Issue 25
Published August 7, 2026 · Bilingual edition
Magnolia ISD's first bell rings Wednesday, and the days before it are full: a sales-tax holiday that ends Sunday at midnight, a September job faire for 400 festival positions worth planning for now, and a meteor shower that saved its best night for the first school night. Also: who actually sets the water rate when a company, not a district, sends your bill.
Business · Your Money
The Sales Tax Takes the Weekend Off. The Fine Print Is the $100 Line.
Through midnight Sunday, clothes, shoes, backpacks and school supplies under $100 an item ring up tax-free. The threshold is a cliff, online orders count if paid in time, and computers were never on the list.
Read the story →Community · Jobs
The Festival Up 1774 Needs 400 Workers. The Job Faire Is September 12.
The Texas Renaissance Festival hires for its whole season in one Saturday at the Todd Mission grounds. Minimum age 16, documents in hand, and a firm ask: eight consecutive weekends.
Read the story →Lifestyle · Night Sky
The Perseids Peak the Night School Starts. For Once, No Moon.
A new moon on August 12 leaves the peak night dark, and the county's western farm roads are the best seats. The shower is already running this weekend, no equipment required.
Read the story →Civic Watch · Utilities
No City, No MUD on Your Water Bill? Then the Rate Is Set in Austin.
The companion to our July MUD explainer: investor-owned utilities serve much of the growth ring, their rates go through the Public Utility Commission, and complaints have a specific path. By Sam Holloway.
Read the story →Coming next
More on Tuesday, with the first school day of the year in between. If your student lands one of those festival jobs, or your first week of pickup lines turns up something the district should hear about, the newsroom reads every note. Openings, milestones and events in Magnolia, Dobbin and Montgomery are always welcome.