Clear Creek ISD teachers will receive a 1% increase in the 2026-27 fiscal year, despite some board of trustees members saying the raise is not sufficient to keep up with inflation. 

Long story short: Robert Branch, CCISD’s assistant superintendent of human resources, said paying teachers more is critical to retaining high-quality educators, yet he acknowledged that the approved increases do not fully offset current inflation levels.

Digging deeper: Board member Arturo Sanchez said the district must rely on residents to advocate for the district with their representatives to fund CCISD’s budget.

The context: At a July 13 workshop, the board discussed its projected $23.4 million shortfall for fiscal year 2026-27 and is considering calling a $19.1 million voter-approved tax rate election to offset it, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

Veterinary Emergency Group, or VEG, is now open as a new 24/7 emergency clinic at Baybrook Mall as of mid-July, according to a press release from the clinic.

What you need to know: The clinic treats a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, guinea pigs and other exotic pets, according to its website.

Services include treatment for injuries and illnesses, dehydration, toxic ingestion and snake bites, along with on-site ultrasounds, X-rays and surgeries.

• 18980 Gulf Freeway, Ste. 100, Friendswood

Taking place from Aug. 24-30, theater fanatics can score exclusive deals on live performances in the city, including opera, music and dance performances, per a July 16 release.

The overview: For the fifth year, consumers can take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free tickets to hundreds of shows for Houston Theater Week, including favorites such as:

• "A Christmas Carol"
• "A Raisin in the Sun"
• Disney’s "The Little Mermaid"

Texas lawmakers are considering cutting a costly, decade-old tax break for the state’s booming data center industry.

The overview: Texas spends more than $1 billion annually on the sales tax exemption, and the comptroller’s office estimated in 2025 that due to the program, the state will lose about $3.2 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years.

The Lone Star State is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, and the Data Center Coalition, which advocates for the industry, has argued that the tax break program is key to maintaining that title. Senators and members of the public who spoke at a July 27 hearing disagreed.

Looking ahead: Amid a bipartisan push for more regulation of data centers, senators indicated that they intend to add more strings to the tax exemption program or eliminate it entirely.

"The question is whether or not we need to have a special session where all of us are focusing in on this," Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said.

“We do,” Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, replied.