Fresenius Kidney Care is opening a new dialysis clinic in Humble through an existing partnership with Focus Kidney Care.

The details: The new center, located at 18760 Hwy. 59, Ste. 110, aims to increase access to life-sustaining dialysis care in Humble and the north Houston area. To celebrate the opening, a community open house and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Partnership Lake Houston will be held from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 8.

What they offer: The new site will offer the following treatment options:

• Home hemodialysis

• Home peritoneal dialysis

• In-center hemodialysis

During the open house event, community members can learn more about kidney disease and dialysis options.

Humble city officials announced the appointment of longtime resident Margaret Jo Johnson Byron to serve as grand marshal for the city’s 35th annual Christmas Parade of Lights.

The details: Mayor Norman Funderburk announced the appointment at the city council’s Sept. 24 meeting.

“We wanted someone special, someone ‘old Humble’ that you all knew,” Funderburk said. “You’re part of an esteemed group now.”

Some background: Earlier this year, Humble ISD officials named Byron as a 2026 Distinguished Alumna, according to a May 30 news release from the Humble Museum.

Byron graduated from Humble High School in 1963 and has since participated in many town events and committees, per the release.

What’s next: Humble’s Christmas Parade of Lights is scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1 on Main Street.

Greater Houston is hosting several events this October in recognition of breast cancer awareness month. These events, which are subject to change, include:

• Light it up Pink on Oct. 1 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Market Street in The Woodlands, featuring a photo opportunity, a pink tote bag and a light-up baton.

• Pour for Pink on Oct. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Sonoma Wine & Cheese in Katy, featuring a wine and cheese tasting and a mini market.

• In the Pink of Health Luncheon on Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott to raise money for cancer prevention, education and outreach.

• Annual Breast Cancer Walkathon on Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. at Elizabeth Kaiser Meyer Park in Spring.

Texas school districts using the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum saw slightly better year-over-year achievement last school year than other districts, according to Texas Education Agency data released Sept. 30.

What's happening: During the 2025-26 school year, 619 of Texas' roughly 1,200 public school districts opted in to implement at least one of the three Bluebonnet curriculum programs—elementary math, secondary math and elementary language arts.

On this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, districts using the state-developed math materials saw student improvement that was 0.6 percentage points higher than students in other districts, while districts that implemented the reading materials performed 0.2 percentage points higher on the STAAR than other schools.

What they're saying: The TEA said the gains in student achievement are an "encouraging sign of early progress."

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a statewide educator union, disagreed, calling the results "rather paltry."

"It may take a few more years to determine if this is a valid trend or simply an anomaly," Capo said in a statement.