Lamar CISD and Wharton County Junior College have come together to provide students with the opportunity to receive college credit and pursue certificates while finishing their high school requirements, officials announced in an Oct. 8 news release.

Diving in deeper: According to the release, the five-year agreement will begin with two offerings, including: 

• Business office technology at Terry High School

• Engineering design technology at Gene Tomas High School

Students in both pathways can earn up to 15 dual-credit hours while making progress toward an associate degree through WCJC.

What they’re saying: Kayse Lazar, Lamar CISD’s executive director of CTE, said she believes this partnership is vital in getting students interested in their future career and passion. 

Looking ahead: Student recruitment will be ongoing through October and November amidst course selection, per the release. Students will begin in fall 2027. 

The Angry Elephant has opened its third Greater Houston location in Katy, officials announced in an Oct. 18 social media post.

On the menu: The politically-themed bar and grill has several hot dog varieties along with sandwiches, burgers and entrees named after former presidents and celebrities like Ronald Reagan and Chuck Norris, according to its website.

Also of note: The bar has six other locations in Texas including Magnolia and Cypress in the Greater Houston area, per its website.

• 22756 Westheimer Parkway, Ste. 100, Katy

Fort Bend County residents will choose between Shawn McDonald and incumbent Brian M. Middleton for district attorney in the Nov. 3 election.

The details: Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been minimally edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.

Here's what we asked them:

• Why did you choose to run for this position?

• What are your qualifications for why you’d be a strong candidate in this role?

• What is your top priority if elected to represent the citizens of Fort Bend County?

• What do you think is the most pressing issue for Fort Bend County, and what will you do to address it?

• How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process?

• How should the county prepare to address its fast-growing population?

The Harris County Commissioners Court approved a 3-2 vote Oct. 15 to review oversight on countywide camera surveillance systems with a working group.

The overview: Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Tom Ramsey cast the dissenting votes. Led by the county Sheriff's Office, the group will create a governance framework for automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, and develop contract amendments regarding data retention and sharing by February 2027.

The details: An Office of County Administration report requested by County Judge Lina Hidalgo found the following details regarding the county's ALPR cameras:

• There are 154 county-funded Flock cameras, with 125 in commissioners precincts and 29 reported by county law enforcement.

• A community-driven mapping project reported about 3,500 ALPR cameras in the county, while Flock data from December 2025 identified about 5,300 active cameras.

• The county's Flock contract requires data deletion after 30 days and limits data access to county employees, agents and contractors of county law enforcement.

As Election Day nears, candidates seeking to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate are raising—and spending—large sums of money, their campaign finance reports show.

The details: Candidates and political action committees, or PACs, involved in federal races had until midnight Oct. 15 to submit reports detailing their fundraising and spending from the third quarter of 2026—July 1 through Sept. 30.

• Democrat James Talarico raised $60.2 million and spent $67.2 million, according to his campaign finance report.

• Republican Ken Paxton, the state's current attorney general, reported raising $10.2 million and spending $7.1 million

• Libertarian Ted Brown's campaign finance report shows he raised about $5,208 and spent $3,410

Preparing for the polls: Early voting in Texas' midterm election runs from Oct. 19-30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Texans can view a personalized sample ballot with information about dozens of candidates and local propositions at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.