At first glance, New Caney New Horizons might appear to be a typical resale shop, but it’s actually offering much more.

New Horizons provides transitional services to young adults ages 16 and older with special needs, including workplace training, life skills development and employment opportunities, said Executive Director Darbie Lindsey.

A closer look: Lindsey said the patrons take on a number of tasks at the resale shop, including pricing, stock rotation, customer service and handling the donations that come in through the shop. Additionally, Lindsey noted the patrons are able to develop their workplace behavioral skills by interacting with the customers.

Get involved: While the nonprofit is largely funded through proceeds taken in from the resale shop, Lindsey said monetary donations can still be made through New Horizons’ website.

 Why it matters: Reflecting on her time spent at New Horizons, Lindsey said the most rewarding aspect of the job is watching patrons develop and grow.

Kingwood Revolution Volleyball Club opened four more courts—the organization’s first outdoor sand courts—in Porter, owner and director Kristi Zeller said via email March 5.

The celebration: The new sand courts can each accommodate up to 12 total players. A grand opening celebration will be held for the new courts from 4-8 p.m. on April 17, featuring:

• A sand volleyball exhibition
• Activities for all ages, including a chance to try out the new courts
• Raffle prizes
• A ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m., hosted by the Greater East Montgomery Chamber of Commerce

• Opened March 8; grand opening April 17
• 23251 Ford Road, Porter

Houston Airport System officials are urging travelers to arrive early as TSA wait times may exceed two hours in some locations, HAS officials said in a March 8 news release. 

What's happening? Due to the partial federal government shutdown, TSA officers are working without pay creating staffing shortages that have led to longer than typical wait times at airports nationwide, including at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said HAS is expecting about 2.2 million spring break travelers during the government shutdown.

"Spring break brings some of the busiest travel days of the year," Szczesniak said in a statement. "When more passengers meet fewer security lanes, wait times can grow quickly."

Keep in mind: At HOU, officials said travelers should plan to arrive four hours before their scheduled departure as TSA wait times may extend beyond two hours.

At IAH, officials said travelers should allow extra time for security screening, noting some international air carriers have recently moved from Terminal D to E.

Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a new appointment structure March 5 for emergency services district boards that span more than one commissioner precinct.

In a nutshell: A move county officials said is meant to add consistency to how those boards are filled, it passed in a 4-1 vote after the commissioners discussed oversight, accountability and who should help shape boards that make high-stakes public safety decisions.

Under the new structure, the county judge will select one of the five seats on each ESD board, while the remaining four seats will be recommended by the commissioner—or commissioners—whose precinct includes that district. 
For ESDs that cross into two precincts, each commissioner would select two positions; if an ESD lies fully within one precinct, that commissioner would select four. Final appointments would still require approval from the full court.

Why it matters: The change affects how Montgomery County fills boards that govern local ESDs, which oversee fire and emergency response operations and, in some cases, manage budgets that rival or exceed county department budgets.

Texas held its primary elections on March 3, with Republican and Democratic voters selecting their parties’ nominees for scores of federal, state and local seats. Yet for some candidates, a major hurdle still remains before the November election.

The overview: Dozens of primary races are headed to May runoffs after no candidate picked up more than half of the vote, triggering an overtime round between the two highest-performing candidates.

The details:  Texas’ runoff election is set for May 26, the day after Memorial Day. Early voting runs from May 18-22, per the secretary of state.

State law requires primary candidates to receive more than 50% of the vote to advance to a general election, meaning a candidate must earn a majority of the vote—not just the highest number of votes—to win their primary outright. This rule means crowded races in Texas primaries and special elections frequently result in runoffs.

In those races, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff.

Keep reading to learn about voting in the runoffs and who's on the ballot.