Casa Julia Tex-Mex officials confirmed the eatery is now offering services in New Caney. With an additional location in Mont Belvieu, Casa Julia Tex-Mex offers lunch specials during the week from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and happy hour from 2-6 p.m.

The details: Per a Casa Julia Tex-Mex Facebook post, both the Montgomery County Constable’s Office and the East Montgomery County Fire Department joined the eatery for its grand opening in New Caney on March 31.

On the menu: Casa Julia Tex-Mex specializes in Tex-Mex with menu items including quesadillas, loaded nachos, fajitas and enchiladas paired with drinks from margaritas and beer to fountain beverages, according to the website.

• Opened March 31
• 23706 Speed St., New Caney

Check out what's happening in the New Caney and Porter area April 1-8.

Easter story time: R.B. Tullis Branch Library is hosting an Easter story time for children up to age 5. Kids can sing songs, hear stories and enjoy a short indoor egg hunt. Bring an Easter basket for the egg hunt. For more information, call 936-522-2895. Pick up tickets at the Children's Desk 15 minutes before the event begins. Space is limited, and attendance is first-come, first-served.

• April 1, 10-10:50 a.m.
• Free (admission)
• 21569 Hwy. 59, New Caney

• April 3, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
• $25
• 23101 Hwy. 242, New Caney

The Montgomery County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office and Montgomery Central Appraisal District will be hosting multiple property tax workshops to educate locals on navigating the property tax process. The first batch workshop is scheduled to begin April 6, according to a March 24 Facebook post.

What to expect: A few of the topics expected to be covered include the property tax system, appraisal value, right to protest and deadlines, and more. The dates for the upcoming workshops are as follows:

• April 6 from 6-7:30 p.m. at North Montgomery County Community Center, 600 Gerald St., Willis
• April 21 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Woodforest-The Palms, 251 Central Pine St., Montgomery
• April 23 from 6-7:30 p.m. at East Montgomery County Senior Center, 21679 McCleskey Road, New Caney
• April 28 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Kevin Brady Community Center, 2250 Buckthorn Place, The Woodlands
• May 5 from 6-7:30 p.m. at West Montgomery County Community Development Center, 31355 Friendship Drive, Magnolia
• May 7 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Montgomery Central Appraisal District, 109 Gladstell St., Conroe

 The Houston Independent Bookstore Crawl is back in 2026 with 31 independent bookstores participating from April 1-30.

The setup: For those interested, participants will need to pick up a bookstore crawl card from one of the participating bookstores and get a stamp. For each store visited, the participant will get a stamp or a signature from the bookseller.

What else: As part of the crawl, a raffle will be held in which participants enter for a chance to win special gifts when they visit 15 bookstores. After the 15th visit, an additional entry will be added to the drawing.

Cards must be dropped off at one of the participating bookstores by April 30 by the time the store closes.

At least 257,000 students have applied for Texas’ inaugural education savings account program, according to the state comptroller’s office. Less than half of those applicants are likely to be accepted.

The overview: Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts close at 11:59 p.m. March 31. Students enrolling in private schools will receive $10,474 to spend on tuition and related expenses, while homeschool students can get up to $2,000 each, and students with disabilities may qualify for up to $30,000 each.

Through March 29, about 23% of applicants had indicated they would be homeschooled while 77% of applicants said they wanted to attend a private school, state data shows.

Program funding is capped at $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year, meaning between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted.

By the numbers: About 34,000 students indicated in their application that they have a disability, per the comptroller's office. Students who have a disability and are considered low- or middle-income will receive priority acceptance into the program under state law.