Houston City Council approved $2.5 million for safety improvements in the Heights during a Sept. 30 regular meeting.

The gist: The city approved funding for projects that will include installing traffic signals at the intersections of Waugh Drive, North Eldridge Parkway, North Dairy Ashford Road and Brays Bayou.

The project also includes construction of a 10-foot-wide sidewalk along the south side of North MacGregor Way. Additional projects include:

• Curb extensions on existing pavement

• Crosswalk installations

• ADA ramps

• Pavement markings

• Medians

• Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs)

One more thing: The contract for the project is set for 400 days, with a deadline of November 2027 at the earliest.

Brooks Running is planning to build a new retail location inside the MKT Shopping Center.

What we know: The project involves the renovation of an existing 4,466-square-foot space within the development. The estimated cost for the alteration is set at $1.3 million, with construction estimated to start in late 2026 and wrap up around spring 2027.

About the company: Brooks Running is an American sports brand specializing in high-performance running shoes, apparel and gear for men and women.

The brand also offers waterproof jackets, joggers, sports bras, T-shirts and shorts.

• 600 N. Shepherd Drive, Houston

The nonprofit Houston Parks Board is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, HPB President and CEO Justin Schultz said.

Some background: Founded in 1976, the group works to expand, improve and protect parks and green space in the Houston region by building, renovating and managing projects.

Over the past 50 years, the board has invested about $500 million in parks and green space using public, philanthropic and corporate funding.

Marking a milestone: The parks board typically works on about 50 projects at any given time, including more than 170 miles of connected trails.

Moving forward, Schultz said the board has three main priorities:

• Adding 50 miles of trail to the existing network

• Investing in Houston's about 180 neighborhood parks

• Building the Hill at Sims and MacGregor parks

Officials broke ground on MacGregor Park on Oct. 1.

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out these trending stories across the southern portion of the Greater Houston area from Sept. 28-Oct. 2.

• Fort Bend ISD adjusts final day of 2026-27 school year

• Good Vibes Coastal Cantina and Good Vibes Coastal Kitchen close the same day

• New curated antique shop celebrates grand opening near West University Place

• 12 businesses recently opened in Katy and Fulshear

• Houston ISD to potentially cut, relocate teachers amid enrollment-driven budget evaluation

• San Jacinto College extends biotechnology partnership

Texas school districts using the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum saw slightly better year-over-year achievement last school year than other districts, according to Texas Education Agency data released Sept. 30.

What's happening: During the 2025-26 school year, 619 of Texas' 1,200 public school districts opted in to implement at least one of the three Bluebonnet curriculum programs—elementary math, secondary math and elementary language arts.

On this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, districts using the state-developed math materials saw student improvement that was 0.6 percentage points higher than students in other districts, while districts that implemented the reading materials performed 0.2 percentage points higher on the STAAR than other schools.

What they're saying: The TEA said the gains in student achievement are an "encouraging sign of early progress."

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a statewide educator union, disagreed, calling the results "rather paltry."

"It may take a few more years to determine if this is a valid trend or simply an anomaly," Capo said in a statement.