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Cy-Fair Jersey Village Edition VOLUME 16, ISSUE 9 MAY 13JUNE 11, 2025
TEXAS LEGISLATURE
Rep. Hull aims to reform child welfare system Local nonprots mixed on bill's potential impact
BY RYAN REYNOLDS
A new bill led in the Texas Legislature aims to level the playing eld for families involved in the state’s child welfare system. House Bill 2216, led by Rep. Lacey Hull, RHouston, who represents parts of Cy-Fair, would extend the legal standards Native American families receive under the Indian Child Welfare Act to all Texans. The bill raises the threshold for removing children from their homes and prioritizes placing them with relatives when possible. HB 2216 has drawn mixed reactions from local nonprot leaders. Vince Duran, CEO of Boys and Girls Country, said it reects a growing eort to keep children with their families. Lisa Johnson, executive director of Entrusted Houston, said she believes the bill would have little impact locally, as it pro- poses practices that are already happening.
Lisa Johnson, executive director of Cypress-based Entrusted Houston, organizes the nonprot’s resource center, which provides clothing, furniture and other essentials to children and families in foster care.
CONTINUED ON 14
COURTESY ENTRUSTED HOUSTON
Also in this issue
Impacts: Get the details about plans for a new Trader Joe’s store in Towne Lake (Page 6)
Government: Discover how a new Harris County Precinct 3 ood mitigation tactic works (Page 9)
Education: Find out how Cy-Fair ISD schools were rated in 202223 (Page 10)
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CYFAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
Impacts
5 Autism Testing 4 Kids Autism evaluations and assessments are available for children ages 18 months to 7 years. • Opened Feb. 1 • 11240 FM 1960, Ste. 201, Houston • www.at4k.com 6 Goldsh Swim School The swim school provides lessons for children of all abilities from 4 months to 12 years old. • Opened April 1 • 24310 Hwy. 290, Ste. 100, Cypress • www.goldishswimschool.com 7 The Little Gym The facility provides gymnastics and exercise classes for children between 4 months and 12 years old and hosts birthday parties, camps and parent-child classes. • Opened March 10 • 22314 FM 529, Ste. 1000, Cypress • www.thelittlegym.com 8 Burlington The department store o ers clothing, footwear and accessories for men, women and children. • Opened March 28 • 10787 Jones Road, Houston • www.burlington.com 9 Fidelity National Title The full-service title insurance company handles the transactions and closings for real estate agents, investors and people looking to buy or sell a home. • Opened in March • 26321 Hwy. 290, Ste. 600, Cypress • www.idelitytitlehouston.com 10 Pet Vet 365 The business operates daily and o ers preventative, urgent, advanced, surgical, dental and behavioral care. • Opened May 5 • 9430 Fry Road, Ste. 400, Cypress • www.petvet365.com/cypress
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MAP NOT TO SCALE
N TM; © 2025 COMMUNITY IMPACT CO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
• 6860 Hwy. 6 N., Ste. C, Houston • www.nothingbundtcakes.com
Now open
1 Walmart The 203,790-square-foot store o ers groceries, household items, apparel, a pharmacy, a vision center and an auto care center. • Opened April 30 • 8927 Fry Road, Cypress • www.walmart.com 2 Nothing Bundt Cakes The franchise opened a new Coppereld location o ering various sizes and avors of bundt cakes for pickup and delivery. • Opened in early April
3 JuiceLand The business o ers plant-based meals, juice cleanses, tonics and wellness shots. • Opened April 11 • 9430 Fry Road, Ste. 600, Cypress • www.juiceland.com 4 Busta’s Burgers The menu features gourmet burgers, salads and grilled chicken wraps. • Opened April 1
• 9228 FM 1960, Houston • www.bustasburgers.com
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BY COMMUNITY IMPACT STAFF
The Patch Boys The business provides drywall repairs, including plaster repair, drywall installation, popcorn ceiling removal and texture matching services. • Opened March 31 • www.thepatchboys.com
• Opening in June • 7440 FM 1960, Houston • www.cypressassistance.org
Coming soon
16 Amped Fitness The tness center will o er a women-only section, cold plunges, red light therapy saunas, tanning, dry saunas and an athletic zone. • Opening this summer • 17340 Hwy. 249, Ste. 150, Houston • www.ampeditness.com 17 Goodwill Goodwill sells gently used items such as clothes, home goods, furniture, electronics, jewelry and books. • Opening date TBD • 10760 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress • www.goodwill.org The Easthaven Collection A new series of single-family homes coming to Bridgeland Central will bring urban-inspired architecture. Construction begins this summer. • Opening date TBD • www.bridgeland.com
Coming soon
11 Party Mini Golf The family-friendly business will feature a 19-hole mini golf course, music from across decades, TVs and drinks. • Opening this summer • 14443 Vintage Preserve Parkway, Houston • www.partyminigolf.com 12 Luce Avenue Coee Roasters The specialty co ee shop o ers unique co ee drinks, freshly roasted co ee beans, fresh-baked pastries and breakfast tacos. • Opening in June
20 Trader Joe’s The store carries fresh produce, snacks, meat and seafood, frozen items, baked goods, beer and wine, and owers and plants. Founded in 1967 in California, the national chain retailer is known for its branded products, including Mandarin Orange Chicken and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation ling shows construction will end in December. • Opening date TBD • 9715 Towne Lake Parkway, Cypress • www.traderjoes.com
• 20725 Tuckerton Road, Cypress • www.lucecoffeeroasters.com
13 Spanish Schoolhouse The Spanish-immersion center o ers part-time and full-time preschool and kindergarten programs, summer camps, and after-school classes. • Opening in June
Relocations
18 Huemn After outgrowing its previous location at 118 Vintage Park Blvd., Ste. D, Houston, Huemn health optimization studio has moved to a larger space in Vintage Park. • Relocated April 8 • 130 Vintage Park Blvd., Ste. A, Houston • www.behuemn.com 19 FASTSIGNS The business is moving from Hwy. 290 with new ownership. It o ers custom signs and visual solutions. • Relocation date TBD • 15932 Cypress N. Houston Road, Cypress • www.fastsigns.com
In the news
• 8231 Greenhouse Road, Cypress • www.spanishschoolhouse.com
21 Salt & Sugar Gastro Bar Owner Martin Garcia said the eatery has expanded with an outdoor patio and weekend brunch.
14 EōS Fitness The 24-hour tness center will open at the former LA Fitness site. The gym o ers group classes, strength training, lming space for content creators and more. • Opening in 2026 • 9244 W. Sam Houston Parkway N., Houston • www.eositness.com 15 Angels’ Attic Resale Store Cypress Assistance Ministries is opening a second resale store. The shop accepts donations of new and gently used products and resells them to generate revenue for CAM.
• 16010 West Road, Houston • www.saltandsugarhtx.com
22 Black Walnut Kitchen & Bar The cafe rebranded and got interior and exterior updates in early April. Breakfast, lunch, dinner will continue to be served.
• 10623 Louetta Road, Houston • www.blackwalnutcafe.com
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Government
BY RYAN REYNOLDS
Precinct 3 invests $11M in drainage projects
With more than $11 million in taxpayer dollars on the line, Harris County Precinct 3 is piloting two ood control projects aimed at improving drainage via detention ponds at Cypress Park and Deputy Darren Goforth Park. “We now have another tool in our toolbox to help prepare for when a storm event happens,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said. “We are using every technique we know about to try to keep water in the creek and out of people’s homes.” How it works At Cypress Park, the county is installing a manually operated valve system that allows crews to lower the pond’s water level ahead of major storms. The $6.7 million project is designed to reduce ooding from Cypress Creek by creating extra capacity in the pond before rain hits. Ramsey said the process begins two to three days before a fore- casted storm, when crews open the valve to drain the pond at a rate of about 28,000 gallons per
minute, creating extra space. The Cypress Park detention pond can hold up to 120 acre-feet of water, equivalent to about 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools, Ramsey said. Construction recently started on Precinct 3’s second pilot pond enhancement project at Goforth Park, where ocials are installing a pump system to provide additional detention for Horsepen Creek. Once complete, the park’s detention pond will hold up to 250 acre-feet of water. Ramsey said crews will pump the water level down between storms to create space ahead of the next rainfall. What’s next As of press time, the Cypress Park project was set to be com- pleted by May, while construction at Goforth Park is scheduled to nish by the end of 2025. Ramsey said Precinct 3 will monitor the performance of both sites and use watershed models based on past storms to identify areas where similar detention strategies could be eective.
Harris County Precinct 3 is piloting ood control projects at two Cypress-area parks to improve drainage.
N. ELDRIDGE PKWY.
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Deputy Darren Goforth Park
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CY FAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
Education
BY DANICA LLOYD & RYAN REYNOLDS CONTRIBUTIONS BY HANNAH NORTON
Cy-Fair ISD received a “B” for the 2022-23 school year with 80 out of 100 possible points in the Texas Education Agency’s accountability ratings system for school districts statewide. The ratings were released April 24 after a delay due to lawsuits, TEA ocials said. The announcement follows an April 3 ruling by Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals, which overturned a lower court’s injunction that had blocked the 2023 ratings for over a year. In September 2023, CFISD was one of over 100 school districts to sue TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, arguing the agency’s revamped accountability system was “unlawful” and would unfairly harm school districts. According to the TEA, 9.5% of districts earned an “A” rating, while 42.4% earned a “B.” About 33% received a “C,” 13.7% earned a “D” and 1.2% earned an “F.” Cy-Fair ISD earns ‘B’ rating for 202223 Cy-Fair ISD accountability ratings Since the A-F system launched in 2017-18, CFISD has only received three ocial ratings due to three years of State of Disaster declarations. 2017-18: Not rated due to Hurricane Harvey 2018-19: B (89) 2019-20: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2020-21: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
In a nutshell
the school year had already wrapped up. • The TEA changed accountability guidelines after State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readi- ness and end-of-course exams were completed. • An investigation is underway related to a new scoring system for STAAR tests that year, includ- ing an automated scoring engine using articial intelligence. • The STAAR exam that year was required to be taken online “with an expectation that students in third grade and older would have expertise in manipulating online tools.” “Students are punished with no knowledge or control over the change in rules they were play- ing by. This is the equivalent of winning a close football game, then discovering your touchdowns were only worth three points each instead of six— so now you lost the game,” Killian said.
The state’s AF accountability system was designed to measure whether students are ready for the next grade level and how well each district prepares them for success after high school, Community Impact previously reported. “For far too long, families, educators and com- munities have been denied access to information about the performance of their schools, thanks to frivolous lawsuits paid for by tax dollars led by those who disagreed with the statutory goal of raising career readiness expectations to help students,” Morath said in an April 24 news release. TEA ocials said the methods of calculating 2022-23 ratings were “updated to more accurately reect performance.” CFISD Superintendent Doug Killian said the district participated in the lawsuit because: • The TEA didn’t release the accountability manual for 2022-23 to districts until Oct. 31, 2023—after
The breakdown
according to TEA data. Elementary schools averaged an 80, middle schools averaged an 85.6 and high schools aver- aged a 78.5.
CFISD schools with 50% or more economically disadvantaged populations averaged a 77, while campuses where less than half of the students were economically disadvantaged averaged a 90,
District snapshot, 202223
Cy-Fair ISD ratings by campus, 202223 A: 20 B: 24 C: 37 D: 6 F: 1
3rd largest school district in Texas 117,686 students enrolled 58% economically disadvantaged 11.5% special education
19% emergent bilingual 92.6% average attendance rate 21.7% missed 10% or more of the school year
2021-22: A (90) 2022-23: B (80)
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
What’s next
with the highest degree of transparency to deliver the best outcomes that we can for our kids,” Morath said April 22.
“A-F ratings are very public, and so that is a leadership challenge that our leaders bear, but this is the cross that we bear for being publicly funded and having the public’s children in our schools. It’s up to us to operate
The TEA remains blocked from issuing ratings for the 2023-24 school year due to a separate lawsuit, which is pending in the state appeals court. Morath also said the TEA intends to release ratings for 2024-25 on Aug. 15.
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Education
BY RYAN REYNOLDS
Cy-Fair ISD projects $50M shortfall
“I really want to put some money aside as well to try to address and bring back
as many of those [bus] routes as we possibly can. Beyond that, it’s really just a case of, what are we going to get from the Legislature?” DOUG KILLIAN, CYFAIR ISD SUPERINTENDENT
With $1.2 billion in projected expenses, Cy-Fair ISD is exploring options to address a projected $50.1 million budget shortfall for scal year 2025- 26. CFISD Chief Financial Ocer Karen Smith said at the April 15 meeting the shortfall is due to a lack of state funding and an anticipated 1% drop in student enrollment, among other factors. A closer look Public schools in Texas have not seen an increase in the basic allotment of $6,160 per stu- dent since 2019, according to the Texas Education Agency. Smith said the current state funding formula does not account for cost-of-living increases or ination, which rose by 20% from 2019 to August 2024, according to a CFISD presentation on Feb. 6. To cut costs, CFISD administrators are rec- ommending reducing the number of unlled positions by 2%, which could save about $18 million, Smith said. The district is also considering
adjusting teacher allocations to match the pro- jected 1% drop in enrollment, potentially saving an additional $6.8 million. Smith said the district expects a $5.4 million increase in spending to cover a full year of trans- portation salaries and instructional software. Superintendent Doug Killian outlined several of his top priorities for the district, including: • A general pay increase to help with teacher retention • $1,000 stipends for teachers at economically disadvantaged campuses • Stipends to teachers in special education and other critical shortage areas • Using savings to address police ocers, parapro- fessionals, bus drivers and other positions What’s next CFISD ocials will hold a public budget work- shop May 22 and plan to adopt the budget June 23.
“We had a decit budget [for] this current budget, we’ll be looking at a
decit budget [for] the next budget, and of course, if you run decit budgets, ... you run out of money. That is denitely not sustainable.” JUSTIN RAY, CYFAIR ISD TRUSTEE
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CYFAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
Transportation
BY LIZZY SPANGLER CONTRIBUTIONS BY MELISSA ENAJE
Under Senate Bill 2722—authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston—excess Harris County Toll Road Authority revenue would be distributed to commissioner precincts based on the percentage of roads they maintain. Precinct 3 oversees 47% of unincorporated county roads, Commissioner Tom Ramsey said, while Precincts 1 and 2 each oversee 15%. Precinct 4 oversees 23% of unincorporated county roads. “I’m being severely underfunded,” Ramsey said during testimony to the Senate Transportation Committee on April 9. Bill targets toll road funds Breaking down the bill Under SB 2722, HCTRA toll road revenue would be required to go toward operating, expanding, maintaining, or administering a toll project or system; or to retire debt related to a toll project or system. Of the revenues that remain after paying the costs of the above: 70% goes to Harris County for road maintenance
On the other hand
Funding breakdown For Harris County’s scal year 2024-25, each precinct received the following amount from the county’s mobility fund:
While the HCTRA is responsible for operating and maintaining the safety, reliability and sus- tainability throughout Harris County’s toll roads, the county’s jurisdiction does not include feeder roads, county ocials said. Harris County’s mobility fund utilizes its surplus HCTRA revenue to fund eligible transportation projects across all four county precincts. Precinct ocials’ project oversight must fall under the umbrella of the Texas Transportation Code that includes costs related to the design, construction, maintenance, repair or operation of roads, streets, highways or other related facilities, according to county budget documents. The bill also would require independent audits to ensure toll revenue funding is allocated properly—a notion HCTRA Executive Director Roberto Trevino said already takes place through independent audits.
$79.8M
Precinct 1 Precinct 3 Precinct 2 Precinct 4
$39.9M $72.1M $68.6M
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET COMMUNITY IMPACT
“There has been a lot of information shared by various agencies about the validity of this pro- posed legislation. This includes interpretations of HCTRA’s nancials as well as its law enforcement and incident response services on the toll roads. Those testimonies do not reect a true picture of HCTRA’s critical role in providing mobility options for the growing region,” Trevino said in a statement.
Before you go
Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones spoke out against the bill during Commissioners Court on April 10. As of press time, SB 2722 passed the Senate on April 29 and had been sent to the House, according to Texas Legislature Online. A companion bill, House Bill 5177, was left pending in committee as of press time.
During testimony before the Senate’s transportation committee on April 9, Houston Fire Chief Thomas Munoz and Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz testied in support of SB 2722. Christine Lee, the director of legislative aairs for Precinct 2, testied against the bill on behalf of Commissioner Adrian Garcia. Other ocials who testied against the bill include Trevino and Adam Haynes, the policy director at the Conference of Urban Counties.
30% goes to Houston for reimbursement of toll road- related emergency services
95% of the funds must be allocated to commissioner precincts based on the percentage of roads owned and maintained 5% can be allocated to other county departments or projects
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINECOMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
Dining
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Urban Skillet serves up gourmet halal burgers After winning an award for the best halal gour- met burger in California, Urban Skillet owner Omar Qureshi opened its rst Texas location in Cy-Fair. What’s special about it? With roots tracing back to Pakistan, Qureshi said he moved to the U.S. when he was 8 years old. Years later, after operating Urban Skillet with his family for over 10 years, he moved to the Houston area to expand the family business. Qureshi said the way halal meat is processed creates the distinct juicy avor his burgers oer. During this process, meat is slaughtered humanely and processed with care and respect for the animal and consumer, Qureshi said. “I really want to [have] the best burger in Texas on the halal community side, so I just want every- body to try us and rate us,” Qureshi said.
Burgers at Urban Skillet contain a half-pound of meat.
PHOTOS BY JOVANNA AGUILARCOMMUNITY IMPACT
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10130 Grant Road, Ste. 204, Houston www.urbanskilletla.com
The brisket fries ($9.25) are a popular menu item.
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CYFAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
Rep. Hull aims to reform child welfare system From the cover
A closer look
In a nutshell
impact as she feels its measures are already being practiced. “I would really hope, at the very least, Repre- sentative Hull would know that ‘active eorts’ are denitely happening by the case workers, especially in Harris County,” she said. Overall, foster care numbers have declined over the past few years locally and statewide. Family Freedom Project, a statewide non- prot focused on defending parental rights and protecting families, reported Texas removed 55% fewer children from their homes in 2024 compared to 2018. Ocials attributed this decline to state reforms.
Inconsistent standards and poor communi- cation often lead to unnecessary separations, Duran said. By adopting ICWA’s family-rst principles, he said the bill would give all Texas families the same legal protections. “Many times, kids were removed a little too quickly based solely on the testimony of an angry 12-year-old or based on family members who were going to make false allegations because there was a divorce or some type of legal action,” Duran said. On the other side, Johnson, who started Entrusted Houston to support foster and adop- tive families, said HB 2216 may not have much
The Indian Child Welfare Act, passed in 1978, protects Native American children by requiring strong evidence before removal and prioritizing placement with family or tribal communities to preserve cultural identity. HB 2216 would extend these protections to all Texas families by requiring the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to make “active eorts,” rather than the current “reasonable eorts,” to reunite children with their families. The bill also raises the standard for terminating parental rights from “clear and convincing evidence” to “beyond a reasonable doubt” and prioritizes placing children with relatives. “My bill, as in ICWA, requires an appropriate— albeit limited—service plan providing resources that can help the parent protect their due process rights while still ensuring safety and welfare of the child,” Hull said during a March 25 hearing. “That plan could be limited to counseling or parenting classes and would in no way include visitation due to safety concerns.”
Children in substitute care*
Foster care students in Cy-Fair ISD
Texas Harris County
500
48,889
50,000
331
400
40,000
27,405
300
30,000
159
200
Foster care reform e orts
20,000
5,640
2,389
100
December 2015: A federal judge declares the Texas foster care system “broken.” May 2017: Senate Bill 11 creates the Child Protective Services Legislative Oversight Committee; House Bill 871 makes it easier for state agencies to work with faith-based organizations. January 2020-December 2021: Statewide, 21 facilities housing 13 or more children are shut down or have their licenses revoked. September 2021: The Texas Legislature funds $83.1 million in SB 1 to hire 312 caseworkers; HB 5 allots an additional $90 million to the DFPS. October 2021: Gov. Greg Abbott approves a new panel to analyze the rising number of foster care children without a placement. Jan. 29: Hull ¡les HB 2216. June 2: Lawmakers convene for the ¡nal day of the regular session.
10,000
0
0
*WHEN A CHILD IS REMOVED FROM THEIR HOME, SUBSTITUTE CARE CAN INCLUDE FOSTER CARE, GROUP HOMES OR PLACEMENTS WITH RELATIVES. SOURCES: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Who it aects
Duran said Boys and Girls Country plans to pilot a program supporting single mothers and their children in 2026. The nonprot, which houses children from families in crisis, also helps guardians strengthen their parenting skills and trains local teachers on supporting children from traumatic backgrounds. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, 85 children lived at Boys and Girls Country. During that time, the organization received more than 500 calls for help and reunited 14 children with their caregivers. Entrusted Houston supports children awaiting foster care placement during this transitional period. The nonprot also assists caregivers through its resource center and hosts a yearly holiday drive, which served more than 2,800 children in 2024.
Former Cypress Christian School student William Swan said he spent several years in the foster care system growing up because his biological family was “very dangerous.” He was separated from his brother for over a year before their case worker ultimately helped get them adopted into the same family. “It was very hard for me because I didn’t get to reach out to my brother sometimes, and we lost contact for a little while,” he said. “I believe [HB 2216] could do some good. I believe it could potentially help with keeping a family together, [but] I think it just depends on the case.” Agencies in Cy-Fair are supporting families in alignment with the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, which focuses on helping children stay safely with their families, reduc- ing the need for foster care placements.
In 2025: 41.8% of DFPS-involved children are in kinship settings 90.5% of emergency reports get a face-to-face response within 24 hours
31.3% is the turnover rate for Child Protective Investigations employees 91.8% of nonemergency reports get a face-to- face response within 72 hours
14
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
BY RYAN REYNOLDS CONTRIBUTIONS BY EMILY LINCKE
What they’re saying
Get involved
Entrusted Houston www.entrustedhouston.org • Serve in the resource center • Donate clothing, baby supplies and furniture Boys and Girls Country of Houston www.boysandgirlscountry.org • Mentor and tutor children • Collect and help organize donations, including clothing and toiletries Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services www.pchas.org • Support the organization’s special events • Host a drive to collect needed items BEAR…BE A Resource www.bearesourcehouston.org • Help out during events • Donate BEAR bags, hygiene packs and school bags Family Ties www.familytiesfrs.org • Offer community outreach, administrative and fundraising support • Serve at events and in the youth mentoring program How to help
Entrusted Houston serves 300-400 children each month, and nonpro¡t o¤cials said that wouldn’t be possible without the collective support of individuals, churches, businesses and community organizations. “We have de¡nitely seen an increase over the years, and the calls have only been growing in numbers lately,” Johnson said. Duran, an ordained minister and church board member, encouraged anyone interested in supporting foster families to reach out to their local churches. He said many churches in Cy- Fair o§er post-adoption support services. He said churches view supporting foster and adoptive families as a form of ministry, helping the state shoulder the responsibility of caring for children who have been removed from their homes. Boys and Girls Country and other organizations are always looking for volunteers, Duran said.
“Poverty situations alone will no longer constitute neglect [under HB 2216].” REP. LACEY HULL, RHOUSTON
“This is more of a crisis than people realize. It’s not until they have a family member or loved one
get involved with the CPS system that they realize how dysfunctional it is.” VINCE DURAN, CEO, BOYS AND GIRLS COUNTRY
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15
CY FAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
Events
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Boardwalk at Towne Lake 9945 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress www.boardwalktl.com • May 17: The Peter’s Brothers, 11 a.m. Creekwood Grill
Fajita Fest Check out local fajita vendors while enjoying live music, games and a bounce house at Clark Henry Park. • May 24, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. • Free (admission) • 7804 Equador St., Jersey Village • www.fajita-fest.com ‘Willy Wonka’ Bridgeland High School Theatre presents “Willy Wonka,” a play based on the 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” • May 23-24, 7 p.m.; May 24-25, 2 p.m. • $20 (admission)
May
Live music
Dueling Pianos Enjoy a high-energy night featuring live music, comedy and pizza at the Jersey Meadow Convention Center. • May 16, 7-10 p.m. • $15 (admission) • 8502 Rio Grande St., Jersey Village • www.jerseyvillagetx.com Texas Hold ’em Poker Night The Daly Round hosts a poker night with cash prizes for three lucky winners. • May 17, 8-11 p.m. • $100 (buy-in for $1,500 in chips) • 11734 Barker Cypress Road, Ste. 116, Cypress • www.thedalyround.com Chamber luncheon and business expo Demographer Susan Cates speaks at the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce’s monthly membership luncheon. Held at the Berry Center, this event also includes a business expo. • May 20, 10 a.m.-noon (expo), noon-1 p.m. (luncheon) • Free (expo admission), $35-$45 (luncheon) • 8877 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress • www.cyfairchamber.com
The Backyard Grill 9453 Jones Road, Houston www.thebackyardgrill.com • May 16: Nate Gordon, 7 p.m. • May 23: May Rhys, 7 p.m.
12710 Telge Road, Cypress www.creekwoodgrill.com • May 16: Brian Loftin, 6:30 p.m. • May 17: Nate Gordon & Daryl Skeeters, 6:30 p.m. • May 23: Cody Taylor, 6:30 p.m. • May 30: Mark Ward, 6:30 p.m. • May 31: Katie Katy, 6:30 p.m. • June 7: Mark Childres, 6:30 p.m. • June 8: John Ebdon, 6:30 p.m. The Daly Round 11734 Barker Cypress Road, Ste 116, Cypress www.thedalyround.com • May 16: Brandon Januhowski, 7:30 p.m. • May 30: Nigel Edison, 7:30 p.m. Vintage Park
• May 30: Randy Hulsey, 7 p.m. • June 6: Drewbadour, 7 p.m. The Barn at Frio Grill 16416 Mueschke Road, Cypress www.friogrill.com • May 17: The 70s Rock Experience, 6 p.m. • May 24: Double Vision, 6 p.m.
• 10707 Mason Road, Cypress • www.bridgelandhstheatre.org
Wine tasting and horse races Enjoy a wine-tasting event while watching horse races at the Sam Houston Race Park. • May 24, 5 p.m. • $20-$30 (admission) • 7575 N. Sam Houston Parkway W., Houston • www.shrp.com
Ryan Pinnick is performing June 13 at Vintage Park.
Brew:30 Taphouse 15914 Telge Road, Cypress www.brew30taphouse.com • May 16: Marcus Breidenthal, 6:30 p.m. • May 23: John Steele, 6:30 p.m. • May 24: Magic with the Streeter Brothers, 6:30 p.m. • May 30: Matt Sebastian, 6:30 p.m. • May 31: Righteous Cause Band, 6:30 p.m. • June 7: Mike Amabile, 6:30 p.m.
June
COURTESY RAY JENKINS PHOTOGRAPHY
‘Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play’ Stageworks Theatre presents a play about spies, murder and love in the style of a 1940s radio broadcast. • June 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21, 7:30 p.m.; June 8, 15 and 22, 3 p.m. • $26-$38.75 (admission)
• May 24: Joseph Rauma, 7 p.m. • May 25: Louis Chacón, 7 p.m. • May 30: Dan Golvach, 7 p.m. • May 31: Louis Lamb, 7 p.m. • June 1: Billy Pope, 7 p.m. • June 6: JP Lee, 7 p.m. • June 7: Jerry Rowell, 7 p.m. • June 8: Jonah Miles, 7 p.m. • June 13: Ryan Pinnick, 7 p.m.
110 Vintage Park Blvd., Houston www.vintageparkhouston.com • May 23: AJ Santana, 7 p.m.
• 10760 Grant Road, Houston • www.stageworkshouston.org
HUFFMEISTER 8945 Hwy 6 N (281) 859-5879 SPRING CYPRESS 22508 Hwy 249 (281) 379-7383
BARKER CYPRESS 17996 FM 529 (281) 656-4200 JONES ROAD 17414 NW Fwy (713) 983-8827
Nonpro t
BY DANICA LLOYD
Volunteers serve at CAM’s food pantry in March 2025.
DANICA LLOYDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Cypress Assistance Ministries has relied on volunteers throughout its history.
Food distribution has been a core part of CAM’s mission from the beginning.
DANICA LLOYDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
COURTESY CYPRESS ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES
Cypress Assistance Ministries celebrates 35 years
More than three decades ago, a group of women attending Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church began collecting food for those in need. This grassroots eort blossomed into Cypress Assistance Ministries, which distributed 1.2 million pounds of food to feed more than 36,000 people in 2024. “They started out by handing out boxes of macaroni and cheese out of the back seat of some- body’s car just trying to serve the neighbors,” CAM Executive Director Martha Burnes said. How we got here CAM ocially became a standalone nonprot in 1990, and 35 years later, it still primarily depends on volunteers, Burnes said. While its food pantry has always been a staple, the organization has since expanded to oer: • Financial assistance for qualied residents • Free employment services • Adult education via GED prep and ESL classes • Clothing and household goods • Seasonal programming for back-to-school and holiday seasons Burnes said CAM often serves those facing unexpected nancial hardships, such as medical emergencies and layos. “Sometimes, crises happen, and we want to help with that. But we also want to give people the tools so that we don’t see them next year,” she said.
CAM case managers verify the needs of individ- uals and families seeking assistance covering rent and utility bills, and they oer nancial counseling. Burnes also said CAM never covers the full amount. “We want people to have a little skin in the game, and even if they don’t have the money, we give them other resources that might pledge toward it,” she said. The nonprot partners with about 40 local churches that help ll the gaps. What’s next While churches, individuals and other local entities help fund CAM’s services, the Angels’ Attic resale shop is its largest revenue source. “I don’t know anywhere else you can go if you’re a new mom and you don’t have anything but $10 to dress your baby, you can walk right in here and get four or ve baby outts,” Burnes said. To help keep up with demand, CAM is opening a second location of Angels’ Attic this summer. Other new initiatives include the Gift a Gown prom attire drive which launched in 2024, and a new partnership with the Houston Food Bank’s Food Rx program launching this May. “The growth in the requests for services has been really signicant the last few years. ... Any- body living on a xed income [whose] grocery bill doubled—they’ve got problems,” Burnes said. “And so, certainly, having enough funding to be able to meet the requests for service is always a worry.”
Community members signed beams when CAM’s current location was under construction in March 2021.
DANICA LLOYDCOMMUNITY IMPACT
An archived photo shows a volunteer serving at CAM’s food pantry.
COURTESY CYPRESS ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES
CYPRESS N. HOUST O
N
12930 Cypress N. Houston Road, Cypress www.cypressassistance.org
18
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
MORE STELLAR THAN USUAL!
A TOUR OF THE STATE, MADE ESPECIALLY FOR COMMUNITY IMPACT MAY 2025
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
DETOURS: Hoodoos in Big Bend Ranch State Park CRITTER: The Caprock Bison
OUT THERE: Meanwhile, in Texas MADE IN TEXAS: Music Makers FEATURE PREVIEW: Meet the Texperts
Above: Big Bend Ranch State Park.
19
CY FAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
DETOURS
Clods and Monsters
Location: In Big Bend Ranch State Park, 26 miles west of the Barton Warnock Visitor Center BY PAM LEBLANC WALKING AMONG the weird spires of rock that sprout like giant mushrooms in Big Bend Ranch State Park feels like wandering the set of the original Star Trek series. The sand-colored hoodoos—some as tall as a two-story building—look otherworldly, but they developed natu- rally. Eons of wind and rain have scrubbed away softer materials such as fine-grained mudstone and porous tu at the base of the columns, leaving caps of hardened rock at the top. Use your imagination and you might see a human-shaped figure, a lumpy rendition of a troll, or a colossal bird egg balanced on a pedestal. These “fairy towers” famously appeared in the closing scenes of Boy- hood, Richard Linklater’s 2014 coming-of-age drama. An easy stop if you’re driving through the park, the Hoodoos Trail is about a mile long. If you’re not up for the walk, a shaded picnic table oers views of the hoodoos, the Rio Grande, and Mexico beyond.
acres, “they’re usually just cud chewing and wallowing and walking around like they have all day to do nothing,” says Na- talie Smith, a park interpreter. Still, she warns visitors to stay at least fifty yards, or half the length of a football field, away from a bison—and even more during rutting season, which typically lasts from June to September, when they can be aggressive. “If you get two bulls that are equally dominant and are physically equals, they can fight, and they will,” says park superintendent Donald Beard. “We have had bulls killed by other bulls.”
The bison at Caprock Canyons State Park, in the Panhandle, default to photogenic docility, as befits a noble symbol of the American West. They are the descendants of five herds, in- cluding one created by Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight, who in 1878 rescued several calves during the great slaughter that made the once plenti- ful bovines a rarity. There are other herds on private land, but Caprock’s has been designat- ed the o cial herd of Texas, a celebrity status the bison seem unaware of. Mostly unrued by the campers and day hikers who visit the park’s 15,314
YIKES. HOW DO I AVOID IRRITATING A BISON? Leave appropriate space be- tween yourself and any animal capable of tap dancing on your organs, and look out for signs of agitation. “If their tail is in the air, like it’s flagging, you need to step back,” says Smith. Ditto if it’s swinging its head from side to side. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I’M BEING CHARGED BY ONE? Beard says, “If you get into a situation where you’ve been charged, it’s too late.”
The Caprock Bison CRITTER OF THE MONTH
OH. —Lauren Larson
20
COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
MADE IN TEXAS
The Sound Machinists A Houston-area company creates modern synthesizers with vintage vibes for Joe Walsh, Duran Duran, and LCD Soundsystem. BY MICHAEL HALL
OUT THERE
Meanwhile, In Texas
In the right hands—customers include Chro- meo, Duran Duran, LCD Soundsystem, and nu- merousfilmandTVsounddesigners—theycan create audio that is human and otherworldly, animated and moody, hard and soft. “The idea that synths are just beeps and bloops is not accurate at all,” says Mike Gra- ham, an engineer and the vice president of business development. “They can sound creepy; they can sound angry; they can sound happy or sad. They can sound inquisitive.” The company’s roots go back to 1969, when Roger Arrick, then an eight-year-old living in suburbanFortWorth,firstheardSwitched-On Bach, an album of the composer’s songs played on the synthesizer created by Robert Moog. To read the rest of this story and stories about other independent makers in Texas, subscribe to Texas Monthly.
THE BUILDING’S WALLS sometimes shake with a sonic rumble. Other times, it’s like a spaceship is flying overhead or as if the elec- tronic duo Daft Punk has reunited in this pleasant industrial park in Stafford, thirty minutes from downtown Houston. But it’s just business as usual at the workshop head- quarters of Synthesizers.com. Thecompanyhasmadeanalogmodularsyn- thesizers for nearly thirty years. The instru- ments are based on the classic Moog (rhymes with “vogue”) synths of the sixties and sev- enties, but these modern-day machines are cheaper and easier to play. They are elegant, with black panels, silver knobs, and red lights.
Numerous attendees at a pickle- themed event in New Braunfels claimed that it was a fiasco, with one unhappy patron posting that she “didn’t even get 1 pickle” and that organizers “should have called it the dusty long line festival.” A pig named Peppa and a blind dog named Amy were reunited with their owner after the lost pair trotted along- side U.S. 290 and wandered into a general store in Austin’s Harris Branch neighborhood. Drivers of two vacuum trucks caused a large explosion and fire after they al- legedly attempted to steal petroleum from a pipeline maintenance station near Orla. The discovery of more than one hun- dred human teeth buried in the yard of a Hondo home prompted an investiga- tion by local police, who found out that the previous owners of the property were dentists who may have been fol- lowing a tradition of burying teeth for good luck . A state representative from Smithville introduced a bill called the Forbidden Unlawful Representation of Roleplay- ing in Education (FURRIES) Act, which would ban “non-human” behavior in schools, such as wearing a tail. A substation explosion at Texas Tech University caused widespread power outages and the eruption of green flames from manhole covers across campus. —Meher Yeda
Mike Graham operates a Studio-110 system at the Synthesizers.com oce in Staord.
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CYFAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
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