To young entrepreneur Emiliano Munoz, owning his own business was a dream he said he aspired to accomplish at retirement age. However, when the opportunity to open his own pizza shop at the age of 23 came up, Munoz knew it was an opportunity he had to take on. 

Quote of note: “The best way I could describe a New York-style pizza would be, when you bite into it and it has a crunch, but it's not like a cracker, where it just falls and breaks apart on you. It still has that doughy texture,” Munoz said.”And it's also really light on the stomach, and obviously tastes phenomenal, not too cheesy, not too saucy. It's just this right combination of everything that makes it all kind of come together.”

From the oven: Fresh from the oven, Emiliano's Pizzeria offers scratch-made New York-style pizzas with dough fermented for up to 72 hours and baked in a natural gas brick oven, Munoz said.  

Oak & Iron Sports Social debuted a renovated space in the Vintage Park area as part of a Feb. 16 soft opening.

The details: Now in the space formerly occupied by The Annex Crafthouse, officials with Oak & Iron Sports Social announced the soft opening on social media. The business is focusing on providing a relaxed atmosphere and provides a variety of cocktails, beer and food.

On the menu: During the soft opening period, the menu for the sports bar includes a variety of seasoned wings, burgers, flatbreads and other appetizers.

The sound hit downtown Tomball before the riders did—hooves on pavement, wagon wheels turning and a steady line of trail riders pushing south toward Houston.

What happened: The Sam Houston Trail Riders rode into Tomball on Feb. 25, drawing residents out to welcome them during their annual stop on the way to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. 

The group’s route covers about 70 miles from Montgomery to Houston, a tradition the riders have kept going for more than seven decades, according to the rodeo’s website. 

Newly filed campaign finance reports show candidates in two of Montgomery County Republican primaries increasing fundraising and spending as the March election approaches.

Wayne Mack will face incumbent Mark Keough for Montgomery County judge in the Republican primary election and on the other hand Bob Harvey faces incumbent Charlie RIley for Montgomery County Precinct 2 commissioner. The reports cover activity primarily from July 2025 through Feb. 21, 2026. 

A closer look: Montgomery County judge incumbent Mark Keough reported raising $37,800 in total political contributions and spending $71,587 in total political expenditures during the most recent reporting period ending Feb. 21, according to filings.

Among itemized contributions in that filing, one of the largest listed was a $10,000 donation from the Texas Association of Realtors PAC, along with a loan to himself totaling $30,000.

Republican challenger Wayne Mack reported higher fundraising totals during the latest period, listing $139,308.98 in political contributions and $261,063.04 in political expenditures.

With a few days left to vote early in the March primaries, more Texans have turned out to the polls this year than in recent primary elections.

The gist: The increase is particularly pronounced among Democratic primary voters, state data shows, with more than twice as many Democratic votes cast by Feb. 24 than in Texas’ last gubernatorial primary.

Zooming in: Statewide, nearly 1.3 million Texans, or about 7% of the state’s 18.7 million registered voters, cast early ballots through Feb. 24, the eighth day of the 11-day early voting period. This is up from about 6% turnout at the same point in 2024 and about 4% turnout in 2022.

In interviews with Community Impact, election analysts attributed Texas’ rising primary voter turnout in part to a slate of competitive, high-profile races on each party’s primary ballot.

At the polls: Early voting in Texas’ Republican and Democratic primaries runs through Feb. 27, and primary election day is March 3. During early voting, registered voters can visit any polling location within their county of residence.