A series of major water infrastructure projects spearheaded by the cities of Humble and Houston have resulted in increased water rates from both cities.

The overview: Officials said the projects are needed to meet new groundwater standards set by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District to reduce the potential for subsidence. A total of four major water projects are currently underway in the Humble and Kingwood areas.

Zooming in: Among the projects is Humble’s $2.4 million water line project. Humble City Manager Jason Stuebe said the project will construct a roughly 3,000-foot water line connecting Houston’s water supply—located at the intersection of Hwy. 59 and Rankin Road—to Humble’s Water Well 6, located on Rankin Road.

“This is a vital project, ... [since the city of Humble needs] to take more surface water from the city of Houston,” Stuebe said.

Additionally, Phase 2 of Houston’s $1.97 billion expansion of the Northeast Water Purification Plant in Humble is expected to be substantially complete in late 2025, said Drew Molly, chief water officer for Houston Public Works.

Yama Kitchen officials celebrated a Nov. 16 opening of their new location in Humble, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page.

The details: After opening the original location in Pasadena in April, the new Humble restaurant marks Yama Kitchen's second location, according to the company’s website.

Yama Kitchen offers a variety of Japanese sushi and Korean barbecue dishes, including specialty rolls, sushi and sashimi, hibachi dishes, ramen and stir-fry options.

• Opened Nov. 16
• 224 FM 1960 Bypass Road E., Humble

It was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the Lone Star College System noticed a lot of students who didn’t have the necessary items needed to make ends meet. That’s when Carolina Redmond, who is the executive director of care programs at LSCS, said the college developed a centralized tracking system, or care request form, so students could log in through their school portal and identify in confidentiality what it is that they need, whether that be food, clothing or hygiene items.

In a nutshell: Now, LSCS operates multiple care centers at its campuses, including LSC-University Park, LSC-Tomball and LSC-Montgomery. 

By the numbers: Redmond said LSCS has seen a rise in student visits at a few of its care centers in the 2025 spring semester. Redmond said in the spring, the LSC-Montgomery care center had about 2,037 visits, the LSC-Tomball location had about 5,125 students visit and around 3,676 students visited the LSC-University Park care center.

Because the holiday season can put a strain on struggling families, dozens of organizations across Houston are partnering with local nonprofits and food banks to help provide meals.

For those looking to give, here are 15 local spots to drop off food donations for families in need in the Greater Houston area.

Montgomery County Food Bank: The food bank is partnering with local businesses across the county throughout November and December to collect food donations for the holidays. 

• Through Dec. 31 
• Sample items accepted: cereals, healthy snacks, canned vegetables, canned fruits, grains, canned meat, peanut butter, canned soup, jelly and jam
• 1 Food For Life Way, Conroe

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, see what grocery stores in the Houston area will be open and closed Nov. 27. This list is not comprehensive.

Aldi

• Nov. 27: closed

• Nov. 27: 6 a.m.-noon (stores); 7 a.m.-11 a.m. (curbside); 7 a.m.-10 a.m. (home delivery); closed (pharmacy)

• Nov. 27: Closing at 4 p.m. (stores); closed (pharmacy)

• Nov. 27: closed

• Nov. 27: closed

This year, voters in communities across Texas were skeptical of local property tax hikes and supportive of larger tax breaks for homeowners and businesses, results from the Nov. 4 election show.

The overview: Voters in Community Impact’s coverage areas approved just over half of the local bond propositions and tax rate elections on the November ballot, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Statewide, 40% of tax rate elections and 45.9% of bond propositions passed, according to Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican and property tax policy writer.

Zooming in: Cities, counties, school districts and other local government entities use funding from tax hikes to build new schools and facilities; hire educators and first responders; and maintain local infrastructure. However, amid high inflation nationwide, more Texas residents are tightening their belts and asking local officials to do the same, fiscal policy experts told Community Impact.

Local governments whose tax hikes were shot down are now grappling with how to make cuts while maintaining essential services, Community Impact reporting shows.