Lone Star College enrollment up 5.9% from last year, with more than 97,000 students
Lone Star College System’s enrollment numbers are 5.9% higher than they were in fall 2024 and 15.9% higher than a decade ago, according to a Sept. 10 news release.
“We celebrate the fact that more students are choosing to call Lone Star College System home. However, our primary focus is not on boosting enrollment but on improving student outcomes through high-quality education,” LSCS Executive Vice Chancellor Seelpa Keshvala said in the release.
Breaking it down: According to the news release, enrollment is at an all-time high this fall with 97,294 students. 29,860 students are new to the college, while 32.5% of students are full-time and 67.5% are part-time.
Quote of note: “Regardless of their background, we want to help our students get from where they are to where they want to be,” Keshvala said. “We are striving to remove barriers, increase retention and completion, and embrace innovation to inspire growth and excellence in higher education.”
Canyon Lakes Liquor store operates under new ownership
Canyon Lake Liquor store has operated in the Cypress community for more than 21 years and as of August, the retail business has operated under new ownership.
Meet the owners: New store owners Robert and Julie Quillen tell Community Impact they are excited to bring new ideas and selections to the community.
What they offer: The store will offer ‘Drink of the Month’ packages, which are bundled deals that include all ingredients and items to make the cocktail in one package. Drink of the Month packages will be inspired by monthly themes.
The retail business will also be introducing a membership club for allocated bourbons and fine, small-batch tequilas.
Quote of note: “Since we are a small, local neighborhood store, we want to fill the void of the big box stores by providing more niche and small-batch offerings,” Robert said.
Houston single-family home sales jump nearly 12% in August, inventory up over 30%
The gist: Single-family home sales rose 11.9% compared to the same time last year in August, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ August 2025 Housing Market Update released Sept. 10. The number of homes available was also reported to be 30.4% above last year’s number. While sales and available homes numbers were higher, home prices didn’t show as much change this August compared to last year. The median sales price remained almost unchanged at $335,000, according to the report.
What they’re saying: “August brought the strongest sales gains we’ve seen so far this year, and that’s encouraging for both sides of the market,” HAR Chair Shae Cottar said. “Buyers have more choices and negotiating power than they’ve had in more than a decade while sellers continue to benefit from solid demand. As mortgage rates continue to ease, I anticipate buyer activity will remain solid in the coming months.”
Harris County commissioners negotiate $81K pay raise for county's 8 elected constables
Harris County commissioners are looking to adopt the fiscal year 2025-26 budget Sept. 18 with various approved pay parity adjustments including the re-negotiated raises for the county’s eight elected constables.
The vote: A motion to increase each elected constable’s salary to $260,000 passed Sept. 9 with a 3-1 vote. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis cast the dissenting vote and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was absent.
The details: The approved pay raise, county officials said, will be a budget neutral item, with funds coming out of each of the eight constable precinct’s own budget with no additional funding required from the county.
Quote of note: “After months of deep engagement through numerous town halls and hundreds of survey responses, the community told us what mattered most: public safety, public health, infrastructure and disaster readiness,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said in a statement. “I’m proud we delivered a balanced budget that protects core services, without having to ask hardworking women and men to vote on raising their taxes.”
