Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out these trending stories across the southern portion of the Greater Houston area from Sept. 28-Oct. 2.
Fort Bend ISD adjusts final day of 2026-27 school year
Fort Bend ISD students will end this school year one day earlier than planned.
At a Sept. 28 meeting, the Fort Bend ISD board of trustees voted to change the last day of the 2026-27 school year from May 27 to May 26 to allow all students to complete the school year ahead of four consecutive days of graduation before Memorial Day.
Read the full story by reporter Pili Saravia.
Good Vibes Coastal Cantina and Good Vibes Coastal Kitchen close the same day
Good Vibes Coastal Cantina in League City and Good Vibes Coastal Kitchen in Pearland closed Sept. 27, according to social media posts from the restaurants.
According to a letter shared with employees, the closure resulted from a failure to negotiate a lease restructuring with the landlord.
Read more by reporter Rachel Leland.
New curated antique shop celebrates grand opening near West University Place
West U residents Allaire Clark and Emily Downs celebrated the grand opening of their new antique shop, Curate, on Sept. 24.
The concept of Curate grew from Emily and Allaire's shared love of the hunt and the belief that the "most interesting" homes are collected over time, not decorated all at once.
Dive deeper with editor Cassandra Jenkins.
12 businesses recently opened in Katy and Fulshear
Learn more about businesses in the Katy and Fulshear area that have recently opened, as reported by Community Impact. This list is not comprehensive.
Some of these businesses include:
Busy Noodles
Peachwave
Spectators Bar & Grill
Simply South
The Only Facial
Aesthetica MD Med Spa
Learn more from editor Aubrey Howell.
Houston ISD to potentially cut, relocate teachers amid enrollment-driven budget evaluation
Over one month into the 2026-27 school year, Houston ISD leaders are evaluating campuses to potentially reshuffle staff and funding to better match actual student enrollment, according to a Sept. 22 news release.
HISD’s board of managers unanimously approved the district’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget June 25, using student enrollment projections for the 2026-27 school year, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Now that the school year has begun, principals of campuses with lower student enrollment than expected are being asked to cut staff, according to the release. These employees may be reassigned to other campuses with higher enrollment than expected.
Dive deeper with reporter Emily Lincke.
San Jacinto College extends biotechnology partnership
San Jacinto College extended its partnership with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, or NIBRT, to continue serving as the exclusive provider for NIBRT-licensed training in the southern United States, according to a Sept. 17 release from the college.
The NIBRT global program supports international training and education organizations to help address the shortage of a skilled biopharma workforce, the release states.
Read the full story by reporter Catherine White.
