Test driving of Tesla vehicles will now be offered from the company’s electric charging stations in Valley Ranch Town Center.

In a nutshell: The test drives in Valley Ranch will be offered in a self-serve capacity and can be booked online. Vehicles available for test driving are self-driving with supervision.

How we got here: Valley Ranch’s Tesla charging stations first opened in January 2024.

• 22118 Market Place Drive, New Caney

Check out what's happening in the New Caney and Porter area over New Year's weekend, Dec. 31-Jan. 4.

Free Family NYE Celebration at Lumos: Lumos will host a New Year's Eve party with activities for all ages. Kid's can enjoy a $10 arcade card, a scavenger hunt, a community firework mural, a live DJ and a kid-friendly countdown and toast. Adults can look forward to an official midnight countdown and a Champagne toast.

• Dec. 31, 7 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 22296 Market Place Drive, New Caney

• Jan. 4, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 11985 N. Grand Parkway E., New Caney

With the opening of a Family Place Library at the Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library on Dec. 15, the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation has completed a $1 million multiyear initiative to expand literacy access across the Greater Houston area, nonprofit officials announced in a Dec. 18 news release.

Read all about it: Per the release, the BBHLF's Family Place Libraries initiative launched in 2017 following the death of former first lady Barbara Bush to honor and advance her lifelong commitment to family literacy and early childhood education.

Quote of note: "Mrs. Bush believed deeply that parents are a child's first and most important teachers, and that libraries play a vital role in supporting families. Family Place Libraries bring her vision to live every single day," BBHLF President and CEO Julie Finck said in a statement.

Through partnerships with the Houston Public Library and Harris County Public Library, the BBHLF was able to open 40 Family Place Libraries across the Greater Houston area by the end of 2025—the year Bush would've turned 100 years old.

Catch up on Community Impact’s coverage this week with five trending Greater Houston-area stories from Dec. 19-26:

1. Coastal Texas Project moves forward with two new design contracts

2. $81M Greenhouse Road underpass set for 2026 construction

3. 8 businesses coming soon to Sugar Land-Missouri City

4. Vevor to open at former Big Lots location on Jones Road

5. Singas Famous Pizza coming to Sugar Land
 

Here are five of the most-read CI Texas stories from this year and the latest updates on these trending topics.

1. Texas Senate passes bill that would nearly double property tax exemption for seniors, people with disabilities: Elderly and disabled homeowners were set to receive a $200,000 property tax exemption this year.

2. Texas House bill would make it easier to remove students from the classroom: The law gives teachers more discretion to remove students from the classroom if they are repeatedly disruptive or threaten the safety of others.

3. What to know about the 17 state propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot: Nearly 3 million Texans voted in the November election, approving all 17 constitutional amendments.

4. Texas House bill would prohibit cellphone use in K-12 schools: Under House Bill 1481, cellphones and other personal communication devices are prohibited bell-to-bell in Texas public schools.

5. Texas families can now access 2022-23 A-F school accountability ratings after multiyear legal battle: The state later released ratings for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years in August.