• Number of courts: 13

• Number of courts: 19 (communitywide)

Le Labo is opening in January at Market Street, officials confirmed.

What they offer: The company offers fragrances for body, face, hair and home as well as grooming products and candles. 

• Opening in January
• 9595 Six Pines Drive, The Woodlands

Residents who use W.G. Jones State Forest should expect temporary closures this week as the Texas A&M Forest Service plans a prescribed burn in the forest Jan. 15, weather permitting. The burn will take place within state forest boundaries between I-45 and Hwy. 242, south of FM 1488, according to a news release.

The impact: Prescribed burning serves as a forest management tool that officials use to restore habitat, reduce undergrowth and improve community safety by cutting down the fuel that can feed wildfires, the release states. The planned burn also targets habitat restoration for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker and will include inter-departmental training for state and local emergency response resources.

The agency plans to notify surrounding city and fire officials as well as area residents and groups who frequent the forest by email, and it will post notification signs in adjoining rights of way, according to the release. Firefighters and equipment will be staged on-site as a precaution, and some areas of the forest will be closed to the public during operations.

Harris County commissioners unanimously approved Jonathan Fombonne as the new county attorney on Jan. 8, a position effective immediately. Fombonne thanked his county attorney staff and his family after commissioners invited him to speak at the Downtown Houston court meeting. 

“Thank you again for your confidence and for this opportunity,” Fombonne said. “I’m honored to serve, and I look forward to working with each one of you.”

The big picture: Fombonne served as deputy county attorney in the county attorney’s office and now replaces a vacant county position after former County Attorney Christian Menefee resigned March 17, after the announcement of his campaign run for U.S. Congress District 18. Menefee leaves the county attorney position after serving five years in office.

Quote of note: Fombonne said it has been an honor serving people with humility and earning their trust with hard work over the past five years with Menefee.

“I learned a lot from working with him, and I’m thankful for his leadership and for the team he built,” Fombonne said. 

Hundreds of Texas private schools have been approved to participate in the state’s new education savings account program, per a map released by the state comptroller in early January.

The overview: As of press time, 775 private schools and prekindergarten providers had been approved to accept education savings accounts, or ESAs. There are over 1,300 accredited private schools in the state, according to the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission. 

Of the approved schools, there are:

• 233 schools in the Houston area
• 195 schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
• 94 schools in the San Antonio area
• 70 schools in the Austin area