What you need to know: The Woodlands Township board of directors voted 6-0 during its Oct. 22 meeting to approve a task order for a new indoor recreation facility study. Burditt Consultants was selected to conduct the three-phase study, which will cost $231,600 and be funded by the township's parks needs assessment reserve. The study will determine feasibility rather than begin construction, with possible uses for the facility including recreation and sports.

Also of note: The project's first phase will examine three different scenarios for a field house and develop design ideas. The second phase will analyze operational costs and potential revenue. Board Chair Brad Bailey noted a desire to avoid competing with local businesses and suggested a potential partnership with Conroe ISD. The school district will not consider partnership details until the feasibility study is complete. Additionally, Chief Operating Officer Chris Nunes identified parking as the biggest planning challenge for the facility.

The Japanese casual lifestyle department store TESO Life is planning to open a new location at Sam Moon Center in Shenandoah.

According to information from TESO Group and Visit Shenandoah, the new store will be located at 17945 I-45 S. in Shenandoah. TESO officials stated in October that an opening date for the location has not yet been set.

📍17945 I-45 S., Shenandoah

The first week of early voting saw 104,054 ballots cast in Montgomery County, according to the county’s elections department.

Early voting runs through Oct. 30. The number of ballots cast so far represents 21 percent of Montgomery County’s 487,232 registered voters for the November 2026 election, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.

What you need to know: All registered Montgomery County voters can cast a ballot at any of the county’s 10 polling locations.

For the rest of early voting, polling places have expanded hours and are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

After closing school due to dangerous weather on Sept. 1, the district extended school day hours starting Oct. 13 to make up the lost time because the current calendar lacked spare minutes to absorb the closure.

The gist: Under state rules, school districts must provide at least 75,600 minutes of instruction annually. Assistant Superintendent Mark Murrel noted the district must either add another inclement weather day or add minutes to remaining school days.

The specifics: Using a scheduled March 29 inclement weather day would disrupt a planned four-day Easter weekend. The top 3 responses for a survey of 3,917 district employees showed:

• 43.4% supported adding five minutes per day for the rest of the school year.

• 25.3% supported adding two to three minutes.

• 15.6% supported using the March 29 date.

The board voted 6-1 against a motion to use the March 29 date instead of adding minutes.

A guide to haunted houses and ghost tours throughout the Greater Houston area offers several spooky activities ahead of Halloween. The non-comprehensive list features eight haunted houses and four ghost tours:

• Creepy Hollow Haunted House in Rosharon, featuring multiple themed scary attractions and a Lights Out with Krampus scare.

• Haunted Drive in Cleveland, a drive-thru haunted house with optional hay rides and a haunted maze.

• Houston Terror Dome Haunted House in Channelview, offering themed haunted houses, paintball, escape rooms, a pumpkin patch and axe throwing.

• Purgatory Scream Park in Kingwood, featuring four attractions including Hysteria and Deadwood.

• Redrum Fear Park in Richmond, which offers a twisted circus, a haunted movie theater, a defunct asylum and laser tag.

• The Thirteenth Floor in Houston, geared for guests 13 and older.

• Voodoo Bayou Haunted Trail in New Caney, featuring PG-13 entertainment.

• Woods of Kaos in Cleveland, a 30,000-square-foot haunted house.

• Houston Ghost Tour, The Last Stop Ghost Tour, Lizzy Borden Ghost Tours and Old Town Spring/Tomball Ghost Walk, which all offer guided walking tours.