Sam Houston State University began a renovation this November of The Woodlands Center to increase the capacity of its nursing school, SHSU School of Nursing Director Dr. Devon M. Berry said.

In a nutshell: While the campus's footprint will not be expanding, its interior space will be renovated, approximately tripling the amount of space for the School of Nursing. The project will increase the number of simulation and skills labs, and the number of active learning classrooms.

Quote of note: “It was our desire to see what we could do to help reduce the need for nurses,” Berry said. “So that meant for us, asking, ‘What can we do to expand our enrollment? Can we graduate more nurses per year to try to meet those workforce needs in Texas?’”

At a glance: The renovation is estimated to cost around $13 million-$14 million. Berry said SHSU has been planning the renovation for around 2 1/2 years.

At least 10 Greater Houston area Shoe Carnival locations are poised for a name change by back-to-school season in 2026.

The national retailer offers both name brand and private label merchandise including footwear and accessories, according to its website.

The big picture: Board members with the family footwear retailer Shoe Carnival announced Nov. 13 they unanimously voted to change the company name to Shoe Station, subject to approval from company shareholders ahead of its annual meeting in June 2026.

The following shoe stores are in the Greater Houston area, the list is not comprehensive:

• Northline Commons, 4436 Hwy. 290, Houston
• Gulfgate Shopping Center, 512 Gulfgate Center Mall, Houston
• Northwest Marketplace, 13784 Hwy. 290, Houston
• Southway Shopping Center, 8032 S. Gessner Road, Houston
• Almeda Crossing Shopping Center, 10011 Almeda Genoa Road, Houston
• Deerbrook Marketplace, 20506 Hwy. 59 N., Humble
• Price Plaza, 20280 Katy Freeway, Ste. A, Katy
• Victory Lakes Town Center, 2544 Gulf Freeway S., League City
• Conroe Marketplace Shopping Center, 2812 I-45 N., Conroe

Several places are kicking off the holiday season with holiday light displays this weekend. 

Sugar Land Holiday Lights
Attendees can enjoy millions of dazzling light displays, a new 9-hole mini golf course, a carnival, a synthetic ice rink and vendors. Santa Claus will also be visiting the lights in Sugar Land through Dec. 23.

• Through Jan. 1
• $18.24 (admission)
• 1 Stadium Drive, Sugar Land

• Through Dec. 31, noon- 10 p.m.
• $24.47- $47.10 (admission)
• Marriott Marquis Houston, 1777 Walker St., Houston

• Through Jan. 4
• Free
• 2101 Riva Row, The Woodlands

• Severe storms, tornado cause damage across northern Harris County
• New Caney ISD high schools to add 15 minutes to each school day
• Major projects in Humble and Kingwood result in increased water rates
• Waymo to launch fully autonomous driving in Houston and Dallas in coming weeks
• NRG Energy to build 455-megawatt natural gas power plant in Houston

Houston travelers flying on Frontier Airlines from George Bush Intercontinental Airport have four new nonstop services as of Nov. 20.

What they're saying: “With our launch of new service to Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale, we are thrilled to offer Houston-area consumers affordable travel to even more exciting destinations just in time for the busy holiday travel season,” said Josh Flyr, vice president of network and operations design, in a Nov. 20 news release.

Digging deeper: A record 5.8 million Texans are projected to travel within and outside the state from Nov. 25-Dec.1, according to AAA, which is up from approximately 5.7 million travelers in 2024. The airline announcement comes just days after the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration lifted a flight reduction emergency order for 40 airports across the country, including IAH, on Nov. 17.