Houston will provide funding to invest in neighborhood parks with the greatest need.

What this means: Houston City Council approved $11 million to invest in 25 neighborhood parks throughout the city. The funding will allow the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and the Houston Parks Board, under the Let’s Play Houston initiative, to design and provide construction for the improvements.

The Let’s Play Houston initiative identified over 180 neighborhood parks and found that the 25 in the program had the greatest need. At least one park is in each council district.

The first round will improve 11 of the identified parks, including:

• Andover Park
• Bricker Park
• E.L. Crain Park
• Greenwood Park
• Haden Park
• Haviland Park
• Lawrence Park
• Montie Beach Park
• Pumpkin Park
• Trinity Gardens Park
• 6640 Wilcrest Greenspace

The Riot Comedy Club is preparing to open the doors to its new home this August after closing its former location in Rudyard's earlier this summer.

What's changing: The venue change involves moving the comedy club into a new purpose-built, 150-seat venue along Washington Avenue, according to a July 9 news release.

Designed specifically for comedy, the new 4,700-square-foot building features a custom showroom, more parking, a full food and beverage service, a daytime coffee shop and cafe, a full evening bar and is ADA accessible.

“Houston has an exciting, emerging and very underrated comedy scene, and we want to be the place that helps it grow,” Gendron said. “We’re committed to building a venue where local comedians can develop, national acts want to stop and audiences can be part of something that’s genuinely good for this city.”

Something to note: The new venue is expected to open in August, with a grand opening event anticipated to be announced in a few weeks.

• 1925 Washington Ave., Houston

Produced by The Cleverley Stone Foundation, Houston Restaurant Weeks is a multiweek event from August through September that helps raise funds for the Houston Food Bank through specially priced, prix fixe menus at participating restaurants.

HRW is now entering its 23rd year, and menus for the 2026 event officially went live July 15.

How it works: Houston Restaurant Weeks will return Aug. 1 through Sept. 7, offering 38 days of prix fixe brunch, lunch and dinner menus. According to a July 15 news release, more than 350 restaurants are expected to participate across the Greater Houston area from the Inner Loop, downtown and the Galleria to Sugar Land, The Woodlands and Galveston.

Customers can expect to find special menus throughout the month that range from $25 to $55, depending on the menu. Brunch and lunch are $25, with dinner options priced at $39 or $55.

Why it matters: For every dollar donated, approximately three meals are generated by the Houston Food Bank. In 2025, the event garnered over $1.6 million, per prior reporting.

For the first time since 2017, Houston will host a major WWE event called "Survivor Series: WarGames."

What is it: The WarGames series was created in 1987 by Dusty Rhodes and has become an iconic staple of the wrestling world, officials said. Over the course of its history, the format of the series has adapted and changed, but it was ultimately rebranded in 2022 into "Survivor Series: WarGames" and became a marquee event for the main WWE roster.

The event first appeared at a major sports stadium last year, with a debut at Petco Park in San Diego, which, according to a July 13 news release, set records for gate and attendance at approximately 46,016 fans participating in the one-day event. Now, the major showdown will be held at Daikin Park on Nov. 28.

The local impact: CEO of Houston First, Michael Heckman, said he anticipates the event to bring in thousands of fans and generate a "significant" economic impact for the community.

Tickets will go on sale Aug. 7 at 11 a.m.

As heavy rain and flash flooding threatens large swaths of South and Central Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott spoke to reporters about the state's preparation for and response to the severe weather July 15.

The big picture: The heaviest rainfall is occurring in southwest Texas, according to the National Weather Service, with 10-15 inches of rain expected through July 16 along the U.S. 90 corridor west of San Antonio. As of 2:40 p.m. July 15, all or parts of 14 counties were under a flash flood warning, including Comal, Hays and Bexar counties.

The city of New Braunfels announced several road closures July 15, and the city closed recreational access to the Comal River due to continued rainfall and rising water levels, Community Impact reported.

The severe weather came just over a year after historic flooding killed more than 130 people in Central Texas on July 4-5, 2025.

More details: Dozens of other counties were under flood watches, advisories and warnings. Fifty-nine counties were also under a state disaster declaration as of July 14.