West University Place officials will notify at least 31 property owners who stand to be affected by the planned widening of Poor Farm Ditch, which Harris County Flood Control District officials are expediting to meet a mid-December contractor bid deadline.

Explained: Public Works Director Michael Leech and flood district officials gave the formal update to City Council during the West University Place City Council meeting, Dec. 8. Construction is expected to start in late spring or early summer, Leech said, with a projected duration of 28-29 months.

The context: An estimated $36 million in project improvements will take place south of Bellaire Boulevard and going north to University Boulevard, according to HCFCD.
Here’s what to expect about fencing, yard drains and trees, according to city officials:

• Temporary construction fence along the project’s right-of-way that defines the construction zone
• Private fences will need to be removed by the county, then placed back once able
• Trees and shrubs within the project’s right-of-way that conflict with the project will have to be removed by the county contractor

In the Bellaire, Meyerland and West University areas of Houston, a mixture of seven new businesses and restaurants opened in November and late October, including a western wear storefront, a new dental shop and a taco truck. See more details below.

Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette
As the third location to open in Houston, this restaurant is known for its raw bar selection and seafood, with plates such as crab balls, buttermilk lobster bites and char-grilled oysters.

• Opened Nov. 5
• 5212 Morningside Drive, Houston

• Opened Nov. 8
• 2525 University Blvd., Houston

• Opened Oct. 4
• 5201 Spruce St., Ste. B, Bellaire

In a Dec. 9 Budget & Fiscal Affairs meeting, committee members voted in favor of moving forward with an amendment that will require city officials and the mayor’s administration to be more transparent on changes made to major infrastructure projects within each district.

The approval allows the ordinance to be placed on a future City Council agenda for a vote.

What’s happening: Council member Julian Ramirez first proposed the amendment in June, along with two other related proposals to the city’s $16.7 billion Capital Improvement Plan. The three amendments are intended to create more transparency when changes are made to major projects, including:

• Requiring monthly reports to every council member on project changes, such as delays, cancellations or alterations
• The potential to request a public hearing on proposed changes
• Allowing council members to object and vote on changes

When Harris County commissioners meet Dec. 11, they’ll review several agenda items on the docket, including updates on the county jail and discussions on renewing full property tax exemptions for child care providers and tackling countywide food insecurity.

The context: Items for discussion at the upcoming December court meeting include the reauthorization of full property tax exemptions for eligible child care providers in the county. In 2024, an estimated 327 Harris County child care providers qualified for 100% property tax exemption after Harris County commissioners authorized the exemptions at a March 26, 2024, court meeting.

Also on the agenda: Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones is requesting that Harris County Public Health develop a countywide strategy to address food insecurity, according to her agenda item pending approval. The overall food insecurity rate for Harris County is 18.2% as of 2023, according to Feeding America’s 2025 “Map the Meal Gap” report published May 14. That percentile has risen since 2019, when it was 13.9%—or 644,710 people—according to the 2023 report.

Texas voters will see 18 statewide races on the ballot in 2026.

The overview: Texas will hold Republican and Democratic primary elections on March 3 to determine who will appear on the statewide ballot in November. Texas is one of 17 states with open primaries, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, meaning registered voters can cast their ballots in either primary and do not need to register with a specific party.

What to know: The 18 statewide races on the 2026 primary ballots are:

• U.S. Senate
• Governor
• Lieutenant governor
• Attorney general
• Comptroller of public accounts
• General land commissioner
• Agriculture commissioner
• Railroad commissioner
• Texas Supreme Court, chief justice
• Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 2
• Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 7
• Texas Supreme Court justice, Place 8
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 3
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 4
• Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judge, Place 9
• 15th Court of Appeals, chief justice
• 15th Court of Appeals justice, Place 2
• 15th Court of Appeals justice, Place 3