Good Morning, Pearland, Friendswood & Manvel!

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Accident-prone intersection in Pearland to get new traffic signal, lane widening

Pearland will install a new traffic signal and add a new lane at the intersection of Dixie Farm Road and Hastings Friendswood Road—a move aimed at improving safety in the accident-prone intersection. 

What happened: Pearland City Council voted unanimously at its Oct. 13 meeting to award a $612,000 contract to Pearland-based Metro City LLC to install a traffic signal and widen the south leg of the intersection from two lanes to three lanes.

Quote of note: “It’s been a pretty rough intersection over on Dixie Farm Road—quite a few accidents, and I think several, several motorcycle deaths ... at this intersection,” Mayor Kevin Cole said. “So glad to see this underway and hopefully can get completed pretty quickly.”

 
Key Information
What voters need to know in Brazoria, Galveston counties ahead of early voting

Early voting is set to begin in Brazoria and Galveston counties on Oct. 20. Here’s what voters need to know before heading to the polls.

What readers need to know: Early voting will run during the following dates and times:

  • Oct. 20-24, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Oct. 27-29, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Oct. 30-31, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

What’s on the ballot: While some races are taking place across each county, areas such as the cities of Pearland, Friendswood and Manvel do not have races. League City also has no races.

For school districts, Friendswood ISD has a $165 million bond package split up into four propositions. Voters living within the district’s boundaries can vote on the bond within the county in which they live.

Stay tuned: Election Day will take place on Nov. 4 following the early voting period. 

 

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Latest Education News
Friendswood ISD’s 2024-25 early literacy data reflects student improvement

Students at Friendswood ISD have marked improvement in early literacy, according to 2024-25 reports from the district.

The breakdown: While kindergarten through second grade students are not accelerating upward at the same rate as 2023-24, over 50% of students scored above benchmark for the mCLASS assessment, which measures phonological awareness skills, in 2024-25.

Measuring students from kindergarten through fifth grade, over 75% of students have met or exceeded reading levels based on the Benchmark Assessment System, which determines a student's independent, instructional and frustrational reading levels.

Measuring FISD students from third through eighth grade, 80% of students “met” grade level standards, which is the highest it has been from spring 2021 to 2025.

Notable quote: “[There is] lots of pride in the work that we do,” said Lauren Ambeau, FISD’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning. “We're really most thankful for our students, our teachers, our parents and our community. It was really a representation of our community working together.”

 
Statewide News
Texas lawmakers to investigate deadly Central Texas floods with new committees

The Texas House and Senate are launching new legislative committees to “get to the bottom of exactly what occurred” during this summer’s deadly Central Texas floods, state leaders announced Oct. 13.

The details: The bipartisan panels, known as the House and Senate General Investigating Committees on the July 2025 Flooding Events, will meet jointly to conduct “a comprehensive and thorough review” of the floods, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said.

Lawmakers will be tasked with:

  • Identifying strategies to strengthen Texas’ disaster preparedness
  • Helping communities respond to future floods
  • Examining actions taken at summer camps in the flood zone

The background: During special legislative sessions this summer, lawmakers passed bills aimed at hardening summer camps against future disasters and improving local flood warning systems.

"While progress was made during the second special session to bolster Texans’ safety, the magnitude of this tragedy demands a comprehensive and thorough review," Burrows said in an Oct. 13 statement.

 

FOODIE FRIDAY
Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Houston area.

Paul's Wine Pix is now opening in Bellaire, offering a bottled wine retail list that includes sparkling, rosé, white and red wines, according to the store’s website.

Along with new- and old-world selections of wine, the establishment also offers various food items, including charcuterie boards, sandwiches and pizza.

Bellaire residents Paul Kirchhoff and his parents, Steve and Linnea Kirchhoff, are the owners of Paul’s Wine Pix, which was founded out of Paul’s love for wine and desire to bring a diverse selection of wines to Houston, per the website.
  • Opened Oct. 10
  • 5424 Bissonnet St., Bellaire

Read more.

 

☕️ Monarch Pastries & Coffee House opens new storefront in Friendswood
(Read more)

🌮 Margarita Jones now open in Seabrook
(Read more)

🥯 Einstein Bros. Bagels opens Tomball location
(Read more)

 

Fruity Temptations is now serving spicy and sweet specialty drinks, street tacos and nachos in Katy.

Along with tacos, the menu features other food items such as hot dogs, hamburgers, quesadillas and Mexican corn, according to its website. Customers can also order chopped fruit served with lemon, salt and Tajin as well as specialty drinks such as the Mangonada or Tamarindo Loco.
  • Opened Sept. 20
  • 1165 Katy Fort Bend Road, Ste. 140, Katy

Read here.

Your local team

Haley Velasco
Editor

Papar Faircloth
General Manager

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