Officials with Maxwell Polish Station celebrated the July 26 opening of their new location in Humble, according to a post on the eatery’s Facebook page.

The details: Maxwell Polish Station offers an assortment of Chicago-style street dishes, including Chicago-style hot dogs, pork chop sandwiches, Polish sausage, Italian beef sandwiches and pizza puffs, according to the eatery's website.

• Opened July 26

• 8036 FM 1960 W., Humble

Humble City Council members approved a 10% increase to the city’s water rate for residential and commercial use during the Sept. 10 meeting.

The details: Humble City Manager Jason Stuebe said the rate increase is coming after Houston officials implemented a 3.5% increase in their purchase water contract, noting Humble currently purchases about 60% of its surface water from Houston.

Some context: In July 2025, Humble was required to increase the amount of surface water purchased from Houston from 30% to 60% to curb subsidence in the area, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

What's next: Stuebe said he believed rate increases should be more consistent moving forward.

The Harris County Commissioners Court is slated to discuss and adopt tax rates and budgets for the 2026-27 fiscal year during its Sept. 17 meeting.

The overview: As the county faces a projected about $180 million shortfall, commissioners are expected to set the tax rates and budgets for Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Harris Health system and the Port of Houston Authority, according to agenda documents. Commissioners are also set to discuss the budget for the Harris County Toll Road Authority.

The court will consider a 7.6% overall property tax rate increase, which commissioners discussed at their Sept. 8 meeting.

Also on the agenda: The court will consider approving a burn ban at the request of the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, according to agenda documents. The ban would take effect Sept. 17 and last at least 90 days or until the Texas Forest Service determines that drought conditions no longer exist in the county.

The National Integrated Drought Information System has marked Harris county as “abnormally dry,” a designation used to indicate areas entering or emerging from drought. As of Sept. 14, the 210 counties in Texas have instituted burn bans, according to the forest service.

The nonprofit Bayou Land Conservancy, which focuses on preserving streams that lead into Lake Houston, has named Dr. Anna Weiss as its new executive director.

The details: Weiss succeeds Jill Boullion, who retired after 10 years of service. In her new role, Weiss will oversee daily operations and implement initiatives directed by the board. She has a decade of experience in the environmental sector, most recently serving as the director of Green Galveston Initiatives at Vision Galveston.

Weiss earned her Ph.D. in geosciences from The University of Texas at Austin and previously managed community-led restoration and research projects for the Billion Oyster Project in New York.

Quote of note: "It is an honor to lead the Bayou Land Conservancy. I am grateful to my predecessor, Jill, for her legacy of leadership and I am excited to build on the organization's amazing 30 years of conservation," Weiss said.

Texas does not have a single system to connect first responders in emergencies, meaning local and state agencies often operate on a network of radio systems that are not always compatible with one another.

The big picture: State leaders said there are more than 50 different radio systems used by first responder agencies across Texas.

"We have situations where counties and cities are on separate ones, and they never know it until they have to [communicate with] each other," state Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, said during a Sept. 14 legislative hearing.

Looking ahead: King has vowed to pass a bill to integrate first responder communications under a statewide system during the 2027 legislative session, with some emergency management experts calling interagency communications "the No. 1 issue" in the aftermath of disasters.

"[This] is not simply a communication issue—it's a responder safety issue and an operational effectiveness issue," said Kyle Mills, head of planning and preparedness for the Texas A&M Forest Service.