Full-time bus drivers working for Tomball ISD will now be paid at least $25 per hour, after trustees approved a compensation increase during their Nov. 11 meeting. 

The gist: Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said during trustees’ Nov. 10 workshop meeting that the district has had challenges with bus driver shortages and filling driver positions. The new pay increases go into effect Nov. 15, district officials said. 

The details: According to information from Salazar-Zamora and the district, the salary bumps raise starting pay for:

• Full-time drivers from $19.10 per hour to $25 per hour
• Driver trainees from $18 per hour to $20 per hour
• Driver substitutes from $19.10 to $22 per hour
• Non-commercial driver license drivers from $14.04 to $17 per hour

A new 12,000-square-foot Barnes & Noble is now open in Spring. 

What you need to know: The store occupies the former Party City space between Ulta and Five Below, according to a Nov. 5 news release. Doors opened to the public for the first time at 10 a.m. Nov. 12, with bestselling author Ashley Winstead—who wrote "This Book Will Bury Me"—cutting the ribbon and signing books.

Shoppers can take advantage of grand opening promotions, including $50 off any NOOK device and 40% off all DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD movies, per the release. Barnes & Noble Premium and Rewards Members will receive a free reusable tote bag and double stamps on purchases through opening weekend.

“We are so pleased to open our Spring bookstore just in time for the holiday season,” James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, said in the release. “Our booksellers are proud to welcome the neighborhood into their brand-new store.

• 6600 Spring Stuebner Road, Ste. 152, Spring

At the Nov. 13 meeting, Harris County commissioners are expected to vote on the county’s worksite safety policy that aims to standardize safety protocols countywide in order to reduce injuries and strengthen worker protections on authorized construction sites. 

Also on the agenda: Two agenda items on the docket are related to how the Harris County engineering department handles its permitting department. The commercial permitting process in Harris County is meant to ensure public welfare and safety, according to county officials. The engineering department will discuss utilizing artificial intelligence to increase efficiency.

Digging deeper: The agenda items come as some new Cy-Fair business owners have told Community Impact the road to opening a business is often paved with unexpected delays in the Cy-Fair area.

Also of note: Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey will also seek discussion and possible action to implement metrics on the permits division.

Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are now being held at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston. 

Texas is the nation’s largest energy producer, leading other U.S. states in both natural gas production and renewable energy generation, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows. Yet as people, businesses and data centers continue to move to the state, experts say Texas leaders need to harness new strategies to make energy more affordable and ensure the state power grid remains reliable.

The details: Amid high inflation nationwide, energy prices are on the rise in Texas, and residents are feeling the strain, experts said at the Texas Energy Summit, which ran from Nov. 4-6 in Austin.

In a June 2025 report, the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization, found that 65% of low-income Texans recently engaged in “energy-limiting behaviors,” such as turning off their air conditioning to reduce electric bills or underheating their homes in the winter. 

What they're saying: Experts said state lawmakers and officials could invest in energy efficiency and residential demand response programs to tackle affordability and grid reliability issues.