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In July, Sam Houston State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine will launch a new psychiatry residency program, a specialty that COM Dean Dr. Thomas Mohr said is “desperately needed.”

Quote of note: “While our medical school is really created to help expand access to primary care ... even though it is not primary care, psychiatry is massively underserved,” Mohr said.

Diving in deeper: The new residency is a partnership between the college, Huntsville Memorial Hospital and Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare, which serves Montgomery, Walker and Liberty counties. The four-year program will accept four residents per year, and hit capacity at 16 residents.

Some context: In Montgomery County, the number of psychiatrists per 100,000 people is 7.4, while that figure is 2.6 and 2.2 in Walker and Liberty counties, respectively, according to the Texas Health Professions Resource Center.

Owner Joseph Luis Martin said Kutz 4 Kingz plans to offer haircut services in Valley Ranch Town Center by July 9. Kutz 4 Kingz is offering $5 off for first visits.

What they offer: The barber shop offers haircuts for kids and adults, beard trims, hair designs, shampoo services and fades. Kutz 4 Kingz also offers discounts for veterans and active duty officials.

• Opening July 9
• 22186 Market Place Drive, Ste. 123, New Caney

As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, local officials are encouraging residents to know how to safely use and dispose of fireworks after the festivities end.

What residents need to know: However, residents are allowed to use fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties. As part of the Fourth of July holiday, first responders are encouraging the safe use of any fireworks by following several safety tips, including:

• Only light one firework at a time
• Have ready access to a water source
• Never relight fireworks after use

• Sound of fireworks
• Firework restriction information
• Abandoned firework debris

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas operates the state power grid, overseeing the flow of electricity to over 27 million customers. Yet ERCOT does not directly participate in Texas’ electric market or own any of the facilities that deliver power across the state.

The big picture: Power generation plants, transmission facilities and distribution lines are owned by outside companies, meaning that local power outages are typically isolated and handled by individual companies, rather than ERCOT.

How it works: In 1999, Texas legislators passed a law deregulating the state’s retail electric market. The law was designed to “introduce competition in Texas’ electric market by allowing consumers to choose their retail electric provider,” according to ERCOT.

Previously, most Texas utility companies owned all aspects of the electric supply chain, including generation, transmission and the delivery of power to customers.

Today, approximately 85% of electric customers in Texas can choose their retail electric provider, including those across the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth regions. Customers in Austin and San Antonio get their electricity from municipally owned utilities.