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Humble ISD officials opened 11 new elementary school playgrounds and two new middle school fitness centers in 2025.

Some context: HISD officials said the playgrounds and fitness centers are coming as part of the district's $775 million bond package approved by voters in 2022. Officials noted the playgrounds and fitness centers are open to the public when school is not in session.

As previously reported by Community Impact, HISD had already opened 13 new playgrounds as of December 2024.

Zooming in: Here’s a breakdown of all the playgrounds and fitness centers that opened in 2025:

Autumn Creek Elementary School

• Playground theme: The Nest
• Date opened: Oct. 30
• Ages: 5-12
• 14910 Woodland Dawn, Humble

• Playground theme: America the Beautiful
• Date opened: May 5
• Ages: 5-12
• 3500 Garden Lake Drive, Kingwood

• Playground theme: Aviation
• Date opened: April 17
• Ages: 5-12
• 12500 Will Clayton Parkway, Humble

Construction on a new Panda Express in Humble is projected to begin in July, according to a Jan. 12 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The $3 million project will consist of the construction of a roughly 2,700-square-foot facility, per the filing.

On the menu: Panda Express offers an array of American-style Chinese food options, including rice, chow mein noodles, orange chicken, black pepper steak, honey walnut shrimp and egg rolls, according to the company's website. Catering options for large events and bundles for five-person meals are also available.

The timeline: While a projected opening date is not yet available, construction is expected to wrap up in February 2027.

• 15902 Woodland Hills Drive, Humble

The University of Houston is set to open applications in February for a new online graduate certificate aimed at preparing students for jobs in Houston’s rapidly growing film and television industry, according to a Jan. 22 news release.

What you need to know: Housed in the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts, the Graduate Certificate in Film and Media Production and Leadership will offer evening synchronous online classes and is designed to build a local workforce pipeline for producers and project leaders, said Fleurette S. Fernando, associate dean and director of the Arts Leadership Program.

Quote of note: “We really wanted to ride that wave and create a program that can help to strengthen workforce development in film and television in Houston,” Fernando said.

More details: UH officials tied the launch to growing production momentum statewide following Texas Senate Bill 22, which allocates $300 million every two years to film and TV incentives.

Houston’s single-family rental market experienced solid growth in 2025, according to a new update from the Houston Association of Realtors.

Long story short: HAR reports single-family rental leases have increased 9.4% year over year, with a total of 3,283 homes leased in December. There was a 21.2% increase in listings, with 5,486 listings added to the Multiple Listing Service in December compared to 4,525 the prior year.