Fort Bend County votes to make redistricting committee exempt from open meeting requirements
Fort Bend County commissioners were split once again as the court passed actions Sept. 16 to unbind the Citizens Redistricting Advisory Committee from the open records act and remove the county attorney from any involvement in the redistricting process.
Zooming in: Commissioners voted 3-2 to unbind the newly formed CRAC from the Texas Open Records Act, with Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers calling their powers “strictly advisory.”
What else: A motion to give law firm Rogers, Morris & Grover the power to provide legal advice on the redistricting process with no involvement from the county attorney passed 3-1, with McCoy dissenting and Prestage absent for the vote.
What’s next? According to the county calendar, the CRAC will host four public hearings—one in each precinct—to take public input on redistricting.
Lamar CISD announces town halls, bus tours to promote transparency of $1.99B bond
With nearly $2 billion in proposed investments, Lamar Consolidated ISD’s November 2025 bond aims to address the district’s "hypergrowth,” aging infrastructure and the future needs of its students and staff.
Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens emphasized the importance of transparency and public engagement, inviting questions at upcoming town halls and bus tours.
"There’s a lot of misinformation on Facebook. But we have town halls, bus tours and our website—ask us anything and we’ll give you the answers," he said at the Sept. 16 board meeting.
The details: To ensure residents are fully informed, Chief Operating Officer Buchanan said the LCISD has scheduled four bond town halls from late September to early October.
Additionally, the district will host three bus tours of Terry and Tomas high schools. Those interested in attending should visit the district’s bond website for more information on registration.
Moving forward: Residents can cast their votes from Oct. 20 to Nov. 4.
Officials with breakfast and coffee chain Dunkin Donuts announced the grand opening of a new location in Houston in a Sept. 17 news release.
The details: Specializing in offering a variety of breakfast items, coffee combinations and teas, the new location in Houston will offer a a new store layout aimed at making it more efficient and customer-friendly.
In their words:"The new next gen restaurant offers the Houston community a first-hand look at Dunkin’s store of the future experience, with a modern design that provides a fresh, friendly, vibrant, and engaging environment," officials said in the release.
Visitors at NRG Park will have access to a new 240-foot-long rideshare canopy, according to a Sept. 11 news release from NRG Park.
The canopy was officially unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 12.
The overview: The rideshare canopy, which is in the Yellow Lot of the park, will have the following features:
Protected pedestrian loading zone
ADA-accessible walkways
The cost: The total project cost is estimated at $675,000, according to the news release. Funding was split among the:
Houston Texans
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, or HCSCC
Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, 24
TIRZ 24 contributed $300,000, while the remaining cost was divided equally among HCSCC, the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the release notes.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Houston area.
From crispy wings and fiery Nashville hot chicken to authentic Middle Eastern shawarma and freshly made tacos, Kilani Food Hall is a new food hub that offers a curated selection of dishes from a variety of world cuisines.
Per the website, the seven halal concepts include: Lit Wingz, which offers crispy fried wings with signature sauces; Burnin' Chick, which serves Nashville style hot chicken;Cheeky Buns, which features smash burgers and gourmet hot dogs; The Shawerma Man, which specializes in Middle Eastern shawarma; Gyro Bros, which offers traditional Greek gyros; A&M Fry Shack, which serves fried fish and seafood favorites; Taco Nova, which serves Mexican tacos.
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The owner of Sambrooks Hospitality, Michael Sambrooks, announced in a Sept. 16 news release that he has taken over the lease at Mandito's Tex-Mex in Bellaire, which closed over the weekend, and intends to rebrand it as Candente.
Candente is an industrial-style Tex-Mex restaurant that opened in Montrose in 2019. It is known for fajitas, carne asada, chicken and seafood cooked over a wood-fired grill. The spot also provides classic cocktails, such as margaritas, tequila flights and ranch waters.
Sambrooks said that the Bellaire location will serve the same menu of handcrafted Tex-Mex staples and classic cocktails as the Montrose location.
Providing a 1:1 student device ratio for grades 3-12
We want to hear from you about the bond propositions—do you believe these propositions address timely issues for the district or what would you change?
Contact Reporter Valeria Escobar at [email protected] to share your comments or any photos, and your contributions could be featured in an upcoming story.
