Humble ISD officials to unveil 'Enchanted Forest'-themed playground at Groves Elementary
Coming soon: Humble ISD officials will celebrate the opening of a new “Enchanted Forest”-themed playground at Groves Elementary School with a dedication ceremony at 5 p.m. Sept. 24.
The details: According to a Sept. 4 news release, the playground is designed for children ages 5-12 and includes the following features:
A tree tower
A treehouse and fortress climber connected by bridges
Steppers and balancing challenges
Slides
Swings
Spinners
Some context: The new playground is part of the district’s ongoing campus playground revitalization initiative, which was included in the district's $775 million bond package approved by voters in 2022. Officials noted HISD playgrounds are open to the public when school is not in session.
Humble City Council OKs $680K in new police, fire department equipment
Humble’s police and fire departments will receive a combined $680,095 in new equipment after Humble City Council approved the purchases Sept. 11.
Zooming in: The Humble Fire Rescue and EMS Department will purchase a new brush truck for $499,992. The truck will be funded by Texas Division of Emergency Management funds the city receives each time the local fire department is deployed to help with statewide emergencies.
Quote of note: “[It] will actually kind of act as a third reserve pumper here, but that can also be deployed on these major fires out elsewhere in Texas,” City Manager Jason Stuebe said.
Diving in deeper: The Humble Police Department will receive $180,103 in U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to purchase 29 handheld and dash-mounted radios, according to meeting documents.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo won't seek third term ahead of 2026 election
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo formally announced she will not seek reelection for a third term as judge of Texas’ largest county. Hidalgo said in a Sept. 15 news release that she is keeping her promise not to serve more than two terms.
Quote of note: “I ran for office as a change maker to challenge the establishment and bring a fresh perspective to a Harris County government," Hidalgo said. “I’m so proud of our community and all of the progress that we’ve achieved together, from expanding early childhood education to making our community safer.”
Also of note: The announcement comes just weeks after addressing a crowd of Houston business leaders and constituents Sept. 5 about her reelection status during the 2025 State of the County keynote address. Hidalgo hinted she would announce “soon” whether or not she would run in 2026.
Hidalgo has served as county judge since 2019 and was reelected after winning the county seat during the November 2022 general election. Her current four-year term ends Dec. 31, 2026.
Proposed ordinance to require fencing of vacant Houston buildings faces resource challenges
Houston City Council member Tarsha Jackson, District B, introduced a new ordinance during a Sept. 16 Proposition A committee meeting that would require property owners to fence the perimeters of a vacant building.
Current situation: Jackson said she is proposing this ordinance because of what she and her constituents see, which are empty buildings that are often littered with crime.
“In my district, when a commercial building is vacant, it becomes a magnet for illegal dumping, graffiti, squatting, [and] drug dealing—it’s all types of crime,” she said.
Christopher Shannahan, the interim deputy assistant at Houston Permitting Center’s community code enforcement team, said the ordinance would require property owners to install fences that are at least 6 feet tall within 10 days of a commercial building’s vacancy. Some exceptions include:
If the building is undergoing an active permitting project to rehabilitate the building
Code enforcement determined that there is work underway to improve the building
Council or mayoral unanimous determination to make an exception
Space City Weather celebrates 10 years of serving Houston
Space City Weather, a daily weather news and forecaster, is approaching its 10-year anniversary of providing weather updates to five million annual visitors in the Greater Houston area, according to its website.
Zooming in: Space City Editor and certified meteorologist Eric Berger said he started the site as a hobby in 2015. However, when Hurricane Harvey hit the city, it became much more than that.
Alongside Managing Editor Matt Lanza, Berger has transformed Space City Weather into much more, partnering with Reliant Energy as their sole sponsor in 2017, he said.
What’s next: To commemorate its anniversary, Space City Weather will host a Fall Day celebration at Midtown Park, located at 2811 Travis St., Houston, from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 25, featuring giveaways, 10th anniversary merchandise, costume contests and more, Berger said.
DATA: See how Greater Houston-area school districts scored in accountability ratings
Across the state, most school districts and campuses maintained or improved Texas Education Agency A-F accountability scores between the 2023-24 to 2024-25 school years, and the Houston region is no exception.
Within districts in Community Impact’s Greater Houston coverage area, Willis and Houston ISDs saw the largest increases across all categories that make up the overall score, per data released by the TEA on Aug. 15.
The bigger picture: The data showed that since 2023-24, the number of schools that received an A rating across Greater Houston grew from 21.9% to 26.9%, while the number of campuses rated F shrank from 6.4% to 2.6%.
Going forward: House Bill 8, which was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 4, would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test and replace it with three shorter tests taken at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
