Work is expected to wrap up soon on the new location of Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux in Valley Ranch Town Center.

The project: The Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux location in New Caney will span 7,879 square feet. The restaurant will also feature more than 90 big-screen TVs and a full bar with over 24 beers on tap and signature cocktails.

What they offer: Walk-On's features a menu of Cajun and Creole dishes such as boudin, gumbo and fried alligator. Sports bar staples—including burgers and wings—are also available.

In case you missed it: The restaurant and bar was originally estimated to open late this spring.

• Opening date estimated for late August
• 22276 Market Place Drive, New Caney

Three candidates are vying for Position 8 on the East Montgomery County Improvement District board of directors in the upcoming May 2 election.

Meet the candidates: Incumbent Leonard W. Rogers will face two challengers—David Miller and Danny J. Spears—in the race for Position 8. Rogers currently serves as the board's assistant secretary, per the EMCID website.

Incumbents Crystal Moore, Stephen Carlisle and Liz Mullane are running unopposed for positions 5, 6 and 7, respectively. Carlisle and Mullane currently serve as the board's vice chair and treasurer, respectively, per the EMCID website.

Some context: The EMCID was created with voter approval in 1997 and collects sales tax to provide financial incentives to companies to help create job opportunities. The district spans 158 square miles, including the communities of New Caney, Patton Village, Porter, Roman Forest, Woodbranch Village, Splendora and Kingwood.

The EMCID is led by a board of eight elected directors who serve staggered four-year terms.

Public school districts in the Greater Houston area lost thousands of students due to transfers during the 2025-26 school year, with Houston, Alief and Fort Bend ISDs seeing the largest losses, according to Texas Education Agency data released March 5.

The overview: Community Impact reviewed TEA data from the 2025-26 school year to determine the number of students departing public school districts and where they were transferring. 

By the numbers: The data from 28 Greater Houston school districts shows the ones with the highest transfer numbers were:

• Houston ISD with 60,430 net transfers out

• Alief ISD with 10,629 net transfers out

• Fort Bend ISD with 9,197 net transfers out

• Cypress-Fairbanks ISD with 7,075 net transfers out

• Aldine ISD with 6,620 net transfers out

Also of note: The data also shows some school districts saw a net increase in enrollment from transfers in 2025-26, including Deer Park, Friendswood, Galena Park and Montgomery ISDs.

Montgomery County Commissioners Court got another look at where the county’s 2025 road bond program stands April 9 and also approved a Precinct 2 construction contract tied to that work.

The details: According to the county’s April 2026 road bond financial report, the program has brought in about $130.8 million so far, including bond proceeds and interest income. Of that, roughly $115.89 million had been allocated, leaving about $14.99 million still available to assign. The report also shows the current cash balance at about $63.45 million.

Also on the agenda: Commissioners also approved a contract for the Woodtrace Boulevard construction project in Precinct 2 on April 9. County bid documents recommend JFO Services LLC for the job at a bid amount of about $6.15 million, the lowest of the bids listed.

The project will build about 2.05 miles of roadway along Woodtrace Boulevard from Highland Drive to FM 2978, according to project documents. 

Texas is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, with one January report projecting that the state will see a 142% increase in its share of the data center industry by the end of 2028.

During a wide-ranging Texas House hearing April 9, lawmakers questioned data center developers, energy companies and state grid officials about the amount of water the large facilities use; how they impact noise levels and air quality; and whether residents can expect higher costs when data centers come to their communities.

What they're saying: “Water is a really scarce resource in this state, and so we have to have a clear picture of what these facilities use on the water side,” said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

More details: Data centers use water to cool their computer servers and prevent overheating. The facilities have historically used a water-intensive process known as "evaporative cooling," but data center executives said April 9 that they have transitioned to “closed-loop” systems where water is continuously reused.