Per a July 9 Hamra Enterprises release, several locations have plans to reopen across the North Houston area after going dark since August 2025. Stores reopening per the release include seven locations in Katy, Cy-Fair, Spring and Conroe and will begin with the Spring and Katy locations in July, CEO Mike Hamra told Fast Company in a statement.

The details: After abruptly shutting down several locations in the wake of a high-profile dispute last summer, per the release, new owners with Hamra Enterprises confirmed several Houston area re-openings.

Quote of note: “The Houston-area restaurants have been dark since August 2025, when their previous owner—ordered by a judge to stop using the Panera name—closed them down and sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,” read the release.

Also of note: The Panera Bread restaurants are Hamra’s first in Texas and will mark the company’s expansion into its 12th state. It has been a Panera Bread franchisee since 1997, according to the release and includes 88 Panera cafés across eight states.

Harris County commissioners appointed Toll Road Authority Executive Director Roberto Trevino as chair of its new infrastructure working group aimed at moving county projects forward.

The big picture: At the July 9 meeting, County Administrator Erica Lee Carter spoke after having discussions June 11 for the need to develop a task force to simplify executing infrastructure-related projects across all county departments.

The members will include representatives from the Harris County Flood Control District, Office of the County Engineer and the Toll Road Authority with Trevino as chair, who would report to the Commissioner’s Court, and Carter as co-chair.

Sorting out the details: Commissioners also chose to amend the agenda to alter the initial designations of the Infrastructure Coordination and Performance Committee and the title chief infrastructure officer to the infrastructure working group and chair.

This was deemed necessary by commissioners to mitigate scrutiny from state legislation, limit confusion in the chair’s influence over the departments it partners with and to promote a less structured meeting schedule.

The YMCA of Greater Houston is launching the 22nd year of Operation Backpack, an initiative aimed at providing school-aged children with necessary school supplies.

The big picture: Serving roughly 30,000 community members across the Houston area, the annual backpack collecting and distribution event is kicking off ahead of the 2026-27 school year, YMCA officials announced in a July 10 news release. In order to participate, individuals can drop off new, unused backpacks at any of the 14 locations in the Greater Houston area through August 1.

In their words: "Every child deserves to walk into the classroom feeling prepared and excited to learn," Stephen Ives, president and CEO of YMCA of Greater Houston, said. "With YMCA Operation Backpack, our goal is to remove barriers that stand in the way of a child's success, so every student has the opportunity to connect and thrive. We’re grateful for the volunteers, donors and community partners whose generosity makes this effort possible.”

United Airlines will offer year-round nonstop service between George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Cartagena, Colombia, beginning Dec. 17, Houston Airport System officials announced via a June 30 news release.

The big picture: With service already available to Bogota and Medellin, Cartagena marks the third destination in Colombia from Houston. Per the release, the new service further strengthens Houston's role as a leading gateway to Latin America.

Quote of note: "Colombia has been an important part of United's Latin America network for more than 30 years, and our new service to Cartagena reflects our continued investment in the country and commitment to offering customers new and distinct travel experiences," said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of Network Planning and Global Alliances for United Airlines, in a statement.

Check it out: Beginning Dec. 17, United will offer four weekly flights during the winter season between IAH and Cartagena, and tickets are now available.