After a six-month vacancy, the Southwest Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce tapped longtime board member and former chair Terre Albert to step in as president, beginning Nov. 10, as previously reported.

A closer look: A 14-year chamber veteran who has helped guide the organization through multiple name changes and three stints as board chair—including most recently in 2024—Albert said he’s focused on bringing stability as rapid growth continues along FM 1488 and into new master-planned communities. In a Q&A with Community Impact, he shares what drew him to the role, his first-year priorities around member outreach and retention, and how the chamber plans to strengthen its visibility.

More details: Some of the questions asked by Community Impact include: 

• What are your top priorities for the chamber in your first year as president?
• How do you see the chamber supporting small and mid-sized businesses as growth continues across the area?
• What role do you think the chamber should play in conversations around development, workforce needs and local government?

Two Step Farm held the grand opening of The Grazery, which offers coffee, beer and bites.

What they're saying: “Led by the trusted team behind B52 Brewing, The Grazery brings serious craft and zero fuss to Two Step Farm, making it a new must-stop destination inside the Farm Shop,” officials said in a Feb. 9 news release.

Some context: Alongside The Grazery, Two Step Farm, a residential community in Montgomery, also includes a dance hall that features live music, gatherings and events, a community co-op and a children’s play area.

• 3319 Wilderness Way, Montgomery

At the Feb. 9 Magnolia ISD board meeting, the Magnolia Education Foundation presented a $59,177.86 check to MISD to support teachers' innovative class projects.

Two-minute impact: The money was split across 17 different grants to 25 different teachers across nine MISD campuses, according to a Feb. 10 news release from the district. According to the news release, a wide range of projects and initiatives will be funded using these grants, including but not limited to:

• Innovative literacy resources
• Career and technical education enhancements
• Hands-on STEM and science learning
• Cultural and creative learning experiences

Lone Star College System will be opening applications later this spring for a new bachelor’s degree in education.

The big picture: The Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching will be available this fall at the LSC-Atascocita Center in northeast Houston and the LSC-Creekside Center in Tomball. Students can graduate from the two-year program as teachers certified in early childhood education-third grade or early childhood education-sixth grade.

What they're saying: “We want our local schools to be staffed by highly qualified, compassionate teachers who are prepared to meet their students’ unique learning needs,” said Rebecca Saiz, LSCS executive director of the Educator Preparation Program.

In a 3-1 vote, Harris County commissioners authorized moving forward on two new studies that will look at potential long-term solutions to jail overcrowding issues.

The big picture: The Jail Infrastructure Governance Advisory Committee, or JGAC, was formed in 2024 to identify methods of reducing detention rates and improving overall efficiency within the county criminal justice system.

The committee requested $1.25 million in funding for a study directed at:

• Overall jail detention rate reduction
• Master facility planning
• Implementable program step designs

More Houston-area residents were able to attain a home at the end of 2025 as mortgage rates and home prices eased, according to a report from the Houston Association of Realtors.

The gist: According to HAR’s housing attainability report, 44% of households in the Greater Houston area could afford a median-priced home in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 40% in 2024.

The median home price declined to $337,200, with a monthly mortgage payment being $2,280, compared to $2,490 in 2024. To afford a median-priced home in Houston, households needed to earn at least $91,200 annually, states the report.

Thousands of students who apply for Texas’ education savings accounts will likely not be accepted into the first year of the program, application data from the state comptroller’s office shows.

What's happening: Over 101,000 students had applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts as of Feb. 15. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. March 17.

Program funding is capped at $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year, meaning between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted. With demand expected to outpace available funding, applications will be prioritized through a need- and income-based lottery system.

Zooming in: Over 70% of program applicants were from low- or middle-income households, according to data from the comptroller’s office. Under Senate Bill 2, the 2025 law that created the program:

• “Low-income” is defined as families with annual household incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, or about $66,000 for a family of four.
• “Middle-income” is defined as families with incomes at or below 500% of the federal poverty line, or about $165,000 for a family of four.