The number of students in the Willis ISD emergent bilingual program has decreased by 13% in the 2025-26 school year compared to the 2024-25 school year, the district learned at its Jan. 14 meeting.

The gist: Bilingual coordinator Erika Del Rio told the board the district currently serves 1,677 emergent bilingual students, with the highest concentration at Willis High School at 481 students.

Del Rio said there has been a decline due to students "successfully exiting the program compared to the previous year.” The program had 88 students exit the program in the 2024-25 school year compared to 25 students the previous year, 2023-24, at the secondary level.

Quote of note: “This year, our bilingual program has made significant progress driven by the dedication and hard work of both our bilingual/ESL teachers and students in particular as they successfully implemented a new curriculum and instructional practices,” Del Rio said at the meeting.  

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GameStop, a large retail gaming hub in the United States, disclosed in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that it closed 590 stores in fiscal year 2024 and expects to shutter a "significant number of additional stores" during FY2025.

What we know: While GameStop has yet to release a standalone press release on the closures, the company's SEC filing states that officials have conducted a "comprehensive store optimization review" and are identifying for closure based on market conditions and individual store performance.

In the company's documents, GameStop notes that a significant number of customers have chosen to download games instead of buying games physically in-store.

"If consumers’ preference for downloading video game content in lieu of physical software continues to increase, our business and financial performance may be adversely impacted," the filing states.

The projections: While GameStop has yet to release a formal list of all individual stores closing by city or region, an unofficial list has been compiled of stores that closed in January.  

On March 3, voters in the primary election will decide who will be the Republican candidate in the State Board of Education District 6 in November. Tiffany Nelson and Barbara Denson have filed for the Republican primary. 

The details: Republican incumbent Will Hickman is not seeking re-election.

The context: Michelle Palmer is running unopposed in the Democratic primary to be a candidate in the November elections.

Recruiters from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will host a job fair Jan. 24 to hire for a variety of seasonal roles for the upcoming 2026 rodeo.

The overview: Rodeo staff as well as representatives from ASM Global, Amarak and Safe Management are hiring for part-time positions, including concessions, cashiers, bartenders, waitstaff, event staff and security, per a Jan. 13 news release.

What you need to know: Candidates must be 18 years or older to participate in the Jan. 24 job fair, which will run from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at NRG Stadium, according to the release. Interested applicants are encouraged to review available positions and apply online before attending the fair.

Additionally, American Medical Response is hiring paramedics and emergency personnel to work the rodeo events, and the rodeo's carnival partner, RCS, is recruiting game and carnival ride attendants, per the release.

Check this out: The 2026 Houston Rodeo will feature Western events, live music and carnival attractions March 2-22 at NRG Stadium, according to Community Impact's coverage of this year's lineup.