AG Bakery—a locally owned and Latin-owned home bakery—is now selling homemade baked goods in New Caney, owner Ana Gonzalez said via a Sept. 29 message.

What they offer: AG Bakery offers pastries via pre-order as well as catering services. The bakery sells items such as:

• Cookies

• Cinnamon rolls

• Flan

How it works: On Oct. 4, AG Bakery launched a self-service cart where customers can leave payment for items they’d like to take. The address for the cart—which is open on Sundays, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and occasionally on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays—is available upon request.

• Opened July 7

• New Caney (address available upon ordering)

Two facility renovation projects at Lone Star College System campuses are scheduled to kick off in 2027 after the college system’s board of trustees voted to push the projects to the next stage on Oct. 1.

Upcoming projects

1. Empowerment Center relocation, remodel

Project: LSC-Cy-Fair’s Empowerment Center—a food and clothing pantry for students in need—will be moved from separate locations in the CASA building to the Technology Center.

• Timeline: January 2027-May 2027

• Cost: $417,000 (construction)

2. LSC-Kingwood flood repairs

Project: Flood damage at LSC-Kingwood caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 will be repaired, according to Oct. 1 meeting documents. The project has been delayed while awaiting approval from state and federal agencies.

• Timeline: summer 2027-summer 2029

• Cost: $1,011,293 (architectural services)

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.”

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed a law changing the amount of time students are required to spend in public schools from 180 days to 75,600 minutes per school year.

More than a decade later, some state senators are considering again mandating the number of days schools are open, citing concerns about student performance in districts that use condensed weekly schedules.

The details: At least 181 districts and 572 campuses used four-day school weeks in the 2024-25 school year, per Texas Education Agency data.

A TEA study found that during the 2022-23 school year, students attending school four days per week had lower performance in certain subjects on the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness than students at five-day schools.

"There is not a benefit that I see for a four-day school week for the child," Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, said. "We know there's learning loss. What is the advantage of a four-day [week]? Because I see none except to please somebody who wants to be off more days."