Traveling pop-up bounce park The Royal Duck will be at Deerbrook Mall in Humble from March 29 through May 10, according to a March 28 announcement on the mall’s Facebook page.

The details: The Royal Duck features a series of large inflatable castles where attendees can jump, bounce and play, according to the business’s website. Event officials said the outdoor pop-up park is weather dependent. If an event date is canceled or postponed, ticket purchases can be redeemed at future dates through the tour period.

• Opened March 29
• 20131 Hwy. 59 N., Humble

Humble ISD officials are hosting a job fair for positions in several departments from 4:30-7:30 p.m. April 24 at the Humble Civic Center, 8233 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble.

The specifics: The job fair will be open to certified staff only, according to the district’s website. Officials will be hiring for the following positions:

• Teacher 
• Counselor
• Administrative staff

Overtime payout for Houston’s fire and police departments is the biggest driver in the city’s projected expenditure increase, city officials said.

On March 31, Houston finance department officials at the monthly Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee meeting told council members that the city is expected to increase spending by $68 million.

The cost: According to Finance Department Director Will Jones, the Houston Fire Department is expected to increase expenditures by about $51 million. Of that, about $39 million will go toward overtime costs.

For the Houston Police Department, it is expected to increase by about $16 million, with $11.8 million going toward overtime. The total overtime spending for both public safety departments is expected to be an additional $50 million from previous projections.

“What we’re now facing is a $174 million general fund deficit for fiscal year [2025-] 2026,” Hollins told council April 1. “The largest single-year drawdown in the history of the city of Houston.”

Houston is moving closer to having its first apartment inspection ordinance on the books, a program that will monitor high-risk multifamily units to ensure that minimum safety standards are met.

What happened: During a joint Economic Development & Housing and Affordability Committee meeting March 30, officials from multiple city departments, as well as residents, discussed how the ordinance could benefit the city.

“This ordinance has been in the works for a bit,” City Attorney Arturo Michel said. “What people are really trying to focus on is, do we have something that’s fair, provides notice and is workable for people?”

Michel said the ordinance would require apartment property owners with 10 violations within a six-month period to register with the city’s high-risk inspection program.

Under the new ordinance, the city will monitor issues including:

• Building exterior conditions
• Stairways, balconies and railings
• Exterior lighting
• Walkways and accessibility paths
• Visible exterior structure concerns
• General maintenance

Despite counties nationwide seeing a slowing growth rate, the Greater Houston area is experiencing the opposite, per recent data from the US Census Bureau.

The gist: The data examines population changes within the timeframe of July 2024 to July 2025. According to the Census Bureau, the most populous counties saw more births than deaths and more people moving out than moving in from other areas of the country.

However, the Greater Houston area is still experiencing population growth, particularly in suburban areas.

Digging deeper: From 2024 to 2025, the counties saw the following population increase:

• Harris County: 48,695
• Montgomery County: 30,011
• Fort Bend County: 24,163