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Hospitals in The Woodlands area are adapting new technology to improve or streamline aspects of patient experiences, as well as ease the burdens on health care workers in areas such as patient monitoring and NICU care. 

The gist: Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital is employing new technologies such as the wearable BioButton to allow continuous monitoring as well as check-in kiosks, currently in the Hope and Healing towers, with plans for locations in the Breast Center and outpatient rehabilitation, Chief Nursing Officer Kerrie Guerrero said.

More details: With the opening of Medical Plaza 5 at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, the hospital's TIRR Outpatient Rehabilitation program has been able to expand, offering advanced technology for neurological patients, hospital officials said.

Looking ahead: St. Luke's Health-The Woodlands Hospital is one of several hospitals in the area using AngelEye, a remote monitoring tool designed to help improve family and clinical interaction with NICU babies.

New Balance shoe store recently had its reopening on June 11 following a renovation in The Woodlands, store manager Maranda Ramirez said. Renovations started in April. 

What you need to know: “For the past 15 years, we have been proud to serve our community, and we are excited to welcome everyone back. We look forward to continuing to provide exceptional service and being a part of the community for many years to come," store manager Maranda Ramirez said.

The store sells running and lifestyle shoes along with apparel and accessories. The New Balance line is available both online and in-store.

• Opened June 11
• 10868 Kuykendahl Road, The Woodlands

Based on results from the Spring 2026 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, Conroe ISD outperformed statewide testing for the second year in a row, according to the June 10 results, while test scores within the district itself are lower in comparison to last year.

What’s changed: CISD was able to outperform the state in all categories for this year's STAAR tests, including end-of-course, or EOC, exams.

• The highest passage rate for CISD was in the Biology EOC at 95% compared to the state’s 93%.
• The lowest passage rate for CISD was in seventh-grade math at 51%, compared to the state’s 48%.

More renters in the Greater Houston area signed leases in May as available listings and prices dipped slightly, according to a June 17 report from the Houston Association of Realtors.

The breakdown: The number of rentable single-family homes in the Houston area fell by about 0.8% compared to May 2025, with 54 fewer new listings to choose from, according to the monthly rental market update. Additionally, the number of signed leases increased by 5.2%.

As for average lease prices, costs eased by 0.3% compared to last May, with the average price totaling $2,346 in 2026, the report shows.

Diving in: Meanwhile, townhomes and condos saw an increase of 8.2% in the number of leased listings and an increase of 0.5% in price.

What they’re saying: “In today's economy, many consumers are taking a more measured approach to major financial decisions, and renting remains an attractive option for some households,” said HAR Chair Theresa Hill.

Texas education officials gave preliminary approval June 23 to the state’s first mandatory reading list, which includes nearly 200 literary works that public school students would begin reading as soon as 2030.

The overview: The proposed list incorporates about a dozen stories from the Bible, including the tale of David and Goliath in second grade and direct biblical excerpts beginning in fourth grade. In total, students would be required to read more than two dozen texts in early elementary grades and about 10 literary works per year from sixth grade through high school.

What's happening: Members of the Republican-led State Board of Education voted 9-5 to cut several titles from the reading list June 23, following nearly eight hours of public testimony a day earlier.

More than half of those who testified June 22 asked the board to shorten the list, include more diverse authors and remove religious references. Others praised the SBOE for creating a list that they said would teach students about “American exceptionalism” and prioritize classical literature.