In June, Lone Star College hired Shantha Stokes as its new chief mental health officer. In an interview with Community Impact, Stokes reflected on the challenges and successes she's faced during her first year, as well as the new initiatives planned for next semester. 

More details: Some of the questions asked by Community Impact include: 

• What are your responsibilities as Lone Star College’s chief mental health officer?
• What initiatives does Lone Star College have currently to prioritize faculty and student mental health?
• What challenges have you faced, if any, and what do you hope to accomplish next semester?

Community Impact covered hundreds stories from the Cypress, Cy-Fair and Jersey Village communities in 2025. See which stories were the most read this year and check out any new updates. 

1. Costco to build new store, gas station in Cypress along Grand Parkway
2. Trader Joe's poised to open first Cypress store in Towne Lake
3. Portillo's to serve Chicago-style hot dogs, sandwiches in Willowbrook area
4. The Cheesecake Factory set to open mid-November in Cypress
5. Bridgeland announces 40 acres of new parks, green spaces in Cypress
6. Walmart to open newly built location in Cypress in 2025
7. Round1 coming soon to Willowbrook Mall 
8. La La Land Kind Cafe to replace Land of a Thousand Hills in Cypress
9. Cy-Fair ISD to launch virtual programs starting fall 2026
10. Meet the Cypress family featured on ABC's 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' 

These stories are listed in order of most page views. 

In 2025, Community Impact has covered Harris County government, development, education and health care news.

Read on to learn more about some of the top stories this year. The following stories are not listed in any particular order.

1. Proposed hospital expansion could impact parkland
Read the full story about Ben Taub Hospital here and read the full story about LBJ Hospital here.

2. Harris County commissioners approve $2.7B FY 2025-26 budget prioritizing pay parity, public safety
Read the full story here.

3. Harris County Flood Control District advances $3.5B in approved projects stemming from 2018 flood bond
Read the full story here.

4. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo won't seek third term ahead of 2026 election
Read the full story here.

6. Harris County commissioners negotiate $81K pay raise for county's 8 elected constables
Read the full story here.

7. School district enrollment trends, closures
Read the story about Cy-Fair ISD by Reporter Sarah Brager here.

Approximately three dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, impacting how artificial intelligence is used in state government, when local officials can raise taxes after natural disasters and how much of businesses' inventory is taxed.

The background: The changes come after Texas’s biennial legislative session ended in early June. Gov. Greg Abbott signed over 1,100 laws passed by state lawmakers, many of which took effect in June or September.

The details: Some of the bills becoming law in the new year are:

• House Bill 9, which will expand a tax exemption for business owners
• House Bill 30, which will tighten regulations on counties' and cities' abilities to raise tax rates after natural disasters
• House Bill 149, which will regulate the fast-growing AI industry
• House Bill 247, which will exempt certain border security infrastructure from property tax increases
• House Bill 1399, which will create a property tax exemption for stores selling animal feed
• House Bill 2508, which will establish a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of certain military members