As part of Airbnb's $1 million FIFA Host City Impact Program, the vacation rental company, alongside the FIFA World Cup 2026 Houston Host Committee, will attempt to break an official Guinness World Records title for the longest continuous line of soccer balls.

What to expect: Houston officials will attempt to break the former world record by bringing in hundreds of youth soccer players and former Houston Dynamo player DaMarcus Beasley to place 1,000 balls at Hermann Park along the city's Green Corridor on April 11.

Upon successful verification by a Guinness World Records judge, the soccer balls will then be gifted to the Grow the Game Initiative, a program that expands access to soccer for underserved youth.

One more thing: The April 11 event, according to a March 24 news release, builds on an announcement in late December where Airbnb unveiled a more than $1 million investment to support the Green Corridor, a 14-mile sustainable route connecting FIFA World Cup venues.

On March 19, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced the opening of its new Colorectal Center located on the second floor of its Duncan Building, per a news release.

More details: The 24,565-square-foot center blends art and technology, aiming to create a calm, healing environment focused on patient experience, per the news release. This center includes 32 exam rooms, along with a lobby featuring three focus rooms. Patients will have access to supportive services such as nutrition counseling, pain management, genetic counseling and risk assessment.

Quote of note: “When we treat young patients, we are addressing more than just the cancer,” Dr. Y. Nancy You, professor of colon and rectal surgery and director of the young-onset colorectal cancer program, said via news release. “We also recognize the significant psychological impact that a diagnosis can have on their lives. This new center provides a dedicated space where we can deliver personalized, whole-person care and walk that journey with every patient, so they know they are not alone."

On March 20, student doctors at Sam Houston State University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine celebrated Match Day and learned where they would go for their residencies.

Some context: Student doctors interview with residency programs across the country, and submit a ranked list of the residency programs where they’d like to train, COM Dean Thomas Mohr said. The residency programs also rank the students they’ve interviewed, and after the preferences are processed, student doctors are paired with residency programs.

By the numbers: According to a March 20 news release:

• COM’s residency placement rate exceeded 99%.
• Almost 66% of student doctors will remain in Texas for their residencies.
• A little over 51% of student doctors matched into primary care specialties such as family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.
• 26% of student doctors matched into emergency medicine.

Beginning April 1, Texans can no longer use food stamps to purchase sweetened beverages and candy.

How we got here: During the 2025 legislative session, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 379, which prohibits Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from being used to purchase candy and sweetened drinks. In August, the federal government approved a waiver allowing Texas to implement the prohibition beginning April 1.

Texas will be the ninth state to prohibit SNAP benefits from being used on sugary items, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

How it works: Under SB 379, Texans will not be allowed to use their SNAP benefits to buy sweetened drinks containing any artificial sweeteners or at least 5 grams of added sugar, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. SB 379 also bans the purchase of candy with Lone Star Cards.

It is up to Texas businesses to determine which items are no longer SNAP-eligible, update their store purchase systems and train staff to recognize the newly restricted items, according to the HHSC.