Declining enrollment, fiscal oversight and technology’s role in the classroom were some of the many topics discussed at an April 1 forum hosted by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership featuring three of the candidates running for Clear Creek ISD board of trustees Positions 2 and 3.

The details: Early voting runs April 20-28, and election day is May 2.

In the Position 2 race, incumbent Jamieson Mackay is facing special education teacher Ernest Hallman. For the Position 3 race, incumbent Arturo Sanchez faces teacher Gabriel Gonzales.

Kara Heath said she was inspired to open Coastal Teas in League City on Feb. 2 after a Type II diabetes diagnosis compelled her to look more closely at her sugar-intake. 

What's on the menu: Coastal Teas serves loaded teas, protein and iced coffee, Heath said. Many of the drinks are highly caffeinated without the high sugar content found at other competitors like Starbucks, Heath said. The shop's menu also offers rapid hydration drinks, protein and collagen add-ins and kid's teas, which don't contain any caffeine.

What else: Currently, Coastal Teas is offering limited-time specialty drinks for Easter, such as Spring Fever, which features orange, mandarin, pineapple and pink lemonade flavors, according to the shop's Facebook. Coastal Teas will significantly expand its menu this summer.

Quote of note: "I've always had the spirit to serve others and been very customer service oriented," Heath said. 

• 2047 W. Main St., Ste. A5, League City

TSA PreCheck and CLEAR screenings have returned to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to an April 2 news release.

The details: Airport officials said standard TSA screenings, TSA PreCheck and CLEAR are currently available at Terminals A, C and E at IAH, but they noted access to TSA PreCheck and CLEAR is not guaranteed and may change day to day based on staffing, per the release.

A closer look: Officials said recent federal action providing back pay to TSA officers has helped staffing levels at the airport, but they noted the federal government shutdown remains ongoing.

Also of note: Officials said passengers needing additional assistance, including those traveling with children or requiring accessibility support, should contact their airline before entering a TSA line.

The Texas power grid is undergoing “generational” growth, experts said during the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ annual summit March 31 in Round Rock. Much of that growth is due to data centers—an industry under scrutiny from state lawmakers as some Texas communities push back against proposed developments.

The big picture: Over 2,000 projects totaling 453,000 megawatts are currently looking to connect to the state grid, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said April 1. About 357,000 megawatts of those connection requests are potential data centers, ERCOT documents show.

Looking ahead: Communities should take the lead on discussions about individual data center projects, Vegas told reporters. He said that when “communities that are ready to support those investments,” ERCOT is prepared to help data centers connect to the grid.

During a March 31 discussion on data centers, panelists noted that the projects have an “increasingly high” negative reputation in communities across the state. Austin consultant Eric Goff said developers often need to make commitments to local residents to earn their support for data center proposals.