Impact roundup: 4 business updates in New Caney, Porter
Several businesses have recently opened in, are coming soon to or have recently celebrated an anniversary in the New Caney and Porter area. This list is not comprehensive and details are subject to change.
Now open Jeremiah's Italian Ice Officials with Jeremiah’s Italian Ice celebrated an Aug. 21 soft opening of their new location in New Caney. The menu features more than 40 flavors of Italian ice treats, soft-serve ice cream and more.
Opened Aug. 21
20470 FM 1485, New Caney
Coming soon Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux is planning to open a new location in Valley Ranch Town Center. Walk-On's will feature a full bar, with over 24 beers on tap as well as signature cocktails, and a menu of Cajun and Creole dishes such as boom boom shrimp tacos, gumbo and fried alligator.
T&C Discount Small Engine Repair marks 1 year in Porter
In July, Nicholas Tuttle celebrated the one-year anniversary since he opened his business, T&C Discount Small Engine Repair, in Porter.
Diving deeper: Tuttle originally opened the shop in July 2024. The business specializes in repairs on a variety of small engines—such as generators, lawn mowers, pressure washers and go-karts. Services offered include four-stroke engine tune-ups, carburetor rebuilds and lawn mower blade sharpening.
DATA: Greater Houston single-family home sales rise 9% year over year
The Greater Houston area housing market is entering a “more balanced and sustainable” period as of July according to a report from the Houston Association of Realtors.
The details: Despite a slight decrease in regional housing affordability in the second quarter of 2025, the Greater Houston area housing area market saw a significant increase in year over year home sales according to the July housing inventory report from HAR. The number of active single-family home listings jumped from 46,629 in July 2024 to 61,144 in July 2025, a 31.1% increase in homes on the market.
In their words: “The rising inventory levels have led to modest price adjustments by sellers,” HAR Chair Shae Cottar said. “While some homeowners are adjusting their expectations, many homes are still attracting solid offers. This is a good indicator that the Houston market continues to be in a relatively healthy and balanced spot.”
Lone Star College to launch early childhood education bachelor’s degree with help from grant
Lone Star College System is moving forward with plans to offer a new bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with help from a $200,000 grant from Houston Endowment, according to an Aug. 13 news release.
The details: The grant will help fund consulting services and curriculum development for the degree program, as stated in the release.
The Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching will serve early childhood-grade 3 and early childhood-grade 6. The degree is expected to launch in fall 2026 with an initial cohort of 150 students, pending approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as well as the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, per the release.
Diving in deeper: The bachelor’s degree would become the fifth bachelor’s program in the college system’s offerings, which includes cybersecurity, emergency management, energy and trades management and nursing, according to the release.
University of Houston expands behavioral health programs to meet workforce demand
In response to the growing demand for behavioral health professionals across Texas and the nation, the University of Houston is expanding its academic offerings in Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, an evidence-based therapy most commonly used to support individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities.
“Our goal is to train highly skilled individuals so they come out of our programs and can provide really effective treatment for our diverse community and our learners with autism and developmental disabilities,” Charlotte Carp, program director and a board-certified behavior analyst, said in an Aug. 14 news release.
Programs are available online and in person at the UH Katy campus.
Zooming out: The timing of this expansion aligns with a significant surge in demand for certified behavior analysts, per the release. In April, Community Impact reported on the rise of ABA centers in Katy, Sugar Land, Missouri City,Cypress, Tomball and Magnolia, where many clinical providers cited staffing demands as many public school districts see a rise in autism diagnoses.
