Issue 08
Published June 9, 2026 · Bilingual edition
Two family kitchens on the same New York thread anchor this edition: a pizzeria a Magnolia CPA dreamed up in a train depot, and a bagel counter a family has been rolling by hand for nearly fifty years. Then the working calendar for the rest of June, and a hard clock on FM 1488 the state still hasn't answered.
Business · Founders of Magnolia
The Pizza Joint That Began in a Train Depot
Gary Hammons grew up in a pizzeria his parents ran out of a converted train depot in Hooks, Texas. Decades later, with his wife, Dr. Tina Hammons, and their chef niece in the kitchen, he opened his own in a restored Old Town house, where pizza comes four small pies at a time and the whole theme runs on wanderlust. Two years in.
Read the profile →Business · Founders of Magnolia
The Family That Keeps Coming Back to the Dough
Al Lala came from Albania at seventeen and lived above a pizzeria. His grandfather was a baker; his uncles and cousins ran bagel shops and pizzerias across the country. Now he and his daughter bake 500-plus by hand every morning at Classic NY Bagels, by the Target on FM 1488 — the same road his pizza kin have worked for decades.
Read the profile →Magnolia Life · The Guide
What's Left of June in Magnolia
The back half of the month, sorted: two Thursday county meetings, the second market day, three more Friday concerts at Emory Glen, a late-night shopping run, the steady Tomball farmers market, and the four-week warning on the Fourth at Unity Park. Confirmed dates, and the ones to call ahead on.
Read the guide →Roads · Civic Watch
The FM 1488 Median's Deadline Runs Out June 30. Still No Word.
The $10.23 million raised-median project was due to finish in the second quarter of 2026. That quarter ends in 21 days. The last public status figure is seven months old, and no agency update has reconciled it with the deadline. We won't guess the number — but the silence on a nine-mile public project is now the story.
Read the watch →Coming next
Friday's edition, more Founders of Magnolia profiles, and the median deadline's outcome as June 30 closes.
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