Bellaire City Council unanimously approved a contract amendment Oct. 5 related to the city’s Public Works facility renovation project off Glenmont Drive.

Why it matters: The now-approved amendment will insert a guaranteed maximum price of approximately $8.22 million into Bellaire’s Construction Manager-at-Risk, or CMAR, contract with Sedalco Construction Services, Beth Jones, assistant city manager and city engineer, said.

Diving in deeper: The CMAR contract was originally authorized in September 2025.

Agenda documents show that Sedalco is slated to aid with renovations of the existing building at 5235 Glenmont Drive and create new, multipurpose office space for Public Works staff, the Capital Projects team and various Parks and Facilities staff.

One more thing: About 170 different bids were received during the bidding process for the Glenmont Drive site plans, each of which was reviewed by Sedalco prior to selection of contractors. Jones said that the roughly $8.2 million amount is the combined total of all the bids and packages.

Located on the 12th floor of the luxury apartment complex Forme, The Branch officially opened for business Oct. 1 and is now accepting reservations, officials confirmed.

What's special about it: The 20,000-square-foot restaurant pairs dining and lounge spaces with its featured rooftop patio and pool offering sweeping views of Downtown Houston.

From the oven: The Branch serves a wellness-inspired selection of meals across breakfast, lunch and happy hour. This includes a continental-style Harvest Table for the earliest part of the day, spread with baked goods, fruit, charcuterie, yogurt and other a la carte items, according to a Sept. 30 news release.

Officials said that the restaurant’s all-day menu consists of Cabo-esque fixings. Guests can enjoy an oyster program, seasonal crudo and a curated cheese selection.

More details: The Branch aims to serve as a destination not just for luxury dining, but also for events, buyouts and monthly community programming. Guests can find more information related to private events and catering on its official website.

• 5501 La Branch St., Houston

A regional homeless initiative will invest $48 million over three years in a strategic philanthropic fund for a new program that will address homeless needs.

What this means: City leaders and partners will use investment from local organizations and philanthropies to launch Pathways to Independence, or P2I.

P2I will expand current homelessness initiatives by providing funding to end instances of new homelessness within 90 days.

As of early October, P2I has raised $34 million of its $48 million goal.

Zooming in: P2I will focus on several strategies that include expanding the region’s response, building on city investments like 419 Emancipation and advancing Harris County’s leadership.

The fund has no restrictions as long as it meets P2I’s plans and strategies. Part of its plan includes working closely with 419 Emancipation, which is currently at full capacity. However, there are no plans to find additional shelter spaces with the money.

One more thing: The funding is expected to be spent over three years to find more long-term, sustainable funding.

What you need to know: Democrat and incumbent Lesley Briones and Republican Steve Radack will face off for Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner this November.

Voters can prepare for the upcoming election with the following details:

• Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30, according to the Texas Secretary of State's website.

• Election day is Nov. 3, and polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Registered voters can cast their ballots at any polling location during early voting and on election day.

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed a law changing the amount of time students are required to spend in public schools from 180 days to 75,600 minutes per school year.

More than a decade later, some state senators are considering again mandating the number of days schools are open, citing concerns about student performance in districts that use condensed weekly schedules.

The details: At least 181 districts and 572 campuses used four-day school weeks in the 2024-25 school year, per Texas Education Agency data.

A TEA study found that during the 2022-23 school year, students attending school four days per week had lower performance in certain subjects on the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness than students at five-day schools.

"There is not a benefit that I see for a four-day school week for the child," Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, said. "We know there's learning loss. What is the advantage of a four-day [week]? Because I see none except to please somebody who wants to be off more days."