HTX-SLM: Impact 11/10/2025

Fort Bend County’s monthslong redistricting process has come to an end, with commissioners voting 3-2 to approve a new map at an Oct. 13 special meeting.

The move comes after a February letter stated 37 of the county’s 174 voter precincts didn’t meet state population requirements for voter precincts, which cannot have fewer than 100 or more than 5,000 voters.

What happened: The new map was one of five submitted to the court by the Citizens Redistricting Advisory Committee and keeps all elected officials within their districts, except Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace, committee Chair Jacob Lee said.

Key changes include:

• Rosenberg will now be split between Precinct 1, 3 and 4
• Kendleton and the surrounding area are now in Precinct 1
• Needville and most of Fairchilds are now in Precinct 3

Ace Pickleball Club is set to open its second Greater Houston location in Sugar Land in 2026.

The details: The membership-based club will feature 12 professional-grade cushioned courts with open play, court reservations, tournaments and group instruction, according to a Nov. 3 news release.

Zooming out: The Atlanta-based business, which opened in 2022, has 22 locations nationwide with 16 more coming soon, per the release. The first Houston-area location opened in Magnolia in late 2024.

• 19890 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land

Fort Bend ISD, Lamar Consolidated ISD and Stafford MSD superintendents came together at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Schools event on Nov. 6 to highlight how collaboration and innovation are driving student success across the county, pointing to approaches to enrollment changes and teacher wellness.

“We may lead different districts, but we share the same mission—to serve kids and give them every opportunity to succeed,” LCISD Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens said. “At the end of the day, every student in Fort Bend County matters.”

The updates: Fort Bend ISD Superintendent  Marc Smith said the district has introduced two additional wellness days in the 2025-26 school year to encourage staff to take time for themselves.

Meanwhile, Nivens said LCISD has implemented Innovative Schools Days across all campuses, allowing teachers to plan every eight days and students to learn about things that prepare them for the “real world,” such as credit scores and tax rates.

Missed any Community Impact articles from this week? Check out the top trending stories from Community Impact's coverage areas in Houston from Nov. 3-7.

1. Houston Airport System issues advisory about indefinite TSA delays

2. See unofficial voting results for LCISD’s $1.99B bond

3. Unofficial voting results show all three Magnolia ISD bond propositions fail

4. Conroe ISD's Grand Oaks zoning plan in the works as area continues to grow

5. Sugar Land to make code changes as 52-acre Lake Pointe redevelopment nears construction

More than 20 months after wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle in early 2024, burning over 1.2 million acres of land, state lawmakers questioned if Texas has the tools needed to tackle another major fire.

The context: Texas is always a fire-prone state, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. The association’s website reports that annual wildfire risk is most severe from February-April, when dry grasses and high winds can cause fires to spread, and August-October, when high temperatures and droughts contribute to fires.

“Our purpose today is to figure out—what is our response going to look like next February and March?” Rep. Ken King, a Republican representing Canadian and other Panhandle communities, said during a Nov. 3 committee hearing. “Are we better prepared … or are we in the same position we were in 2024, when our response was lacking?”

The details: Officials said Texas owns just two firefighting aircraft, with others "essentially [subleased] through the federal government."

During peak wildfire season, this means Texas may have access to limited resources.