Houston ISD board managers approved the district’s academic calendar for the 2026-27 school year, which will begin Aug. 10 and end May 28, 2027.

The details: Board managers approved the 2026-27 academic calendar at their Feb. 12 meeting. The new calendar will remain consistent with the district's 2025-26 calendar with 181 total days. Officials noted the calendar was created using feedback from HISD's District Advisory Committee, Teacher Advisory Council, district teachers and staff, campus leaders and community members.

A closer look: According to the calendar, HISD students will have two week-long breaks and one two-week break throughout the year, including:

• Nov. 23-27
• Dec. 21-Jan. 1, 2027
• March 8-12, 2027

Set to open this spring, Yuma will take over the space previously occupied by Ninja Ramen.  

The backstory: After more than a year of searching for a permanent location, owner Miriam Leek-Meira said the popular Brazilian and Cuban sandwich shop will open this spring. 

The details: The restaurant will present a fast-casual atmosphere, Meira said, but with quality ingredients and food made from scratch. She also said the menu will feature an extensive non-alcoholic beverage selection for individuals who don’t drink alcohol.

A closer look: Meira said she’s optimistic the community will respond well to the brick-and-mortar location as she believes the concept “screams Houston.”

• 4219 Washington Ave., Houston

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.

Harris County residents can now see preliminary Federal Emergency Management Agency map data through a new interactive dashboard from FEMA and the Harris County Flood Control District in the first countywide update since 2007.

The big picture: As previously reported by Community Impact, the HCFCD and FEMA originally had planned a map update release in 2022, but the release was delayed repeatedly. The Modeling, Assessment and Awareness Project (MAAPNext) kicked off in 2019 and aims to supplement FEMA maps, while incorporating the data in an interactive, user-friendly dashboard.

Quote of note: “These maps are draft, there will be years of opportunity to review these maps and engage with the process before they are final,” HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said. “We have a lot more work to do, but it is really fulfilling to see that the FEMA maps are showing the progress that we all know is happening.”

The timeline: The estimated timeline provided to commissioners highlighted the maps may not become final until 2028.

Early in-person voting in Texas’ primary elections begins Feb. 17 and lasts until Feb. 27.

How it works: Texas has an open primary system, where voters decide at the polling place whether to cast ballots in the Democratic or Republican primary. Voters may not participate in both primaries.

What to expect: Voters will be given a ballot with a slate of statewide seats and other races determined by the voting precinct they live in. During early voting, registered voters can visit any polling location in their county.

Candidates who win their primaries will advance to the Nov. 3 midterm election.

Why it matters: Early voting gives registered voters the opportunity to cast their ballots before primary election day March 3.

Voter advocacy groups and experts told Community Impact that a vote in the March primaries is “the most impactful vote” Texans can cast, due to consistently low voter turnout and competition in certain races. Over 18 million Texans are registered to vote, although about one-fifth of registered voters participated in recent primary elections.