this week's hot headlines

Texas universities' worldwide ranking leads this week's top stories

UT Austin ranks No. 35 in the world.

University of Texas at Austin/ FacebookU

Editor's note: It's time to catch up on the top Houston news of the week, including a sudden restaurant shutter and a new lunch service in the Heights. Plus a top downtown bar stages its comeback. Read on for our biggest stories, then find the weekend's best events right here.

1. 3 Texas universities declared best in the world in new report. The Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) has ranked three institutions among the top 100 on its prestigious Global 2000 list for 2026..

2. Meta to bring $115 million AI data center training initiative to Houston. The academies will offer career readiness and safety training, plus five weeks of hands-on education.

3. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex joint confirms Heights plans. "We're currently working with an amazing developer and some very talented designers to make this the best Candente location yet," owner Michael Sambrooks tells CultureMap.

4. Buzzy East Coast bagel bakery sets opening date for first Houston shop. PopUp Bagels opened on Friday, June 12, but will Houstonians embrace its unusual ordering policies?

5. NASA unveils Artemis III astronauts at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The announcement came two months after Artemis II's record-breaking trip around the moon that surpassed the distance record of Apollo 13.

hot-headlines popular stories

This Week's Hot Headlines

2 favorite Houston Mexican restaurants return and more popular stories

Courtesy of El Tiempo Cantina

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, featuring the return of two staple Mexican restaurants and the richest Houstonians of them all. Read on for our most popular stories, then head here to plan your weekend.

1. 2 treasured Houston Mexican restaurants reopen after brief closures. Two staple Houston-area Mexican restaurants are making comebacks after brief closures. Picos has already returned to service, while El Tiempo Cantina’s Webster location isn’t far behind.

2. 12 things to know in Houston food: Openings, closings, and meal deals. A successful hand roll restaurant continues to grow, a Chinese American restaurant quietly signs off, and a popular Houston chef shows off his Peruvian heritage. Plus, Houstonians can eat cold noodles for a good cause.

3. Houston oil tycoon is city's richest billionaire for 2026, Forbes finds. The richest billionaires in America have a collective worth of $8 trillion in 2026, a staggering $1.4 trillion increase since last year, says Forbes. And one local billionaire has regained the title as Houston's wealthiest resident.

President Trump Meets With Oil And Gas Executives At The White House Jeffery Hildebrand Hildebrand is the richest Houstonian. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

4. Beard Award-winning Latin chef dishes on big Houston move and menu overhaul. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chef Douglas Rodriguez and Bari Hospitality Group co-owner Pedro Teyuca join CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss Exilio Latin Flair, the company’s pan-Latin restaurant in Montrose.

5. Food & Wine's Best New Chef list includes Gulf Coast-obsessed Houstonian. A Houston chef is basking in the national spotlight. Food & Wine magazine has named Josephine’s Gulf Coast Tradition executive chef Lucas McKinney to its 2026 class of Best New Chefs.