Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen is celebrating 40 years in business across the Greater Houston area during the month of October, business officials confirmed.

The details: The first Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen opened its doors in 1986 on Westheimer Road in the Galleria area, per the restaurant website.

During the month of October, restaurant officials announced in a Sept. 29 news release that several new and returning menu items will be available for a limited time, including:

• Crispy Shrimp Spring Rolls: shrimp, ginger cilantro cream cheese and sweet & sour sauce

• Praline Cheesecake: creamy cheesecake layered with pecan praline crumble, topped with warm praline sauce

In their words: "For 40 years, Pappadeaux has been a place where families celebrate and friends gather to let the good times roll," Pappas Restaurants Chief Marketing Officer Christina Pappas said. "This anniversary is a celebration of our guests and the generations of team members who have made Pappadeaux the destination it is today.”

Cy-Fair ISD launched and distributed its new instructional framework, Technology's Presence & Purpose in Instruction, to families on Oct. 1. Developed by the district's curriculum and instruction department, the framework establishes districtwide expectations for device usage, parent choice, hands-on learning and teacher-led instruction.

The framework is built around seven core commitments:

• Technology as a resource, not a replacement
• Emphasis on active, offline learning
• Prohibition of passive screen time
• Parent-guided control
• Strict daily limits on digital interventions
• Enhanced safety and privacy
• Annual impact audits

Under these commitments, students are prohibited from unfocused screen time during the school day, including recess and free-choice times. Upcoming updates will also allow parents to restrict after-hours internet access or opt out of technology use entirely, with exceptions.

Property owners in Cypress, Cy-Fair and Jersey Village will see property tax rate increases after four governing bodies voted to raise taxes or put an increase to voters.

• Cy-Fair ISD trustees set a voter-approval tax rate election for Nov. 3, asking voters to add $1.1569 per $100 in home value to help address a projected $80.9 million budget shortfall.
• Jersey Village City Council approved a property tax rate of $0.817625 per $100 in home value for FY 2026-27, a $0.003 increase from last year.
• Harris County ESD 9 unanimously adopted a property tax rate of $0.045 per $100 in home value to help address a projected $3.89 million budget shortfall.
• Harris County Commissioners Court approved an overall property tax rate of $0.67 per $100 of home value, representing a 7.6% increase compared with last year.

Several events are scheduled across the Greater Houston area from Oct. 9-11. The lineup includes:

• The International Food Festival in Spring, featuring cuisine, church tours and speaker sessions.

• The Friends of the Bellaire Library Fall Book Sale, offering used books and puzzles to benefit library initiatives.

• The Bridgeland 20th anniversary celebration in Cypress with music, food trucks and giveaways.

• Fall for a Cause, a breast cancer awareness fundraiser in Spring.

• The Katy Rice Harvest Festival, featuring live performances by Lonestar and Neal McCoy.

• The seventh annual In a Pickle Festival in Kingwood, which includes pickle-themed contests and a pet parade.

• A Spooky Stroll pop-up market in Porter.

• A pumpkin float for children ages 5-12 at Lakeside Pool in The Woodlands.

• Witches Night Out at the Kemah Boardwalk.

• A performance by the band Los Tigres del Norte in Sugar Land.