Owner Rodrigo Vargas said Rigorous Training opened on May 25 and is now offering a variety of fitness training services in Porter.

What they offer: The training center offers class-based services for all skill levels including conditioning, cross training and strength training. Memberships range from $50-$120 per month, per the business website.

Meet the owner: With over 20 years of experience in the U.S Army, Vargas said he has a passion for fitness training.

• Opened May 25
• 23435 FM 1314, Ste. A6, Porter

Roman Forest City Council members are looking to narrow the areas in which developers can construct new commercial projects through the city’s upcoming zoning regulations.

The details: Council members discussed the potential zoning options during a June 9 workshop.

Mayor Chris Parr expressed interest in restricting future commercial development to portions of Roman Forest Boulevard, Galaxy Boulevard and Appian Way.

A closer look: Parr noted the three streets proposed for future commercial development are already home to commercial properties.

Council member Ricky Warwick suggested potentially zoning commercial development on one side of Appian Way and residential on the other side of the street.

Some context: Roman Forest City Attorney Scott Francis noted the zoning regulations could not prevent a particular business from coming to the city, but they could be used to restrict where specific businesses are allowed to exist within city limits.

What’s next: Parr said the city will likely hold at least one additional workshop to review final details on the proposed zoning regulations.

During a June 11 meeting, Montgomery County commissioners voted 4-1 to create four new courts to help handle increasing caseloads. Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray was the opposing vote.

The discussion: Two district court judges, 284th District Judge Kristin Bays and 418th District Judge Tracy Gilbert, presented data to support the request for a resolution for the new courts from the state’s Office of Court Administration, Bays said many more courts are needed to meet the increase in case filings.

How it works: Bays and Gilbert broke down the numbers from OCA for commissioners to help put their request in perspective.

What they’re saying: Commissioners and judges debated the pros of a plan for new courts.

What happens next: After an executive session was held, commissioners decided to create a new resolution outlining how many courts were approved.

The Transportation Advocacy Group of the Houston Region, or TAG Houston, held a webinar on the future of advanced air mobility June 3.

What’s happening: Sergio Roman, Texas Department of Transportation's director of emerging aviation technology under the aviation division, led a “pragmatic discussion” on the future of advanced air mobility. This includes unmanned drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing—or eVTOL—aircraft, to transport people and materials.

“We've all seen all the marketing sketches and autonomous passengers, drones zipping over gridlocked highways and completely untethered from the realities of public policy, physical concrete or power grids,” Roman said.

Explained: In March, the Federal Aviation Administration bestowed TxDOT with Project Nexus under the integration pilot program, or eIPP.

While Project Nexus encompasses Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and the Choctaw Nation, Roman said Houston will make its role vital in this undertaking as an immense industrial coastal corridor.

On the horizon: “In a perfect world,” Roman believes Phase 3 would begin in August or September of 2028.

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from June 8-12.

1. Vegetarian restaurant Simply South to open in Katy
2. EVO Entertainment is coming to Fulshear next year
3. New and upcoming stores in The Woodlands Mall
4. Doctors on inaugural year of Houston Methodist Willowbrook’s new OB-GYN residency
5. Katy ISD will use two stadiums for future graduations

As the 2026-27 school year nears, the number of people selected to participate in Texas’ education savings account program has topped 100,000.

The overview: To date, just over 102,000 students have been accepted into the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which gives families state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them.

However, being awarded funds does not mean a student is guaranteed to be able to use that money at a participating private school this fall.

Zooming in: Over 2,600 private schools have been approved to accept TEFA funding, per the state comptroller's office. State law does not require schools participating in the program to accept all interested families.

Next steps: Families accepted into the program have until July 15 to do one of the following:

• Confirm enrollment at a private school involved in the program
• Notify the state of their homeschooling plans
• Opt out of the program