Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the Houston Police Department, for the first time, is recruiting more officers than it is losing to retirement or leaving for other departments.

By the numbers: During a news conference Feb. 23 to kick off the city’s annual March on Crime program, Whitmire gave new recruitment and officer numbers for HPD. The March on Crime program emphasizes crime prevention education to residents during the month of March with the goal of reducing crime. Since Whitmire took office, he said:

• 746 cadets have been sworn in since 2024.
• On Feb. 26, HPD will swear in 69 cadets.
• After this week’s swearing-in, HPD will have 5,453 total officers.
• Response times to Code 1 calls (high-priority, urgent calls) average 5.6 minutes.

Marel Design Mobili, a Brazil-based furniture company, recently opened its third U.S. location in Upper Kirby, according to a Feb. 19 news release from company representatives. 

About the company: Marel is known for its lacquered finishes and diverse color palette that blend functionality with bold visual appeal since the 1960s.

Featuring the brand’s signature mix of sleek cabinetry and custom furnishings, the showroom was designed to feel more like a residence than a store, the release states.

More details: Houston was chosen to set the stage for Marel's Texas expansion because of its emphasis on self-expression, as previously reported by Community Impact. The brand plans to enhance design discourse with its meticulously built products and personalized service, Houston owner Wilson Bortolucci Filho said in a 2025 news release.

• 3600 Kirby Drive, Houston

Hundreds of volunteers will hit the streets Tuesday night across Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties to begin the annual Point-in-Time survey, which catalogues the number of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in the three counties.

How it works: The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County and The Way Home have been conducting the annual survey since 2011. The survey provides a snapshot of sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness year-over-year.

Volunteers will count sheltered individuals Feb. 23 as the official "night of record," according to a Feb. 20 news release. Meanwhile, the unsheltered portion of the count will take place over three days—Feb. 24-26.

Why it matters: The count is typically a part of a federal funding process for local homelessness response systems like The Way Home.

"The count helps identify service gaps, geographic shifts and emerging needs across the region and allows the community to track trends over time using a consistent methodology."

A total of 137,395 in-person and mail-in ballots have been cast in Harris County, more than halfway through the 10-day early voting period ahead of the March 3 primary election.

In a nutshell: Early in-person voting runs from Feb. 17-27, and election day is March 3. 

In Harris County, voters can cast their ballot at any polling location during early voting and on election day. The county has 60 early voting locations.

In Texas, to vote in either a Democratic or Republican primary election, voters do not have to be registered to vote in that party, but must choose one party's election.

Quote of note: “Primary elections are the first step to November,” Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth said via the release. “As we enter the midterm election season, I urge voters to educate themselves on the issues and candidates, and to make their voices heard early in the process.”

Some context: During the March 2024 primary election, 211,223 voters cast ballots during the entire early voting period, as previously reported by Community Impact.