In February, La Mini Super Tienda is marking its one-year anniversary since opening in Porter, a business spokesperson confirmed Feb. 19.

What they offer: The business is a general dollar store offering items such as cleaning supplies, home good items and candy.

• 25010 FM 1314, Ste. B, Porter

A new 585-home community named Gemini will be opening soon in Splendora, according to a Feb. 20 news release from developer Ellison Development.

The big picture: Gemini will span 86 acres, featuring homes starting at around $150,000, according to the release. Features of the community will include:

• Walking trails and green space
• A playground
• A fishing pond
• Constellation-themed elements to tie in the community’s name

• Opening date TBD
• 2013 E. Gemini Drive, Splendora

Houston-area renters opened 2026 with more choices and slightly lower prices, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ January Rental Market Update released Feb. 18. 

A closer look: The average lease price for a single-family rental fell 3.3% from a year earlier to $2,214, which HAR officials said is the lowest level since December 2023. 

Even with prices easing, demand didn’t disappear. Leased listings rose 11% year over year to 3,447 homes, while new listings climbed 16.4% to 6,499 properties, giving renters more inventory to work with, according to the report. 
 

A calm blue palette, big windows looking out to the trees and the steady sound of water in an outdoor healing garden—the details are deliberate the moment someone steps inside Children’s Safe Harbor’s new facility, Victoria Constance, executive director and CEO of Children’s Safe Harbor, said.

The impact: A new, expanded Children’s Safe Harbor building in Conroe is now open—an upgrade the nonprofit said will increase how many children and families it can serve, strengthen coordination with investigators and expand prevention training across the community.

Children’s Safe Harbor provides comprehensive, trauma-informed services for children and families from the moment a concern is identified through healing and recovery. Constance said those services include forensic interviewing, family advocacy, mental health counseling and sexual assault nurse medical exams—delivered in a child-focused, multidisciplinary model that prioritizes “justice, healing, and hope,” while guiding non-offending caregivers with resources and advocacy throughout the process.

The two-story, 45,000-square-foot facility was built to support both current demand and long-term growth, Constance said.

• 2026 Tour de Houston bike ride set for April 12
• Houston to apply for $80M in federal grants to enhance security at FIFA World Cup
• $617M NRG Energy power plant moves forward at Greens Bayou site, state says
• Houston City College launches workforce connection, reconnect programs
• University of Houston-Downtown to guarantee admission for Houston ISD graduates