The Tomball Education Foundation is awarding a historic $159,812 in educator grants to Tomball ISD teachers and staff, according to a Jan. 16 news release.

About the project: The grant total is the largest single-year grant distribution in TEF history, according to Tomball ISD. The money will fund 45 grants which will support 90 different staff members across 19 campuses. The money will fund a variety of projects and education initiatives from kindergarten through high school campuses.

Some of these initiatives include but are not limited to:

• Developing vocational skills through a student cafe
• Using virtual reality  programs to enhance social skills and problem solving 
• Robotics and coding training for early learners
• 3D printing programs for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, learning
• Headphones with real-time language translation for educators
• Peer-to-peer mental health support and suicide prevention programs

Home sales saw an increase year over year in December in the Tomball and Magnolia area, according to market data provided by local real estate firm The Renee Leslie Group.

What you need to know: The number of homes sold year over year in December increased in four of the five Tomball and Magnolia-area ZIP codes.

In four of the five ZIP codes in Tomball and Magnolia, home sales increased.

Year over year in December, the median price of homes sold decreased in two of the five ZIP codes in the Tomball and Magnolia area. 77355 saw the largest percentage decrease of 6.6%, going from $309,537 to $288,985.

Of the homes that sold in December in the Tomball and Magnolia area, 66% of them were priced between $250,000 and $499,999.

Also of note: Year over year in December, the average time homes spent on the market in Tomball and Magnolia rose in four of the five area ZIP codes. The largest percentage increase was in 77362 at 72.73%

As the state prepares for a wave of winter weather, Greater Houston area officials are also urging caution and preparedness ahead of potential weather impacts.

The details: According to the National Weather Service, the Greater Houston area will be under a winter storm watch Jan. 24-25. However, an extreme cold watch will run from Jan. 24-26, and the NWS said residents can expect the following conditions over the weekend:

• Potential freezing rain
• A tenth of an inch of ice or greater
• Localized power outages
• Wind chills ranging from 5-15 degrees

GameStop, a large retail gaming hub in the United States, disclosed in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that it closed 590 stores in fiscal year 2024 and expects to shutter a "significant number of additional stores" during FY2025.

What we know: While GameStop has yet to release a standalone press release on the closures, the company's SEC filing states that officials have conducted a "comprehensive store optimization review" and are identifying for closure based on market conditions and individual store performance.

In the company's documents, GameStop notes that a significant number of customers have chosen to download games instead of buying games physically in-store.

"If consumers’ preference for downloading video game content in lieu of physical software continues to increase, our business and financial performance may be adversely impacted," the filing states.

The projections: While GameStop has yet to release a formal list of all individual stores closing by city or region, an unofficial list has been compiled of stores that closed in January.  

Wayne Mack will face Mark Keough for Montgomery County judge in the Republican primary election. 

Also of note: Early voting begins Feb. 17 for March 3 primary races in Texas, including several county and state contests.

Community Impact sent each candidate a Q&A with a deadline for response to ensure equal opportunity. Answers were limited to 50 words each, and answers that came in over 50 words were cut from the end to fit.

Eight Republican candidates are running to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate during the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: Republican incumbent John Cornyn is seeking a fifth term as Texas' senior senator. Each state has two U.S. senators—Cornyn currently serves alongside Republican Ted Cruz.

Seven Republican candidates are challenging Cornyn for the Republican nomination: John O. Adefope, Anna Bender, Virgil John Bierschwale, Sara Canady, Wesley Hunt, Gulrez “Gus” Khan and Ken Paxton.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the Republican primary, a runoff election will be held between the two top vote-getters on May 26.

Looking ahead: The winning Republican candidate will face the winner of the Democratic nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2027.

Three Democratic candidates are running to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate during the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The overview: Jasmine Crockett, Ahmad R. Hassan and James Talarico are competing for the Democratic nomination for a six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

The details: Each state has two U.S. senators, with Ted Cruz and John Cornyn currently representing Texas. Cornyn, whose seat is up for election, is running for reelection in an eight-way Republican primary.

The winning Democratic candidate will face the winner of the Republican nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2027.