Efforts to build walkable connectivity along Shadow Creek Parkway in Pearland recently made headway after the city entered an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation to build two bridges in an area the department has right of way. 

What happened: Pearland City Council voted unanimously at its April 27 meeting to authorize a multiple-use agreement with TxDOT for the project.

How we got here: In January, City Council voted unanimously to award a $6.5 million contract to Stafford-based construction company Jerdon Enterprises to build the sidewalks from Market Place Boulevard to Clear Creek, where the new sidewalks will connect to the Shadow Creek Trail, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

Manvel City Council held a public hearing on two items involving updated state requirements and proposed zoning amendments during its April 27 joint meeting with the Planning, Development and Zoning Commission, or PDZC.

The details: During the meeting, the city presented proposed zoning ordinance amendments meant to align with House Bill 24, passed during the 89th Texas Legislature, which updates requirements for zoning notices, public hearings and protest procedures, according to city documents.

The meeting also included a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Meridiana development, allowing detached single-family homes on 40-foot-wide lots in remaining areas currently designated for townhomes, and permit two-story homes on all patio home lots, according to city documents.

What’s next: Following PDZC recommendations, Manvel City Council is scheduled to consider both items at 5 p.m. May 4 in Manvel City Hall, located at 20031 Hwy. 6, Manvel.

J N J In Home Care Services have been operating for a year to serve the Southeast Houston community.

What they offer: The team has over 30 years of experience as certified nursing assistants, and offers "compassionate and dependable in-home care to help individuals maintain their independence and comfort in familiar surroundings," CEO Janet Garner said.

While the in-home care service does not have a brick and mortar location, its serves Webster, Friendswood, Pearland, League City, Kemah, Seabrook and Southeast Houston, Garner said.

The team offers four, six, eight, 10, 12 hours available and 24-hour care services is available, if or when needed.

Texas residents are increasingly facing damaging storms that drive up home insurance rates and other housing costs. Ahead of the state's 2027 legislative session, consumer advocates and insurance industry representatives are urging lawmakers to consider affordability solutions.

What's happening: The average Texas home insurance premium—the amount paid to an insurance company—was $3,291 in 2024, according to the latest Texas Department of Insurance data. In total, premiums rose about 50% between 2022-24.

Texas’ high propensity for natural disasters has been “the No. 1 driver” behind recent rate increases, said Rich Johnson, a spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Texas.

Stay tuned: While Texas can't legislate itself out of weather risks, lawmakers have considered some policy changes to increase disaster resiliency and boost regulatory oversight of the insurance industry. Proposals range from creating grants to help residents weather-proof their homes to placing limits on future rate hikes.

In the early hours of July 4, 2025, an intense rainstorm pummeled communities in the Texas Hill Country, submerging low-water crossings as segments of the Guadalupe River rose more than 30 feet in 90 minutes. Twenty-seven young campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic, a private Christian girls summer camp located along the river in Hunt.

Those deaths could have been prevented if camp leadership took action sooner or had a written evacuation plan in place, investigators told a panel of state lawmakers tasked with studying the flood response during an April 27 hearing.

Quote of note: “Questions about what should happen next are many, but for me, one thing is clear: This tragedy could have been prevented,” Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, said.

Zooming in: Camp Mystic staff had more than two hours to evacuate 386 campers from their cabins, investigator Casey Garrett said.

In violation of state law, the camp did not have a written evacuation plan and counselors were not trained on what to do in an emergency, she said.