The city of Katy will hold a special election Jan. 31 to replace Ward A council member Dan Smith, who is vacating his unexpired term to run for Waller County Commissioners Court’s Precinct 4 position in the March primaries. Smith shared his announcement in a Dec. 8 Facebook.

Up for election: The candidate filing period for the January election opened Dec. 15 following City Council's unanimous approval of the special election at a Dec. 15 special meeting. The filing period will end at 5 p.m. Dec. 22.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Jan. 31, according to the city’s website. The unexpired term will run through May 2027.

Keep in mind: Three council members’ positions will also be up for election in the May election, per the city's website.

Jade Mountain Martial Arts will close at the end of the year, owner Whit McClendon confirmed.

What’s happening: After two decades of business, McClendon announced his retirement and the closure of the studio in a Dec. 1 Facebook post, stating he is excited to explore life as a full-time author with his fiancée.

In their own words: “It’s been my honor to serve this community for the last two decades, and I’ll be forever grateful,” McClendon said in the post. “Not everyone is able to live a childhood dream for as long as I did. Fortunately, I’ve discovered that I have other dreams waiting in the wings, and it’s time for me to pursue them.”

• 5205 S. Mason Road, Ste. 80, Katy


Sonia Lopez was appointed by Harris County commissioners Dec. 11 to serve as one of the county's civil court judges to fill a vacancy as the presiding judge runs as one of the Democratic nominees for Harris County attorney.

Quote of note: Lopez, standing beside her family, told court members that she will work hard to earn the trust of Harris County residents.

“I have to thank my parents who taught me the value of hard work,” Lopez said. “They came to this country to live the American dream, and I think they have accomplished that.”

The setup: The appointment comes as presiding Civil Court Judge Audrie Lawton Evans formally entered the 2026 primary election by Texas’ Dec. 8 candidacy filing deadline. Six total races are being contested by both Democratic and Republican candidates across the March primary elections, including the Harris County attorney position.

The Texas power grid is expected to hold up this winter, officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said Dec. 9. This is due in part to “tremendous supply growth on the ERCOT grid,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said, amid an influx of data centers coming to the state.

The overview: Since last winter, over 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity have been added to the ERCOT grid, Vegas said. That growth, which largely comes from battery storage and solar facilities, could be used to power about 2.8 million homes during periods of peak electric demand.

Zooming in: Under most weather conditions, there is a less than 2% chance of a grid emergency through February, ERCOT found.

However, Texas could be in trouble in the unlikely event that a repeat of Winter Storm Uri hits large parts of the state this winter, although ERCOT noted that the probability of such a severe storm happening again was "well under one percent." The February 2021 freeze devastated an unprepared power grid, resulting in nearly 250 deaths.