drive, the new 7 Brew will be located at the former Salad and Go space. The $1 million renovation is scheduled to begin in July and be completed in September, according to the filing. 

What they offer: Established in 2017, 7 Brew serves specialty beverages that customers can customize, including cold brews, Americanos, mochas and lattes. The seven original beverages on the menu that are considered fan favorites feature flavors such as cookie butter, banana bread and cinnamon roll. 

• 3000 N. Durham Drive, Houston

The final phase of ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament will drop April 22 at 10 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The drop coincides with the 50-day countdown to the tournament.

What to expect: Tickets across all 104 matches, including the seven held in Houston this summer, will be made available for public purchase on the FIFA website, according to an April 21 news release.

Fans can choose tickets from across categories 1 to 3 and the front-row seat categories, depending on the match. Along with this ticket set, additional tickets will continue to be released to the public on an ongoing basis up until the final match July 19 in New Jersey.

Something to note: Ticket demand for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been the highest in history. Over 5 million tickets have already been sold, leaving roughly 2 million seats left across the 16 World Cup stadiums.

In the 2025-26 school year, Cy-Fair and Klein ISDs had the highest-paid superintendents while Lamar CISD and New Caney ISD had the highest-paid teachers, on average, according to Texas Education Agency data released in mid-March.

The big picture: Community Impact analyzed data from the TEA to learn about compensation for superintendents, teachers and staff at public school districts for the 2025-26 school year.

According to the TEA data released March 16, the Greater Houston-area school districts with the highest-earning superintendents for the 2025-26 school year are:

• Cy-Fair ISD Superintendent Wayne Killian with $520,231 in total pay
• Klein ISD Superintendent Jenny McGown with $508,554 in total pay
• Katy ISD Superintendent Kenneth Gregorski with $474,440 in total pay

• Lamar CISD with $76,225
• New Caney ISD with $75,125
• Deer Park ISD with $74,343

According to the April 15 Houston Association of Realtors’ March Rental Market Update, Houston's rental market has seen an increase in leased listings.

The details: For March, HAR reports there were 4,718 leased listings for single-family rentals on the market, a 15.8% increase compared to last March. For pending listings, there was an increase of 7.8% compared to last year, totaling 6,172 homes on the market. Lease prices in comparison to last March dipped by 2.1% to $2,242 from $2,290. Homes have also spent slightly longer in the market, from 43 to 47 days.

What else: According to HAR, the townhome and condominium market has also seen changes in March; 673 properties were leased this March, leading to a 12.4% increase compared to the 599 properties last March.

Alongside the rental market, the number of new listings for townhomes and condominiums has grown by 10.1% to 1,082 properties; last March’s listing amount was 983 properties. Meanwhile, the number of days on market has grown to 61 days this March from 53 days last March.