Construction is underway on a new retail center that will be located near The Trails community in New Caney, according to a Sept. 17 news release from The Trails’ developer Castle Hill Partners.

Learn more: Work started on the retail center, named Trails at the Parkway, in early September, said a spokesperson for The Trails via email Sept. 23. Construction is expected to wrap up on the center in 2027.

Zooming in: Trails at the Parkway will be located on 33 acres of land and is being developed by Fidelis Realty Partners, as previously reported by Community Impact.

Developers were not ready to announce specific retail offerings at the center as of press time Oct. 5.

• Opening early 2028

• Intersection of Plum Grove Road and the Grand Parkway, New Caney (exact address TBD)

Greg and Brigette Little opened Lumos in New Caney in October 2025 to provide an additional entertainment venue to help the industry keep up with rapid growth in the area.

Greg, who worked in a sales and marketing position at Shell Oil Company for 24 years, said the entertainment industry was a welcome change.

A closer look: Lumos is a 45,000-square-foot entertainment and private event venue located in Valley Ranch's Entertainment District. In addition to attractions including laser tag, bowling and ax throwing, the venue features a 6,000-square-foot gaming arcade and the Omni Arena, which offers immersive virtual reality gameplay.

What's next: Moving forward, Greg said they would continue to search for new attractions to mix things up at the venue.

Why it matters: Looking back on their first year of business, Greg said he finds a lot of joy in watching people have a great time at Lumos.

On Oct. 1, the Lone Star College System board of trustees unanimously approved a fiscal year 2026-27 total tax rate of $0.1058 per $100 valuation.

This rate is $0.0002 lower than the previous fiscal year's rate and is budgeted to generate $356.2 million in tax revenue.

Diving deeper: The total tax rate consists of two parts:

• An M&O rate of $0.0839 per $100 valuation for college operations, including employee salaries and utilities

• An I&S rate of $0.0219 per $100 valuation to pay off bond debt, with leaders hoping to pay off $404 million in debt by approximately 2030 or 2031

What you should know: Taxpayers in the Harris Central Appraisal District are expected to see a drop in their college system property tax bill. However, some taxpayers in the Montgomery Central Appraisal District and the San Jacinto County Appraisal District are expected to see higher bills due to increased median property values.

National Night Out, an annual campaign to build relationships between law enforcement and the community, will take over several streets in Montgomery County through Oct. 9.

The details: Community members can meet local law enforcement agencies, including the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Conroe Police Department and the five Montgomery County constable offices.

• Tavola and Highland Pines: Oct. 6 from 4-8 p.m. at Tavola Community Center in New Caney and Highland Pines Golf Club in Porter.

• Conroe: Oct. 6 from 5-8 p.m. at the JC Penny parking lot.

• Tomball: Oct. 6 from 6-8 p.m. at multiple locations, including Alexander Estates, Raburn Reserve, WoodLeaf Reserve, BridgeWater apartments, Crossings at Cherry apartments, OakBend apartments and the Tomball Event Center.

• West County/Woodtrace: Oct. 6 from 6-8 p.m. at the Woodtrace Recreation Center in Pinehurst.

• Magnolia: Oct. 8 from 6-8 p.m. at Unity Park.

• Kevin Brady Library: Oct. 9 from 2-4 p.m. at the Kevin Brady Library and Community Center in The Woodlands.

All events are free to the public and this list is not comprehensive.