Fewer homes were sold in Sugar Land- and Missouri City-area ZIP codes in July compared to July 2025, with 281 homes sold versus 282 last year, according to data from CB&A Realtors.

In a nutshell: Data shows three of five local ZIP codes saw fewer home sales year over year, with ZIP code 77489 seeing the largest percentage decrease in sales at 42.31%.

The details: The median home sale price decreased in four of five local ZIP codes year over year, with ZIP code 77459 seeing the largest decrease at 7.83%, according to the data. Meanwhile, ZIP code 77479 also had the highest median home sales price among ZIP codes, at $530,000.

24 Hour Pickle is set to open its fifth location in New Territory, officials confirmed.

What to expect: The business offers 24/7 access to climate-controlled pickleball courts for open play and reservations, according to its website. Lessons and clinics are also available.

Zooming out: The brand has four Greater Houston locations including Hwy. 6 in Sugar Land, Katy, Cypress and Meadows Place, per its website.

• 5804 New Territory Blvd., Sugar Land

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out these trending stories across the southern portion of the Greater Houston area from Aug. 10-14.

Simply South opens Katy location: Simply South opened its new location in Katy, according to the restaurant’s website.

The restaurant features vegetarian dishes from throughout India including a range of soups, curries, biryani, as well as desserts and chai.

Thousands of Fort Bend ISD families apply for new education accounts: As Fort Bend ISD prepares for a new school year, district officials are waiting to see how the new Texas Education Freedom Accounts affect enrollment.

State lawmakers created the TEFA program in 2025, and accepted students will receive some funding for education opportunities that include: private school tuition and fees; tutoring and therapy; homeschooling; and other services.

The Texas Education Agency released public school accountability ratings for the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 14.

"We use [A-F ratings] as a way to evaluate our own performance as adults, and then build action plans so that the way that we run our schools next year can be even better than last year," Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during an Aug. 14 news conference.

The overview: Across the state, 85% of campuses received a C rating or higher, which is considered “acceptable" academic performance.

Schools are rated based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps.

Zooming in: At least one district, Austin ISD, is at risk of being taken over by the TEA after two of its middle school campuses received their fifth consecutive failing grades this year. State law requires the agency to shutter those campuses or take control of the district.

Any potential state-mandated closures or takeovers will not happen immediately, as districts with concerns about their ratings have through Sept. 11 to appeal scores to the TEA.