Members of the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District held their inaugural meeting in late August, following the creation of the district through House Bill 1532 in May 2025. The district is charged with overseeing ongoing dredging operations in Lake Houston and portions of its tributaries to provide long-term flood mitigation.

The cost: Since Hurricane Harvey caused massive flooding in 2017, local, state and federal agencies have contributed about $175 million to remove more than 4 million cubic yards of sand and sediment from the lake and its tributaries. Roughly $7 million of that funding has not yet been spent.

The breakdown: The district's board members include:

• William Simpson, board chair

• Derek St. John, board treasurer

• Kathleen Todd Jordan, board secretary

• Sarah M. Berkey, board member

• Ken Kirchhofer, board member

How it works: The district cannot impose fees or new taxes, but it can eventually issue bonds paid off using generated revenue. Officials can also generate revenue by selling materials removed from the lake.

Democratic incumbent Harold V. Dutton, Jr. will face off against Republican challenger Heidi Hall in the race for Texas House District 142 in the Nov. 3 general election.

District 142 includes portions of the Atascocita, Fall Creek and Summerwood areas.

Diving deeper: Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.

San Jacinto College has extended its partnership with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT). The college will continue serving as the exclusive provider for NIBRT-licensed training in the southern United States.

What you need to know: The college’s Center for Biotechnology, located at Generation Park, opened in September 2025. It focuses on emerging programs such as cell and gene therapy, biologics and small molecules, offering workforce training, credentials and associate degree courses.

Some context: The partnership extension comes amid major pharmaceutical investments at Generation Park, including:

• A $6.5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing investment from Eli Lilly and Company

• A planned $2.3 billion manufacturing campus from Bristol Myers Squibb

Heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding will threaten large parts of Texas this week, Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters Sept. 28.

The overview: The governor pointed to severe flooding that occurred in South-Central Texas in mid-July, damaging property, sweeping cars off roadways and killing two people. This week's storms will impact "a far more vast portion of the state" than the July flooding, he warned.

The details: Abbott said heavy rains will "really dramatically affect" the majority of the state on Sept. 30, and the National Weather Service noted that "North-Central Texas is a particular concern."

"We don't have the information needed right now to advise Texans on exactly what's going to happen in our rivers," Abbott told reporters. "I can tell you this, however: Everyone should expect the rivers to rise."