Multiple venues in and around The Woodlands are hosting live music events from Nov. 20 through Dec. 26. The scheduled performances include:

• Back Table features Ian Aviles, Matt Cobb, Colby Beserra and Seth Duty.

• Como Social Club hosts Becca Ciribelli, Sophie Mystique and Bryce Shaver.

• Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presents Boni’s The Nutcracker and Holly Jolly Jingle.

• Dosey Doe-The Big Barn features Kate Watson, Larry, Steve and Rudy: The Gatlin Brothers, JunkBunny, Adam Hawley Christmas Tour, Cool Freddie E & The Crew, Neal McCoy & The Band, Bob Schneider, Ryder Grimes, Mike Ryan, Texas Flood, Shaun Cassidy, Mindi Abair, Mike Zito Band, Joe Burlison’s Christmas Jazz, Already Gone (an Eagles tribute), Mercury Houston Italian Baroque Christmas and Endless Summer (a Beach Boys tribute).

• The Refuge hosts Unique Soul Band, A.J. Santana, Billy Pope, Sub-Urban Myth, Eli Martinez, J-Walkers and Jimmie Hunter.

A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows an $18 million project registered for a location at The Woodlands Mall. The filing lists IKEA Property, Inc. as the project owner. However, a media representative from IKEA stated in an email that an announcement has not been made for the site.

The details:

• Work is scheduled to commence on March 1.

• The project has a scheduled completion date of Sept. 3.

• The location is a 150,657-square-foot site occupied by JCPenney.

Ted Harris, senior general manager of The Woodlands Mall, said the property is owned by JCPenney rather than the mall, though the site is maintained by the mall and is a part of it.

The Harris County Commissioners Court is scheduled to discuss several key initiatives during its Nov. 12 regular meeting, including disaster recovery, artificial intelligence and violence prevention.

Latest update: Commissioners are expected to discuss a one-year spending deadline extension granted by the Texas General Land Office for federally funded Hurricane Harvey recovery and flood mitigation projects. The new deadlines are February 2028 and March 2029.

Another detail: Additionally, the court will consider a new county AI policy developed by the Universal Services department, which recommends implementation in May 2027 to allow for department training.

One more thing: The court will also consider adding 24 jobs to expand two violence prevention and interruption programs, HART and RISE. The proposed positions include:

• Ten crisis intervention specialists

• Six outreach workers for violence interruption

• Two supervisors for violence interruption

• Two case managers

• One outreach worker for hospital violence interruption

• One project manager

• One senior data analyst

• One communications specialist

Democrats saw decisive wins up and down the ballot in Texas and across the nation in the Nov. 3 election, flipping the Lone Star State to Democratic control for the first time in a generation.

The big picture: Texas has had a Republican governor, state Senate and state House since 2003. Next year, the state will be led by a Democratic governor, with a Democratic lieutenant governor presiding over the Senate and House lawmakers likely electing a Democrat to lead the chamber—however, the senators themselves will remain majority-Republican.

More details: How much power Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin will have over the Texas Senate is largely up to senators, who will approve the chamber's new rules when the legislature convenes in January.

Sam Hooper, a legislative attorney and consultant, said he was "hopeful" that the election results would lead to "a more collegial Senate" and cooperation among lawmakers of both political parties.

The majority-Republican Senate and majority-Democrat House will have to find a balance, as bills cannot become law without approval from both chambers.