Five of Bellaire’s community partners shared a presentation Dec. 1 to City Council outlining the successes and challenges of 2025 as the year comes to a close. The five partners included the Bellaire Police and Fire Foundation, Evelyn’s Park Conservancy, Friends of the Bellaire Library, Nature Discovery Center and Patrons for Bellaire Parks.

Check out a snapshot of how each local organization contributed to the city and/or its residents this year.

Bellaire Police and Fire Foundation: The nonprofit organization was created by residents in 2014 to enhance public safety in the city of Bellaire by assisting the police and fire departments.

Projects funded through donations and grants awarded in 2024 and 2025 include:

• $42,000 to create a drone for a first responder program
• $33,640 for the fire department to receive thermal imaging cameras

• Raised a total of $166,244 through various events
• Disbursed $213,075 for programs and events overall

Officials with Memorial Hermann-GoHealth Urgent Care recently expanded the hours of its West University Center on Holcombe Boulevard to remain open until midnight.

Two-minute impact: The West University location is the fifth center to offer the change. In a Dec. 1 news release, officials said that alongside the four other centers, West Holcombe will now be open Monday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to midnight, providing expanded access to care for non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

How it works: Memorial Hermann Go-Health Urgent Cares offer virtual care visits, walk-in care and appointments. The urgent care center can provide services for ailments such as allergies, illness, skin infection, strep throat and urinary tract infections, as well as conduct lab testing, STD treatment and X-rays.

• 3501 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston

The Houston-Galveston Area Council is hosting public meetings for its Safety Action Plans, a measure to improve transportation safety and reduce serious roadway injuries and fatalities, officials announced in a Dec. 1 news release.

With nearly 20% of traffic deaths in Texas—760 people a year, or two people a day—and another 3,725 people annually experiencing life-altering injuries on roads in the Houston-Galveston region, H-GAC created the SAP projects to generate plans to reduce the number of fatal or serious accidents.

Get involved: Community members can provide feedback on roadway safety online or attend a first-round public meeting for the local SAPs, per the release.

Meetings include:

• La Marque: Dec. 1 from 5-7 p.m. at La Marque City Hall
• League City: Dec. 3 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Johnnie Arolfo Civic Center
• Sugar Land: Dec. 6 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the T.E. Harman Center
• Pearland: Dec. 10 from 5-7 p.m. at the Pearland Chamber of Commerce
• Regional Joint Meeting (H-GAC/METRO/Gulf Coast Rail District): Feb. 12, 2026, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Houston-Galveston Area Council

A dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Dec. 4. The new laws come 90 days after the end of a special legislative session that took place this summer.

The overview: Some of the bills becoming law Dec. 4 include:

• House Bill 8, which will replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, with three shorter exams beginning in fall 2027
• House Bill 18, which is designed to deter future legislators from leaving the Texas Capitol to prevent a legislative chamber from considering legislation, known as breaking quorum
• Senate Bill 54, which will roll back a short-lived rule that allowed registered Texas voters who moved within a county to update their address at the polls and immediately vote in their new precinct