In late November, Generation Park welcomed a new seasonal addition—an outdoor ice skating arena—which will remain open until Jan. 4.

The big picture: Located at Redemption Square—250 Assay St., Houston—the rink is made of synthetic ice, or plastic panels, according to information on the Redemption Square website. Per the website, the rink opened Nov. 24 and will be open for the remainder of the holiday season.

The details: Tickets, which cost $15 for adults and $10 for kids age 12 and younger, can be purchased at the gate. Paid street parking is available on Assay Street, while free street parking is available on Redemption Road. Per the website, skaters are not allowed to bring their own skates.

Construction on a new Five Below in the Atascocita Commons shopping center in Humble began in October, according to a Nov. 6 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

What to expect: Five Below, which will be located in the retail space previously occupied by Party City, will offer a variety of items at affordable prices including fitness items, beauty products, pet supplies, candy and snacks, home essentials and home tech items.

The timeline: While a projected opening date has not yet been announced, the filing states construction on the project is expected to wrap up in May.

• 6705 FM 1960 E., Humble

Travelers will be able to fly directly to Rome from George Bush Intercontinental Airport, or IAH, beginning May 1, 2026, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced Dec. 2.

In a nutshell: Italian airline ITA Airways will offer the flights to Rome Fiumicino Airport, Whitmire said during a press conference. The new Houston connection marks the ninth U.S. destination for the airline, officials said.

Joerg Eberhart, CEO and general manager of ITA Airways, said the airline will start with three nonstop flights per week in May and ramp up to five flights per week by June. The flights are already available for purchase through the airline, he said.

Quote of note: “If we look at what’s going on in the Italian economy and the Houston economy, this gives us now the opportunity to go to Italian companies and try to track more of them and locate their U.S. headquarters here in Houston because we’ve got this great service now,” Houston Airports Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County was awarded more than $100 million in federal funding for several low-emission initiatives aimed at significantly improving air quality across METRO’s service area.

“This funding represents a major step in our effort to transition METRO’s fleet to cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles,” interim President Tom Jasien said in a Nov. 24 news release. “These improvements will strengthen our commitment to sustainability while ensuring we continue to deliver reliable service for the Houston region.”

Zooming in: METRO officials said the $100 million grant will allow for the following projects to be completed:

• Replacing at least 100 aging diesel buses with new compressed natural gas buses
• Building a new CNG fueling station
• Upgrading maintenance facilities to support expanded CNG operations