Pearland City Council reviewed the city's use of Flock Safety license plate-reading cameras during an Oct. 19 special workshop.

Diving in deeper: Pearland disabled Flock's nationwide data-sharing feature in September after discovering that about 63% of searches over the previous year came from out-of-state agencies.

In their own words: Several council members expressed support for exploring an independent, third-party audit system to help prevent misuse of the technology.

"Residents have the right to know how their information is being used and how the city is protecting their data," council member Rushi Patel said.

Wellby Financial, a 65-year-old financial institution in Houston, will break ground on a new five-story headquarters near Baybrook Mall in Webster, according to an Oct. 20 release from Wellby Financial.

The details: The 102,246-square-foot campus will be located on 9.5 acres and include a new member branch and provide the capacity and infrastructure needed to serve members and support the credit union’s continued growth across Greater Houston, according to the release.

Zooming in: The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 10 a.m. and include speeches from Wellby Financial CEO Marty Pell and Deborah Conder, board member of Space Center Houston, according to the release.

📍19130 Gulfbrook Drive, Friendswood

Everest Indian Kitchen is slated to open its doors in Webster at the beginning of November, according to the restaurant's website.

On the menu: The restaurant will offers starters, such as samosas, street food, including Bhatura—fluffy deep-fried leavened bread made with wheat flour and yogurt and handmade momo, according to the restaurant's menu. Other dishes include Nepali grills, Kebabs, Thali, curries and vegetarian options, among other dishes.

📍111 W. Bay Area Blvd., Webster

Three Harris County leaders held a press conference Oct. 15 to call for local data center development oversight and protections for residents.

The overview: County Attorney Abbie Kamin and commissioners Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones are asking the state legislature to expand the county's authority, as counties currently have little to no authority to stop these developments.

Harris County has 55 operating, under construction or planned data centers. During an Oct. 15 meeting, the Harris County Commissioners Court passed a motion requiring:

• County departments to notify the court when major data centers apply for permits

• The County Attorney’s Office to report on existing county authority and oversight

• The Office of Intergovernmental and Global Affairs to advocate for statutory changes to strengthen county oversight in unincorporated areas during the next legislative session

The impact: Residents have raised concerns regarding grid reliability, noise, water and energy use, and utility costs. CenterPoint Energy expects to connect eight gigawatts of new data center load in the Houston area by 2029.

As Election Day nears, candidates seeking to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate are raising—and spending—large sums of money, their campaign finance reports show.

The details: Candidates and political action committees, or PACs, involved in federal races had until midnight Oct. 15 to submit reports detailing their fundraising and spending from the third quarter of 2026—July 1 through Sept. 30.

• Democrat James Talarico raised $60.2 million and spent $67.2 million, according to his campaign finance report.

• Republican Ken Paxton, the state's current attorney general, reported raising $10.2 million and spending $7.1 million

• Libertarian Ted Brown's campaign finance report shows he raised about $5,208 and spent $3,410

Preparing for the polls: Early voting in Texas' midterm election runs from Oct. 19-30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Texans can view a personalized sample ballot with information about dozens of candidates and local propositions at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.