Clear Creek ISD’s board of trustees is scheduled to consider approval of an agreement at its Feb. 23 meeting with the Harris County Department of Education to participate in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.

The overview: The program provides federally funded after‑school and summer enrichment opportunities aimed at helping students improve academic performance in core subjects such as reading and mathematics, according to the Texas Education Agency.

If approved, the agreement would cover the remainder of the 2025-26 school year, including after-school and summer programs funded under Cycle 11, year five of the federal grant, according to TEA documents.

San Jacinto College faculty received hands-on training with cell density analyzer ChemoMetic XyctoMatic 40 to begin preparing students for careers in biomanufacturing and support the needs of industry partners across the life sciences field.

The overview: The training was held in the college’s new Center for Biotechnology on the Generation Park campus, according to a Feb. 20 news release from the college.

Students will now be able to gain experience with the same technologies used in commercial production facilities, in turn reducing onboarding time and training costs for employers, the release notes.

Also of note: The college’s Center for Biotechnology offers many workforce solutions for the life sciences field, including associate degrees, certifications and credentials in biomanufacturing and biotechnology, according to the release.

A major new natural gas power project in east Houston just cleared another state milestone, pushing a planned 455-megawatt plant closer to reality as Texas races to add generation amid rising demand.

What this means: Gov. Greg Abbott announced the new unit planned at the existing Greens Bayou facility has been designated a qualified project under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation program, according to a Feb. 17 news release. The plant represents $617 million in capital investment and is expected to start producing electricity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas region in 2028, according to the governor’s office.

The project is intended to strengthen grid reliability and create jobs, crediting state leaders and local partners for helping move the plan ahead, per the release.

What’s next: According to the release, with the JETI designation now in place, the focus shifts to the buildout and timeline leading up to the planned 2028 start date—when the additional capacity is expected to begin feeding electricity into the ERCOT grid.

• 2026 Tour de Houston bike ride set for April 12
• Houston to apply for $80M in federal grants to enhance security at FIFA World Cup
• $617M NRG Energy power plant moves forward at Greens Bayou site, state says
• Houston City College launches workforce connection, reconnect programs
• University of Houston-Downtown to guarantee admission for Houston ISD graduates

During an arctic blast last month, the Texas power grid remained stable throughout the storm and the state came away largely unscathed. The Lone Star State has not seen widespread blackouts since February 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and nearly 250 people died.

The response: In Uri’s wake, state lawmakers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas made changes to restructure ERCOT’s governing board, mandate earlier public alerts during tight grid conditions and require that energy providers “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Roughly 40,000 megawatts of power—enough to serve about 10 million residential customers—have been added to the grid since 2021 and the state’s energy supply has become more diverse.

Looking ahead: State leaders have expressed confidence that the grid would hold up during “a storm similar to Uri.” Yet some energy analysts caution that rapidly rising electric demand, driven by the construction of new data centers throughout Texas, means challenges may still lie ahead.