Katy and Fulshear residents can partake in early voting for the May 2 election from April 20-28.

What residents need to know: City of Katy and Katy ISD residents can cast their votes at any of six early voting locations, while Fulshear residents can vote at any of 21 Fort Bend County early voting locations.

On the ballot: The May 2 election will include several positions on Katy City Council, Katy ISD board of trustees and Fulshear City Council. 

Fulshear voters will also determine whether to increase the city’s general fund sales tax from 1% to 1.25% while reducing the city’s economic development corporation A-Board sales tax from 0.5% to 0.25%.

Looking ahead: Election day is May 2 with voting locations open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.

Fulshear registered voters can cast their ballot at any of the 38 locations countywide on election day, while city of Katy and Katy ISD voters must vote at their assigned voter precinct locations on election day.

Fort Bend County is undergoing its first air quality study to determine how air pollution varies across the county.

What residents need to know: Fort Bend County Health and Human Services has partnered with The University of Texas at Austin and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health to conduct a three-week study to measure the county’s air quality at a neighborhood level.

The $100,000 study aims to support county public health initiatives by providing a baseline assessment to guide future air quality solutions, officials said in an April 7 news release.

How it works: Daniel Sung, a Ph.D. student at The University of Texas at Austin, said the study is a mixture of stationary and mobile monitoring over the three-week period. The van contains a computer monitor and a Vocus mass spectrometer, “a highly accurate, real-time monitoring system, capable of measuring more than 1,000 air pollutants while in motion and at fixed locations."

Next steps: Following the study’s completion, officials said data analysis will be performed before a final report is released in mid-2026.

After 16 months, Curry Pizza House shuttered the doors to its Katy location April 6 citing slow business, owner Neha Gogna confirmed.

“This decision was not easy,” Gogna said in an April 4 social media post. “We poured our hearts into serving this community, and we are incredibly grateful for every customer who supported us, dined with us and became part of our journey.”

On the menu: The restaurant specialized in traditional and Indian-inspired pizzas with menu items including curry chicken masala pizza, curry veggie delight pizza, barbecue paneer pizza and tandoori chicken pizza, according to its website.

Zooming out: Curry Pizza House has locations across nine states with seven stores in Texas including one in Cypress at 9814 Fry Road, Ste. A120, according to its website. Two other locations are slated to open in San Antonio and Prosper/Celina.

• 23523 Katy Freeway, Ste. 300, Katy

Do you miss any of Community Impact’s coverage from last week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from April 13-17.

• Pearland authorizes eminent domain near Smith Ranch Road
• Enrollment erosion: HISD to close 12 schools in face of student loss, maintenance costs
• Trader Joe's announces plans to open Spring-area store
• Magnolia Mayor Matthew ‘Doc’ Dantzer arrested; council sets April 20 censure meeting
• See what's happening at The Grid development in Stafford

Texas is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, with one January report projecting that the state will see a 142% increase in its share of the data center industry by the end of 2028.

During a wide-ranging Texas House hearing April 9, lawmakers questioned data center developers, energy companies and state grid officials about the amount of water the large facilities use; how they impact noise levels and air quality; and whether residents can expect higher costs when data centers come to their communities.

What they're saying: “Water is a really scarce resource in this state, and so we have to have a clear picture of what these facilities use on the water side,” said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

More details: Data centers use water to cool their computer servers and prevent overheating. The facilities have historically used a water-intensive process known as "evaporative cooling," but data center executives said April 9 that they have transitioned to “closed-loop” systems where water is continuously reused.