The Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park, located at the intersection of I-45 and Hwy. 105, is now home to the Honored Mission Veterans Museum and Jimmie C. Edwards III Education Center. 

What you need to know: The new museum and education center, which totals just under 11,000 square feet, will feature rotating exhibits, LED screens that play clips of various footage and information, an interactive directory and a gift shop, Executive Director Elizabeth Woods said. There are also plans for more events, including a lecture series.

Stay tuned: The new museum and education center at the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Park is anticipated to open to the public next spring, Woods said. The commission is also planning for 2026 when it comes to the completion of its new memorial for Gold Star Families, who are families who’ve had loved ones die during their service.

Quote of note: “Every day’s a new day to build something beautiful,” Woods said.

Compassion United opened its new day center in Conroe, a step forward in the organization’s long-term plan to expand homelessness relief, recovery and supportive housing in Montgomery County.

“There’s no us and them here. It’s a hand up, not a handout—without judgment and without shame,” Director of Communications Jessica Clark said.

About the project: The facility—funded through a Montgomery County Community Development Block Grant—began operating in mid-October and is now serving 70-100 people each morning, providing hot meals six days a week, showers, clothing, mail services and access to dozens of partner agencies, CEO and Founder Luke Redus said. 

Based on its first weeks of operation, Compassion United projects more than 25,000 breakfasts, 22,000 visits, 4,900 showers and 2,100 mail services will be provided at the day center in the coming year. 

“This place gives people dignity. When they feel welcomed and have a place where they belong, we see incredible results,” Redus said.

The Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine has announced plans to establish a Medical Artificial Intelligence Institute, forming a major step toward integrating artificial intelligence into health care education, research and clinical practice, university officials said in a Nov. 12 news release.

What's happening?: The initiative follows a $4.99 million U.S. Department of Education Research and Development Infrastructure grant awarded to SHSU-COM to expand research capacity and attract top faculty. 

The grant also supports the college’s upcoming Master of Applied Biomedical Sciences program, which shows the role of AI in improving health care access and education, according to the news release.

The new institute will unite SHSU-COM faculty and collaborators in biomedical research, data science, clinical care and public health to explore how AI can improve diagnostics, treatment and medical training, the release states. Its goal is to equip health care professionals with ethical, data-driven tools that enhance patient outcomes across Texas and beyond.

Texas cannot use its newly redrawn congressional map in the 2026 election, an El Paso federal court ruled Nov. 18.

The details: The state must instead use the congressional map that Texas lawmakers drew in 2021, after the 2020 census. 

“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown wrote in the Nov. 18 preliminary injunction. “To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map.”

What they're saying: Texas Republican leaders said they would “swiftly appeal” the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the court takes up the case, its justices will be pressed for time ahead of the Dec. 8 deadline for candidates to apply to run in the March primary elections.

Texas Democrats celebrated the Nov. 18 ruling as "very good news for Texans."