Sixteen Houston restaurants that opened in 2025 are squaring off in CultureMap’s reader-voted Best New Restaurant tournament; round one ends Monday and the winner is set for April 16.

Williams Sonoma will open a roughly 5,000‑sq‑ft shop at Hughes Landing Retail Row this fall, the developer announced.

Sen. Ted Cruz is pressing Congress to rework Section 230, citing child‑safety concerns and a new White House AI blueprint that could reshape tech liability. The move mixes hearings, bipartisan wins and legal risk.

Old Hickory Inn closed its Braeswood Meyerland dining room and will relocate about one mile to 9601 Hillcroft; permit records show renovations wrapping by May 30, 2026.

Constable Precinct 4 arrested Terry Benton after an NCMEC CyberTip led investigators to files traced to a Lazy Meadows Drive home. He faces three counts and is held on $150,000 bond.

Deputies responded Thursday to a reported shooting in the 10900 block of West Sam Houston Parkway North. One man was hospitalized in serious condition.

Harris County homicide detectives are investigating after a man was found dead inside a home on Lundwood Lane. The sheriff’s office posted an update on X.

A 64-year-old man was arrested and charged with capital murder in the 1990 Lovers' Lane killings, a major break in a decades-old Houston cold case.

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Union Pacific train near the Washington Corridor early Thursday. Houston police are investigating at the scene of Cohn and Allen streets.

Parents and coaches are demanding answers after tax filings show a Katy American Little League director has a prior theft case. The discovery has raised questions about financial oversight.

New interactive maps from the Texas Cancer Registry make neighborhood-level cancer patterns in Harris County visible to the public. The tools show variation across the county while also coming with important privacy and statistical caveats.

Pat’s Donuts will hold a May 5 groundbreaking at 23487 Hwy. 242 in New Caney. Builder BAZCON confirmed the ceremony; an opening timetable is still pending.

A French‑Laundry–trained chef and his wife opened Truffle & Rye at 107 S. 3rd St., serving schiacciata sandwiches, pastries, coffee and occasional evening events.