The Harris County Juvenile Probation Department is planning a new vocational training center in Katy to introduce career opportunities for young people attending its Leadership Academy.

What’s happening: Matt Shelton, the department’s assistant executive director, said the center will be built next to the Leadership Academy located at 9120 Katy Hockley Road.

The details: Shelton said the center will have four multifunctional vocational classrooms and covered outside areas.

After surveying kids on the vocational services they wanted to see at the center, welding was the most popular choice.

Other services the center may provide include:

• Construction trades

• Culinary programs

• Barbershop courses

• Mechanics programs 

• Multimedia programs 

“We're gonna use this as a way to inspire kids into the world of work,” Shelton said. “I think it's got to be something that they want to do.”

Stay tuned: In early September, Shelton said the department was only a couple weeks away from going out for bids for the center with construction expected to be completed in approximately a year.

Thien An Banh Mi & Boba has opened in Katy, restaurant officials confirmed.

On the menu: Besides its namesake banh mi sandwiches and boba tea, the Vietnamese restaurant also offers customers a Vietnamese crêpe, pork chop rice, smoothies and coffee, officials said. 

• 3349 W. Grand Parkway N., Ste. 103, Katy

Waller County residents will choose between Brian Cantrell and Ethel Wilmore for Precinct 4 commissioner 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 Waller County?

• What do you think is the most pressing issue for Waller 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? 

Harris County leaders broke ground Sept. 30 on the first of seven community solar program sites at the Reliant Center.

The details: The initiative, called the Affordable Community Energy Program (ACE), is the region's first county-led community solar program. It is designed to expand clean energy access and affordability for low-income residents while enhancing grid resilience during extreme weather and power outages.

The program details include:

• An $88.3 million investment the Harris County Commissioners Court approved in March

• Generation of up to 45 megawatts of solar energy and 20 megawatt-hours of battery storage on publicly-owned land

• Expected energy bill cuts of about 20% for 9,500 to 10,000 income-qualifying households at or below 80% of the area median income

• Expected completion of the Reliant Center site in 2027, with the remaining six sites continuing construction through 2029

• Resident enrollment starting in 2027 for both renters and homeowners

The average annual insurance premium for a Texas homeowner rose 79% in six years, from less than $2,000 in 2020 to more than $3,500 this year, Texas Insurance Commissioner Amanda Crawford told state lawmakers Oct. 5.

The overview: The rise in home insurance costs has been caused by severe weather, high inflationary costs impacting home repairs and "the concentration of risk" in the insurance market, Crawford said.

Experts said hardening homes against severe weather could help reduce expensive losses from disasters, resulting in lower insurance premiums.

Zooming in: Proponents of home-hardening incentives have pointed to their success in other Gulf Coast states, such as Alabama. Texas consumer advocacy groups and the insurance industry backed proposals to create a similar grant program last year, according to previous Community Impact reporting, but those measures did not pass.

"Resilience helps homeowners long before it shows up in an insurance bill because a stronger home holds up better when the storm comes," said Chelsea Stallings, a regional vice president for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies.