Caldwell Homes debuted a new model home in The Highlands, a 2,300-acre master-planned community in Porter, officials announced in a news release Aug. 18.

The big picture: Located in Fairway Pines, an active adult community for residents age 55 and older, the new model home features the "Daisy" floor plan. The 2,600-square-foot, one-story floor plan features three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a three-car garage, per the website.

The details: According to the release, optional home features include:

• Game room

• Wine bar

• Conditioned Texas basement

• Extended covered porch

Additionally, all Fairway Pines homes include front-yard maintenance, smart home technology and energy-efficient features, per the release. 

With one of New Caney ISD’s trustees opting not to run for reelection in November, four candidates have filed to run for the seat, documents posted on the district’s website show.

Meet the candidates: Trustee Creg Mixon, who holds Position 2, has not filed for reelection in the Nov. 3 election, according to NCISD’s website. The four candidates that will vie for Mixon’s spot are:

• Chad Turner
• Kevin Jensen
• Kristina Haggard
• Ryan Schurdell

On the heels of a week of budget workshops, Montgomery County commissioners are set to handle a range of regular business items during the Aug. 20 meeting such as approving vendors for several bond projects as well as advancing a flood mitigation project.

What you need to know: Several projects that could move forward this week include approving the vendor for debris monitoring for San Jacinto Watershed and Tributary Barrier Flood Mitigation projects, for Stewart Creek, Lake Creek and East County, according to the agenda.

In 2025, Community Impact reported that the Texas General Land Office announced $60.37 million in funding had been awarded for drainage improvements across the San Jacinto River watershed. Community Impact previously reported that the county's application was originally filed in 2022, and the funding would be used to remove obstructions, clean tributaries and repair eroding creek beds and stream banks.

Also of note: The meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 20 at the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building.

Apple officials opened a new manufacturing facility in Houston as part of a $500 billion initiative from the company to strengthen production in the U.S. and the Houston area.

The big picture: The new 20,000-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing Center will be the second largest facility that produces Apple technology in the U.S., according to an Aug. 13 news release. The new facility will also provide interactive classes and trainings for businesses and entrepreneurs on principles such as:

• Advanced manufacturing 

• Smart technology use in manufacturing

• Advanced automation techniques

The classes will also be available to college students who would like hands-on learning about the technology industry.

Quote of note: “In less than nine months, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into this Houston facility,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “We stood up a factory, started production, and shipped the first advanced AI servers off the line ... and we’re pleased to begin Mac mini production later this year.”