Three candidates are running for Conroe City Council Place 4 in the May 2 election. Incumbent Howard Wood 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.

Montgomery County Emergency Services District No. 1 opened a new facility on Calvary Road that officials said is designed to support both firefighter training and daily operations as the district continues to grow. 

During the March 27 grand opening, Assistant Chief Kirk Bailey said the site will help crews train for the kinds of emergencies they see across the district’s roughly 200-square-mile service area, where fire hydrants are not always available.

At a glance: Bailey said the facility includes a five-story burn tower built to simulate a range of structures, from manufactured homes to commercial buildings, along with features for ladder training, rope rescue and drafting water. 

The site also includes an outdoor classroom, indoor classroom space, locker rooms and dorm areas for firefighters and staff, he said.

What they’re saying: District staff said the district has grown from 88 personnel to 143 over the last three and a half years, and that the new site is intended to help meet staffing and training needs year-round.

Conroe City Council approved participation in a FIFA World Cup 2026 transit shuttle initiative March 26.

This vote gives city transportation staff the go-ahead to keep planning a special shuttle service between Conroe and Houston on game days. As previously reported by Community Impact, Houston will host seven FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at NRG Stadium, dubbed Houston Stadium for the tournament, June 14-July 4.

What happened: During the meeting, Nancy Mikeska, deputy city administrator and director of community development, told the council that the city’s transit department plans to provide transportation to Houston for World Cup matches much like it has for the rodeo. She said the city expects the service to operate within the fares it collects, meaning officials do not believe it will come at a cost to Conroe.

According to the presentation given to the council, the proposal calls for using three to four city-owned transit buses with about 20 passengers each.

Four astronauts boarded the Orion spacecraft on April 1 and lifted off that evening from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as part of Artemis 2, NASA’s first manned lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

What you need to know: Artemis 2 is sending NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a 10-day mission to orbit the Earth and moon, according to NASA’s website.

Quote of note: “Building on the uncrewed Artemis I mission, which sent Orion 1.4 million miles beyond the moon and back, Artemis II will begin with two Earth orbits including a high‑Earth orbit before the crew embarks on a trajectory that will take them thousands of miles beyond the lunar far side—the farthest any humans will have traveled from Earth," Texas A&M professor Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, a former NASA astronaut who has flown five shuttle missions, said in the release.

The Montgomery County Food Bank board of directors announced April 1 a planned leadership transition, with Kristine Marlow concluding six years as president and CEO of the nonprofit, which saw a period of growth in the community during her tenure. Scott Burns, the food bank’s vice president of growth, was named as the next CEO following a selection process by the board, according to a news release.

Quote of note: “When I started in this role, I knew the power of community and I knew the power of bringing people together, but I didn’t know how great it could be when you can focus on one particular important critical need that people have, and that’s food,” Marlow said to Community Impact.

Key players: Marlow stepped into the role during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of increased need in the community. Under her leadership, the food bank saw its reach increase from serving neighbors about 55,000 times per month to more than 90,000 times per month in response to local need.

From Easter egg hunts and Easter brunches to photo opportunities with the Easter bunny, there are several events to celebrate Easter this year.

Old Town Spring Easter Event
During the Old Town Spring annual Easter Event, participating shops will be passing out candy to the kids. Children are encouraged to dress up in their best Easter outfits and bring their baskets.

• April 4, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Free
• 419 Gentry St., Ste. 203, Spring

• April 4, 11:30 a.m.
• $32.48 (admission)
• Play Street Museum Cypress, 25712 Hwy. 290, Ste. E, Cypress

• April 5, 1:30 p.m.
• Free
• 1700 Post Oak Blvd., Fifth Level, Houston

The Texas power grid is undergoing “generational” growth, experts said during the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ annual summit March 31 in Round Rock. Much of that growth is due to data centers—an industry under scrutiny from state lawmakers as some Texas communities push back against proposed developments.

The big picture: Over 2,000 projects totaling 453,000 megawatts are currently looking to connect to the state grid, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said April 1. About 357,000 megawatts of those connection requests are potential data centers, ERCOT documents show.

Looking ahead: Communities should take the lead on discussions about individual data center projects, Vegas told reporters. He said that when “communities that are ready to support those investments,” ERCOT is prepared to help data centers connect to the grid.

During a March 31 discussion on data centers, panelists noted that the projects have an “increasingly high” negative reputation in communities across the state. Austin consultant Eric Goff said developers often need to make commitments to local residents to earn their support for data center proposals.