On Feb. 26, Houston ISD’s board of managers unanimously voted to close 12 schools in June—a choice district leaders said will save HISD $14.6 million to $20 million.

What’s happening: Seven of the schools will be closed permanently, while the remaining schools will be co-located at a separate campus.

During the Feb. 26 special meeting, Superintendent Mike Miles said maintenance costs and declining enrollment fueled the decision to close schools. From the 2022-23 to the 2023-24 school year, the district lost roughly 13,200 students, or about 7% of its total population.

What parents need to know: For two school years, 2026-28, shuttles will be available multiple times per morning and afternoon to take students from their former campus to their new campus. Specific route details for the shuttles will be available in early August.

Miniso, the popular Chinese retail store, opened a location in Rice Village on Feb. 28, according to social media posts.

This makes the 10th location in the Houston area. The 9,230 square-foot retail space opened in the former location of Top Fitness.

What they offer: Miniso first opened in China in 2013. The store offers a collection of household and consumer goods, such as kitchenware, toys, stationary and cosmetics, with products and brands marketed towards young consumers, including Sanrio, Disney and Snoopy.

• 2501 Rice Blvd., Houston

Harris County commissioners will review the future of several county programs created with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, a 2021 federal aid package supporting local governments after the COVID-19 pandemic.

What happened: With ARPA support set to expire at the end of 2026, Commissioners Court voted Feb. 26 to consider nearly $14 million in general fund appropriations in fiscal year 2026-27 that would allow the county to continue the services.

Some context: Harris County launched an array of services related to job training, public health, housing and more using the one-time $915 million grant, Community Impact previously reported. 

Latest update: Commissioners Court directed staff to include funding for nine ARPA programs in the county's baseline FY 2026-27 budget. If adopted in September, the general fund allocations would allow programs to continue operations beyond 2026.

The county's ARPA steering committee recommended continued funding for the Apprenticeship Advantage, Eviction Support and Behavioral Health programs, among others, according to Commissioners Court documents. 

A total of 346,797 in-person and mail-in ballots were cast early in the Harris County March 3 primary elections, according to the county clerk's office. The 10-day early voting period ran Feb. 17-27.

By the numbers: Unofficial totals from the Harris County clerk’s office show 209,402 ballots cast during the second week of early voting, almost 97% of which were in person.

All totals are unofficial until votes are reviewed in accordance with the Texas Election Code, according to the county clerk’s office.

Zooming out: Harris County early voter turnout increased by about 64%, or approximately 135,000 votes cast, compared to March 2024. The bump in early participation is on trend with statewide data, with more Democratic primary voters in particular showing up to the polls ahead of election day, according to Community Impact reporting.

Learn more: Primary election day is March 3. Registered Harris County voters may visit any of 60 voting centers from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. to cast a ballot, per the county clerk's office. 

Primary election day in Texas is March 3. With dozens of state, regional and local races on the ballot, voters in the Republican and Democratic primaries will determine their parties’ nominees for the November midterm election.

At the polls: Polling places across Texas will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. March 3, according to the secretary of state.

On election day, voters in the following counties in Community Impact’s coverage areas can vote at any polling location within their county of residence: Bastrop, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Collin, Comal, Fort Bend, Galveston, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Tarrant and Travis. Registered voters in other counties are required to visit a polling place specific to their voting precinct.

Voters are required to bring photo identification to the polls.

On the ballot: Voters will choose their political parties’ nominees for the U.S. Senate, seven state offices, 10 state judicial seats, 38 congressional seats, nearly all state legislative seats and over half of the State Board of Education. Candidates who win their primaries will advance to the November ballot.