A new Mavis Tire auto shop is now open in New Caney. The store is located at the Caney Crossing shopping center.

In a nutshell: Mavis Tire sells tires and offers tire and auto services such as tire repair, balancing and rotation; wheel alignments; brake repair; exhaust and muffler repairs; and oil changes. The business has more than 1,500 locations across the U.S., and also operates under the company NTB Tire & Service Centers.

Stay tuned: Caney Crossing will also soon be welcoming a Waffle House and WeeKare Pediatrics, as previously reported by Community Impact.

• Opened Nov. 24
• 20450 FM 1485, New Caney

Check out what's happening in New Caney and Porter this Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28-30. 

Friendsgiving Potluck: VFW Post 4816 is hosting its annual Friendsgiving Potluck dinner ahead of Thanksgiving. Attendees are asked to bring an appetizer, dessert or side dish to share with everyone. Non-perishable food donations for Mission Northeast will also be collected.

• Nov. 26, 5 p.m. (dinner)
• Free (admission)
• 24411 Cunningham Drive, Porter

• Nov. 28, 6-9 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 23435 FM 1314 B-6, Porter

The 76th annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade will be celebrated Nov. 27 at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston this year. Hundreds of thousands of patrons are expected to gather for the event, officials said.

The celebration: Here is what visitors need to know before heading to Houston.

• Date and time: Nov. 27, 9 a.m.
• Starting location: the corner of Lamar and Smith Street
• Cost: free to the public, or $33 per ticket for reserved seating

Giving Machines are returning to Houston this holiday season, allowing residents to donate to area nonprofits by purchasing items through the specialty vending machines, according to a news release.

Quote of note: “This Christmas season, the Giving Machines help the entire Houston community to share the light of Christ by following His example and giving to those in need,” Elder Robert Ellis, Area Seventy for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said via news release. “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is honored to partner with these life-changing charities across Houston, our country, and the world."

More details: Residents can purchase items such as meals, medical care and clothing for area nonprofits, which, according to the news release, will include:

• Target Hunger
• East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry
• BEAR, or Be A Resource
• TOMAGWA HealthCare Ministries
• Interfaith of The Woodlands
• Church World Service
• Splash International

Waymo is gearing up to roll out fully autonomous driving in Houston and Dallas.

The gist: The move comes as Waymo begins driverless operations in Miami, with launches planned in four additional cities—Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Orlando—over the next several weeks, according to a Nov. 18 news release.

Waymo leaders said expanding to new markets has become increasingly streamlined thanks to its “generalizable” Waymo Driver and a consistent operational playbook.

According to the company, the shift to fully autonomous driving—once viewed as a major technological leap—has become routine as its safety systems and deployment strategy mature.

Diving in deeper: The company reports its vehicles have already shown strong safety performance, with 11 times fewer serious-injury collisions compared with human drivers in its current operating areas.