Grand Lux Cafe will close its only Houston restaurant at 5000 Westheimer Road on Jan. 24, 2026, after 21 years in the Galleria area, as parent company The Cheesecake Factory Inc. shifts staff to other concepts and the district prepares for the arrival of Eataly and other new tenants.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into the finances and property tax practices of nearly 1,000 Texas cities to enforce a new state law that ties local tax increases to strict transparency requirements. The probe seeks records on how cities set and disclosed property tax rates, whether they followed mandated notice and hearing procedures, and how they communicated tax decisions to residents. The review could affect some cities’ ability to raise property taxes if investigators find failures to comply with the law’s transparency standards.
Lionel Messi became Major League Soccer’s first back-to-back MVP winner after league officials named the 38-year-old Inter Miami captain the 2025 Most Valuable Player. The announcement followed a season in which Messi led Inter Miami to the MLS Cup title and topped club statistics in goals and assists. MLS confirmed that no player had previously secured consecutive MVP awards and said it would formally present the trophy at a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale. League and club officials reported increased global attention, higher attendance and rising merchandise sales tied to Messi’s tenure.
Sofronio Vasquez, the first Asian champion of “The Voice,” has released a new version of “Grown-Up Christmas List” produced by Grammy-winning hitmaker David Foster, alongside his Christmas collaboration “Maybe This Christmas” with coach Michael Bublé. Announced via Instagram, the holiday tracks preview a 2025 EP produced by Bublé and featuring collaborations with Foster and Paul Anka, marking a significant step in Vasquez’s post–“The Voice” career.
Japanese Nobel laureate Shimon Sakaguchi, based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, plans to use his discovery of regulatory T cells to develop effective cancer immunotherapy. In an interview with Jiji Press ahead of the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, he outlined research efforts to modulate regulatory T cells to boost antitumor immunity while limiting autoimmune side effects. Sakaguchi said he will expand international collaboration, pursue clinical applications, and continue studies on how regulatory T cells affect various cancers and immune-related diseases.
Cambodia on Wednesday withdrew from the SEA Games 2025 in Thailand as an escalating border conflict between the two countries triggered a mass exodus of civilians from both sides of a disputed frontier, according to a Games official. SEA Games organizers in Thailand confirmed receipt of Cambodia’s withdrawal and began reviewing event plans, participation lists and security coordination with remaining member nations. Authorities in both countries evacuated residents from conflict-affected border areas and provided assistance to displaced civilians. The SEA Games Federation monitored the situation and prepared contingency measures to keep the regional multi-sport event on track despite Cambodia’s exit.
TxDOT announced that Austin’s Oak Hill Parkway project, which upgrades the congested US 290 and SH 71 corridor in southwest Austin, is scheduled for completion by mid-2026. The multi-year construction effort includes new lanes, reconfigured intersections, bridges, ramps, and safety improvements designed to increase capacity and improve traffic flow. Officials say crews remain on schedule and within budget while maintaining traffic through phased construction and coordinated detours. The project aims to enhance mobility and regional connectivity once the upgraded highway facility opens to drivers.
Elon Musk said in a recent interview that he would likely not repeat his role leading the Trump-era Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). About six months after stepping down, Musk reflected on the demands and challenges of overseeing a federal cost-cutting mission. His remarks highlight the complexity of reforming government spending and the limits of private-sector approaches in public administration. The news report details Musk’s comments, the goals of DOGE, the reaction it drew, and the broader context of efforts to streamline U.S. federal operations.
A new short film, “The Heart of Sister Lucia,” and testimony from her longtime physician, Dr. Branca Pereira Acevedo, highlight the life and mission of Fátima visionary Sister Lucia dos Santos as the Church marks the centenary of the Pontevedra apparitions with a jubilee year. Speaking in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, Pereira recounts how 15 years of caring for Sister Lucia at the Carmelite convent in Coimbra, Portugal, coincided with her own return to Catholic practice. The film premieres in Spanish on YouTube on Dec. 10 at 9:30 p.m. Spain time.
The Philippine Senate on Tuesday agreed in a caucus to oppose any move in the bicameral conference committee to cut the proposed P1.38-trillion education budget for 2025, Senator Bam Aquino said. Aquino, who chairs the Senate committee on basic education, reported that senators formed a consensus to defend the Senate-approved funding levels for the Department of Education, state universities and colleges, and related agencies. The Senate plans to instruct its bicameral panel members to resist any reduction in education appropriations as it works with the House of Representatives to finalize the 2025 General Appropriations Bill.