Susan Clardy, Willis ISD’s executive director of continuous improvement and accountability, presented a report on the district's attendance and enrollment. As of Oct. 30, the district has an attendance rate of 94.27%, which is down from 94.49% at the same point last year.

Zooming in: The district has been behind last semester's attendance rate since week four, which impacts state funding.

While five campuses saw year-over-year attendance improvements, eight others fell behind. The two largest drops in attendance rate occurred at:

• Cobblefield Alternative Academy, which dropped by 9.50%

• Hardy Elementary School, which dropped by 1.01%

District enrollment is up by 41 students compared to last year. Enrollment peaked at 9,776 students in week seven before falling to 9,649 as of Nov. 11. Middle schools gained 52 students and elementary schools gained three, while high schools are down 25 students and the Roark Early Education Center is down 10 students.

Academy Sports and Outdoors opened its store in Willis on Nov. 6, the latest retailer to join the Market at Willis Shopping Center off Interstate 45 North.

Two-minute impact: Academy Sports and Outdoors sells sporting goods, clothing and other outdoor and backyard equipment.

The Willis location sells hunting and fishing licenses and offers reel line spooling, boresighting and scope mounting services.

For Black Friday on Nov. 27, Academy Sports is offering customers who line up before doors open at 5 a.m. a chance to win a $500 bonus card, a promotional discount certificate. The first 100 customers aged 18 or older will get a $20 bonus card valid for that weekend only, according to the retailer's website.

A number of local nonprofits and agencies are seeking volunteers to help those in need for the holiday season.

The details: Agencies are seeking volunteers to assist with collecting and sorting food and gift donations as well as oversee resale shops and other operations. Some of the agencies seeking help include:

• Assistance League of Montgomery County

• Cypress Assistance Ministries 

• Houston Food Bank

• Interfaith of The Woodlands

• Lunches of Love

• Paw Pact Rescue

• United Way Greater Houston

This list is not comprehensive. 

According to the latest report from the Houston Association of Realtors, 42% of Houston-area residents are able to afford a median-priced home than in 2025. As previously reported, in the third quarter of 2025 only 39% of residents were considered able to afford a median-priced home.

Zooming in: The slight increase in affordability follows a 0.4% decline in median home prices, going from $341,600 to $340,300. Despite the decrease, HAR forecasted residents still need a minimum income of $100,800 to be able to afford a single-family home.

Affordability remained slightly hire when it came to affording a lease on a single-family home. HAR data shows 44% of Houston-area residents can afford the median lease cost for a single family home, with the cheapest leasing options in Montgomery and Harris counties.

In their words: “Affordability is moving in the right direction, and that’s encouraging, but we also know many consumers are still concerned about the cost of buying a home, particularly with mortgage rates remaining elevated,” said HAR Chair Theresa Hill.