Manvel is purchasing a new 4,000-square-foot building for $500,000 that will be used as its City Hall for several years.

Manvel Mayor Delores Martin plans to keep pushing for an ordinance that would ban text messaging while driving after such a proposal failed in her city last week.

The city of Friendswood's animal control facility has failed to meet state standards.: Kim Christensen photoCouncil members expressed a sense of urgency to address issues related to the city's animal-control facility, which is antiquated, undersized and on probation.

With 12 dogs, five cats, two guineas, two chickens, a goat, a lamb and an emu, the Friendswood animal control facility is a suburban zoo. It’s all located at an antiquated building at 1322 Deepwood Drive that is smaller than most houses. The 1,000-square-foot facility was built in 1989 and is so dilapidated that the state in July put it on six months’ probation for eight violations.