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In 2015, Dominique Cousin—a mom of two, wife and business owner—said her legs stopped working. In 2021, the Lake Houston-area resident was diagnosed with one of the worst cases of multiple sclerosis her doctors had seen in a decade.

Quote of note: “They said, ‘We can give you the most aggressive medication that is available on the market, but all it will do is prolong the inevitable, and that is you will be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, and within three to five years you will not be able to walk again,’” Cousin said.

Today—five years after her diagnosis—Cousin is not wheelchair-bound and runs annually in a 5K hosted by her own nonprofit, The Phoenix Journey, which provides the support she said she wished she had during her own journey with MS.

What they offer: The organization offers individual and group counseling/coaching, monthly webinars and nutritional classes that teach clients how to cook and grocery shop for their specific dietary needs.

Construction on the Will Clayton Shopping Center in Humble is expected to begin on or after June 30, according to a June 17 TDLR filing.

What to expect: The roughly $1.8 million project will consist of the construction of a 2,600-square-foot washateria space and five 1,495-square-foot retail spaces, according to the filing.

The timeline: While an estimated opening date was not included in the filing, construction on the project is projected to wrap up in June 2027.

• 9238 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble

Several events are happening around Greater Houston for the Fourth of July weekend, including Freedom Over Texas and the South County 4th of July parade. This list is not comprehensive, and these events are subject to change.

Freedom Over Texas
The 39th annual Freedom Over Texas festival will feature headliner country music artist Keith Urban with supporting acts Collective Soul and Los Lonely Boys.

• July 4, 4:45 p.m.-9:53 p.m.
• $15 (admission)
• 18-3600 Allen Parkway, Houston

• July 3, gates open at 6:30 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 2005 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands

• July 4, 8-11 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 1500 Hermann Drive, Houston

Houston residents who are dealing with lead paint in their homes may be qualified for free lead paint abatement through the city.

How it works: The Houston Health Department’s Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program provides services that help low-income residents identify, remove or stabilize lead-based paint issues for free. To qualify for the program, residents must meet its qualifications:

• Live in a home built before 1978

• Be in an eligible, high-risk area

• Do not live in a flood zone

• Having a resident under 6 years old

• Meet the financial criteria of middle-to-low-income

If a resident qualifies, HHD and state-licensed contractors can assist in two ways: abatement or interim control.

Abatement is a permanent solution, said Muhammad Farhad, program manager for the lead-based program. Interim control is not a permanent solution, but it is a more common solution, he said. It is often used in areas that are not highly accessible, such as ceilings.

The goal is for interim control to be done in areas that children do not have access to, he said.

Texas' Republican-led State Board of Education approved a sweeping rewrite of the state's social studies curriculum standards and a list of dozens of books that students will be required to read each school year, both of which are infused with biblical references. The new requirements will begin rolling out to public school classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.

The details: As many as 25 texts will be read each year in early elementary school grades, with about 10 books required in later grades. The reading list was created under a 2023 state law requiring “at least one literary work” per grade.

The new social studies curriculum standards will expand lessons about Texas and American history, deemphasizing some teachings about world cultures and people of color. The standards also expand the amount of content students will be expected to learn each year.

The debate: Proponents of the new standards and reading list said they will teach students to love their state and country, while critics said the policies do not include diverse perspectives.