Unincorporated Fort Bend County is now under an outdoor burn ban effective Aug. 27 at 5 p.m.

What residents need to know: The ban, which was approved by Fort Bend County commissioners at an Aug. 27 meeting, came after the Texas A&M Forest Service determined the whole county has drought conditions.

Fort Bend joined 200 other counties in Texas with a burn ban, including Wharton and Galveston counties, according to the Forest Service. Harris County does not have a burn ban in place.

Looking ahead: The outdoor burn ban will remain in effect until rescinded but should not be more than 90 days unless extended by commissioners, per agenda documents.

Fort Bend ISD families hoping to enroll in pre-K classes can receive assistance at two enrollment events as the district works to fill its remaining seats for the 2026-27 school year.

In a nutshell: District parents are invited to attend one of two registration events Aug. 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Progressive High School in Missouri City or Mission Bend Elementary School in Houston, district officials announced in an Aug. 26 news release.

Available services include:

• Beginning the registration process

• Turning in documents and getting assistance with applications already in process

District staff will be there to help families with language or technology barriers, per the release. The event will also feature free immunizations for eligible families.

Zooming in: The district has approximately 400 open spots for students, which is about 20% of the district’s available pre-K seats, Director of Strategic Communications Maria DiPetta said in a statement.

Precinct 1 is investing nearly $9.6 million in infrastructure and recreation projects to improve community connectivity and safety across south and west Houston.

The gist: Commissioner Rodney Ellis, alongside community leaders, announced funding for 16 projects across the precinct during a press conference Aug. 26. The grant money is part of Ellis’ Plan Together Partnership Program, which invests in community-identified projects. The projects are designed to enhance safety, resiliency and community connectivity, according to a news release.

The impact: The $9.6 million will partially fund all the projects, which are estimated to cost about $60.5 million in total. The projects will focus on planning, constructing and improving neighborhood sidewalks, trails, drainage and parks.

Texas voters will choose from Republican Bo French, Libertarian Arthur DiBianca and Democrat Jon Rosenthal in this November's Texas Railroad Commission race.

The details: The winner of the race will be sworn in to replace incumbent Commissioner Jim Wright in January.

French beat Wright in a May Republican primary runoff, advancing to the general election. Rosenthal ran uncontested in the March Democratic primary, while DiBianca was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

Did you know: The three-member railroad commission does not have any jurisdiction over the state's railroads—that authority was transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation and the federal government by 2005, according to the commission's website. Instead, the agency regulates Texas' oil and gas industries.

Looking ahead: Early voting in dozens of local and state races runs from Oct. 19-30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.