As Manvel officials develop the budget for fiscal year 2026-27, Public Works Director Robbie Hall presented equipment and personnel priorities tied to continued population growth and drainage concerns during City Council’s workshop June 1.

What you need to know: The utilities division is requesting around $2.17 million. The streets and drainage division is requesting nearly $995,000. The parks division is requesting about $314,000. 

What’s next: Manvel City Council will continue reviewing departmental budget requests as it develops the FY 2026-27 budget ahead of adoption.

Hardball Academy has relocated from its former site at 3201 Hamm Road in Pearland to Friendswood, officially opening its new location on May 9, according to a social media post from the business.

What’s in a name: The baseball and softball training academy focuses on developing core fundamentals for players, including pitching, hitting, balance, coordination, body control and overall athletic confidence, according to its website. 

• 2901 W. Parkwood Ave., Friendswood

Clear Lake residents and boaters have long been concerned about the hundreds of abandoned boats littering Clear Lake and surrounding bays, but while dozens of boats remain in Clear Lake, efforts to remove them have been slow. 

Recently, the Texas Land Commissioner and the office of Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia partnered to remove a 24-foot sailboat near Clear Lake Park and pledged to remove more boats. 

Why it matters: The Texas General Land Office, or GLO, and the commissioner’s office held the derelict-vessel removal event at the park May 28, according to a GLO news release. 

Stay tuned: Two additional boats are in the process of being removed and destroyed, according to the release.

Texas’ sweeping immigration enforcement law can take effect for now, a federal appeals court ruled May 29.

The background: Senate Bill 4 gives Texas officials the unprecedented authority to arrest and deport migrants suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally. State lawmakers passed the measure in late 2023, and it has largely been tied up in court since.

The latest: In an unpublished order May 29, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed SB 4 to take effect as the case continues, lifting a lower court order that had blocked portions of the law. 

What they're saying: In a joint statement, a trio of civil rights groups decried the May 29 decision as “disappointing and out of step with the Constitution,” saying that they would continue to fight the law in court.

Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the order as a “major border security victory.” State agencies have not detailed their plans to arrest, detain or deport migrants under SB 4.