Round1 officials announced the new arcade located at the Willowbrook Mall plans to hold its grand opening event on Dec. 20 with a ribbon cutting held at 10 a.m.

The details: Located at the former Sears, per previous Community Impact reporting, Round1 is an arcade with over 100 crane machines, arcade games, professional-grade billiards, karaoke and bowling. In addition the arcade features a food bar with snacks such as pizza, wings and ice cream and holds events such as birthday parties.

What else? According to the website, as of 2021 Round 1 established its national brand with 100 stores in Japan and expanded to the U.S. in 2008; to date the arcade has 50 locations open or coming soon in the U.S.

Family-owned restaurant Jonathan's the rub opened its fourth Houston location Dec. 10 in Bridgeland Central, a commercial hub within the Cypress master-planned community.

Read all about it: Founded by chef Jonathan Levine, Jonathan's the rub brings classy comfort cooking to Bridgeland with over 5,500 square feet of interior space and two patios, according to a Dec. 10 news release.

The new restaurant located at 20215 Bridgeland Creek Parkway, Cypress also includes private dining rooms, a bar and indoor-outdoor space with fire and greenery, according to the release.

On the menu: Described as "new American fare with a global twist," Jonathan's the rub offers scratch-made dishes including hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood, pastas and salads, according to the news release. The restaurant also serves craft cocktails, rotating draft beers and a curated wine selection from an in-house sommelier.  

Quote of note: “We were looking for the next frontier—a community with a booming population and a clear vision for growth that aligns with our brand,” Levine said in a statement.  

With a unanimous vote on Dec. 11, Harris County commissioners reauthorized 100% property tax exemptions for qualified child care providers for 2026 onward in a move that is expected to save thousands of dollars for providers, county officials said.

The full story: Commissioners first approved the 100% property tax exemption for qualified child care centers in March 2024, with the stipulation that the exemption would expire every two years unless commissioners voted for an extension. With the December vote, commissioners also approved removing the expiration clause, which allows the exemption to continue without requiring the two year reapproval from Commissioners Court.

Latest update: Eligible child care providers can apply for the exemption Jan. 1 through March 1.

Quote of note: “Today’s unanimous vote shows that every single one of us on commissioners court, regardless of political party, understands the importance of protecting access to high-quality, early childhood education and supporting the providers who make those opportunities possible,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a news release.

Allayah Beamon, founder of A1 Academics K-12 Tutoring Service, said the mobile tutoring center has plans to expand to Atascocita, Cypress, Humble, Katy, Kingwood and New Caney on Jan. 10.

The details: A1 Academics K-12 Tutoring Service offers services for children in kindergarten through 12th grade with individual in-person and virtual sessions, according to the company's website.
Tutoring subjects offered include:

• Spanish ESL
• Hebrew
• Math
• STEM
• Science
• Reading and writing
• Critical thinking skills
• Test prep/study habits
• Language arts/ELA
• History

• Expanding Jan. 10