Clear Creek ISD officials project a $19.7 million shortfall for fiscal year 2026-27 following a preliminary budget review presented to the board of trustees at its May 4 workshop session. The district is considering multiple options to address revenue shortfalls and rising costs, including a potential voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, and continued review of staffing efficiencies, as it works toward balancing the budget by FY 2027-28.

What's next: The board of trustees will meet at its regular May 18 meeting to consider budget priorities for FY 2026-27.

In July, trustees are expected to review compensation plans and receive updated demographic data and certified property values. In August, the district will hold a public hearing before adopting the final budget and tax rate for FY 2026-27, according to budget documents.

VirtuPlay Zone, a virtual arcade will open a League City location in the summer, according to League City's website.

The details: Designed for kids, teens, and families, VirtuPlay Zone offers virtual reality, sports simulators and a variety of interactive games with space for birthday parties and a menu of food and drinks.

• 2809 Calder Road, Ste. 200, League City

Demolition of the vacant Northwest Mall is underway within the Hwy. 290 and Loop 610 corridor, the site for a proposed train station that would offer high-speed travel between Houston and Dallas, a project spokesperson confirmed with Community Impact.

What we know: Demolition began in mid-April and is expected to take approximately 12 months, the spokesperson said. The historic mall opened in 1968 but shuttered its doors in 2017, causing the building to sit abandoned for nearly 10 years.

The spokesperson did not answer questions regarding the approval process for the proposed high-speed rail project, which has not received an official green light, or a timeline for any construction beyond the demolition.

Some context: Texas Central, which has since rebranded to Texas High Speed Rail, originally led the project as a privately-funded venture, Community Impact previously reported. Amtrak then temporarily joined the project after receiving a $63.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

However, the federal government pulled the grant last year due to ballooning costs, pushing the project back to the private sector. 

On May 26, Texas Republican voters will choose their nominee for the U.S. Senate in a runoff election between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The big picture: The Republican race for U.S. Senate is one of several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

Cornyn and Paxton were the two highest-performing candidates in the eight-way primary race, with Cornyn securing 42% of the vote to Paxton's 41%.

At the polls: Early voting in Texas' runoff elections runs from May 18-22, and runoff election day is May 26.

Looking ahead: The winner of the May 26 overtime round will face the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate—state Rep. James Talarico of Austin—in the November midterm election. Third-party and independent candidates may also appear on the November ballot, and the winner of that election will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2027.