HTX-TOM: Impact 10/7/2025

The Arbor, a new 15,000-square-foot wedding venue, is coming soon to the Magnolia area, owner Sam Phinney confirmed.

The details: The venue will feature two on-site lodges alongside its event space, and Phinney said the venue was inspired by a wedding he and his wife attended in France.

• 26718 Joseph Road, Hockley

Lone Star College System board members voted to lower the college system’s property tax rate for fiscal year 2025-56 during the board’s Oct. 2 meeting.

The action taken: The board unanimously approved a FY 2025-26 tax rate of $0.1060 per $100 valuation, down from last year’s rate of $0.1076. Trustee Rebecca Broussard was absent from the Oct. 2 meeting.

Diving deeper: According to the Oct. 2 meeting documents, the tax rate is made up of:

• $0.0785 per $100 valuation for the maintenance and operations tax rate, up from last year’s rate of $0.0757.
• $0.0275 per $100 valuation for the interest and sinking rate, down from last year’s rate of $0.0319.

All Texas retailers are barred from selling consumable THC products to customers under 21 years old after the Texas Department of State Health Services adopted two emergency rules Oct. 3.

The details: The new rules, which took effect immediately, state that businesses may lose their hemp licenses for selling THC products to minors.

Ten days earlier, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved emergency rules prohibiting bars, liquor stores and other alcohol retailers from selling THC products to anyone under 21. A TABC spokesperson told Community Impact the two state agencies are working together to enforce a Sept. 10 executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who called for age restrictions on THC sales and tighter guardrails on the multibillion-dollar industry.

More context: Approximately 8,000 businesses are licensed by the DSHS to sell consumable hemp products in Texas, including some retailers that also sell alcohol.

The emergency rules from both agencies will be in effect for 120 days and could be extended for an additional 60 days while permanent regulations are drafted.

The University of Houston has been awarded a $1 million grant from the non-profit Houston Endowment to analyze how school districts are implementing various teacher certification pathways—including teacher residency programs and grow-your-own models—with the goal of improving student achievement and bolstering teacher recruitment and retention.

The two-year project is intended to generate data, research, and policy recommendations that could help reduce the number of uncertified teachers in classrooms across Texas.

Why does it matters: Amid a growing percentage of uncertified teachers, a UTeach Institute study showed uncertified teachers are more likely to leave early, and their students can lose up to six months of learning.

Zooming out: To curb the teacher shortage during the 2024-25 school year, Community Impact reported that Fort Bend, Georgetown and Leander ISDs had waived teacher certification requirements for certain subjects and opted to require their staff to enroll in alternative certification programs, or nontraditional programs that can often be completed online.