Two candidates are running for Montgomery ISD Position 3 in the May 2 election. Incumbent Laurie Turner is not seeking reelection.

What you need to know: Early voting begins April 20 and runs through April 28, according to the Texas Secretary of State's website. Election day is May 2. In Montgomery County, voters can cast their ballot at any polling location during early voting. However, on election day, voters must vote at their designated voting precincts.

More details: Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity. For more election coverage, visit communityimpact.com/election.

A new cafe has opened in Conroe, owner Rhonda Schwob confirmed.

On the menu: Blue Giraffe Cafe offers a variety of drinks and snacks, Schwob said. Customers can order lattes, frappes, dirty sodas and matchas, and she said the shop carries 40 flavors of local sourced coffee beans. 

Bites include smash burgers, corn dogs, funnel cakes and more. 

• 1905 Longmire Road, A1, Conroe

Conroe City Council approved reinstating the step pay program for police and fire civil service employees March 26, with the pay made retroactive to each employee’s anniversary date.

The details: City Administrator Gary Scott said the cost to fully reinstate the program for the 2025-26 budget cycle is about $1.12 million. 

The step pay program gives eligible police and fire civil service employees pay increases tied to their anniversary dates, creating a more predictable pay progression over time, according to discussion during the meeting.

During the meeting, city officials said the move could be sustainably funded and tied that argument to city savings over the last two years.

How we got here: As previously reported by Community Impact, Conroe City Council approved a 6% cost-of-living adjustment for all employees in September while keeping the property tax rate flat, after debate over whether police should receive a larger increase. At the time, officials said financial pressures made bigger department-specific raises difficult.

Montgomery County commissioners voted 4-1 to advertise for architect services for a new justice center and courthouse facility during the March 26 meeting of Commissioners Court. Commissioners also discussed potential future financing options for the project that could include a bond election.

What happened: Two district court judges, 457th District Judge Vince Santini and 284th District Judge Kristin Bays were both called to the podium during the meeting to discuss available options for the new development. 

The cost: Bays said architectural plans will be completed at no expense to taxpayers through a court facilities fund both earmarked for judicial purposes.

Montgomery County Treasurer Melanie Bush said she’s been working with Commissioner Riley on cost estimates for a variety of potential funding options. She said if the county was to hold a bond election, the cost could range from $250 million for a single courthouse building to a “worst-case” scenario of $700 million for a courthouse and jail.

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta's company entered into an agreement, made public in March, to purchase the Women's National Basketball Association's Connecticut Suns, an American professional basketball team that finished 11-33 in the Eastern Conference in 2025.

What we know: The agreement, which was announced on the Houston Rockets' social media page March 30, involves relocating the franchise to Houston and rebranding the team as the Houston Comets, a historic title tied to the former WNBA team that was based in Houston from 1997 to 2008.

Pending league approval, the franchise is expected to begin playing at the Toyota Center for the start of the 2027 WNBA season, per the post.

The history: The Comets were one of the WNBA's original eight franchises, and during their reign, won four consecutive championships from 1997 to 2000 with top names like Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson.

Before you go: The Connecticut Suns will play its final season at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut in 2026 before relocating to Houston.

The Houston Independent Bookstore Crawl is back in 2026 with 31 independent bookstores participating from April 1-30.

The setup: For those interested, participants will need to pick up a bookstore crawl card from one of the participating bookstores and get a stamp. For each store visited, the participant will get a stamp or a signature from the bookseller.

What else: As part of the crawl, a raffle will be held in which participants enter for a chance to win special gifts when they visit 15 bookstores. After the 15th visit, an additional entry will be added to the drawing.

Cards must be dropped off at one of the participating bookstores by April 30 by the time the store closes.

At least 257,000 students have applied for Texas’ inaugural education savings account program, according to the state comptroller’s office. Less than half of those applicants are likely to be accepted.

The overview: Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts close at 11:59 p.m. March 31. Students enrolling in private schools will receive $10,474 to spend on tuition and related expenses, while homeschool students can get up to $2,000 each, and students with disabilities may qualify for up to $30,000 each.

Through March 29, about 23% of applicants had indicated they would be homeschooled while 77% of applicants said they wanted to attend a private school, state data shows.

Program funding is capped at $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year, meaning between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted.

By the numbers: About 34,000 students indicated in their application that they have a disability, per the comptroller's office. Students who have a disability and are considered low- or middle-income will receive priority acceptance into the program under state law.