As the economy shifts and changes, business owners in the Tomball and Magnolia area have begun to notice that the cost to maintain their business has steadily increased over the past year. Local business owners have attributed rising costs to rent, utilities, gas prices and importing goods.

The big picture: Tifanni Wooten, executive director of the Tomball Economic Development Corporation, said that narrow profit margins are due to a combination of factors.

“It's not one individual expense,” Wooten said. “I think it's the accumulation of having to pay more for products and materials and utilities and rent and insurance and transportation, obviously fuel.”

The impact: Courtney Nguyen owns Magnolia area cafe Flour Petal Bakery and said that the cost to purchase supplies for her services has grown over the last year.

“I've gotten two emails this year from our distributors for just basic supplies like flour and sugar, that they're having to increase prices again because of increased tariffs and then the increased costs in oil and gas," Nguyen said.

Republican incumbent Tom Oliverson and Democrat Brett Robinson will face off for the Texas House District 130 seat in the upcoming election.

Key details for voters include:

• Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30.

• Election day is Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Registered voters are permitted to cast their ballots at any polling location both during early voting and on election day.

Candidates participating in the Q&A were asked to keep their responses within 50 words, answer the specific questions provided and avoid attacking their opponents. Their answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to these guidelines, or for style and clarity.

The Harris County Clerk’s Office is rolling out a new app, Harris Votes, to help voters access election information and track results. Although the app is already available for iPhone and Android users to download, it will officially launch Oct. 1 ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

The app is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese. Using the app, voters will be able to:

• Find voting centers

• View a personalized sample ballot

• See election dates and receive reminders

• Check their voter registration status

• Follow live election results

• View frequently asked questions

Voters can also find the same information on the Harris Votes website.

The Texas Education Agency is asking state lawmakers to spend $97.3 billion on K-12 education initiatives and staffing in the next two years, up from about $91 billion in the current state budget.

The details: During a Sept. 29 hearing on the agency's legislative appropriations request, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath noted that the TEA is "largely a pass-through vehicle to fund schools around the state of Texas." This means that while funding would be allocated to the agency under Article III of the state budget, the majority of that money would be sent to school districts, outside of funds used to pay TEA staff and cover operations for associated entities, such as the State Board of Education.

The TEA is asking for about $49.6 billion for fiscal year 2027-28 and $47.7 billion for fiscal year 2028-29, totaling $97.3 billion for the 2028-29 biennium. Morath said those amounts would "preserve 100% of all funding for public schools" through the Foundation School Program, which is the state's main funding source for K-12 schools, and other initiatives.