Montgomery County DA’s Office launches human trafficking enforcement partnership
The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has entered a multiyear partnership with the Human Trafficking Institute to expand local efforts to combat human trafficking, child exploitation and commercial sexual exploitation, according to a Sept. 9 news release.
Montgomery County is one of the first five counties in Texas to partner with Human Trafficking Institute, per the release.
What you need to know: The initiative will provide law enforcement, prosecutors and frontline agencies with training, investigative tools and subject-matter expertise aimed at improving victim identification, case outcomes and long-term enforcement strategies, according to the release.
Diving in deeper: The partnership began with a two-day training Sept. 8-9 at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe. Sessions covered Texas legal frameworks, proactive victim identification, advanced investigative techniques, digital evidence and cross-agency collaboration.
What’s next: The District Attorney’s Office and Human Trafficking Institute plan to continue hosting technical training sessions for law enforcement and prosecutors throughout the county. Officials said these efforts will build long-term capacity to better identify victims, investigate cases and hold traffickers accountable.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell announces he will not seek reelection
U.S. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, who represents U.S. House District 8, announced Sept. 11 that he will not be seeking reelection in 2026.
Quote of note:“When I first ran for Congress, my mission was clear: strengthen our border, stand up for our veterans, and be a strong voice for Texas. I’m proud of the real progress we’ve made. ... But over the July 4th weekend, standing in floodwaters alongside my neighbors, I had a moment of clarity,” Luttrell said in his Sept. 11 statement. “It reminded me that while the work in Washington is important, my family, my community, and my state need me here—closer to home.”
Some context: Luttrell represents U.S. House District 8, which encompasses portions of Harris, Montgomery and Walker counties and all of San Jacinto and Polk counties, according to his website. He was first elected to the office in 2022, Community Impactpreviously reported. Former U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady held the office prior to Luttrell being elected.
Lone Star College enrollment up 5.9% from last year, with more than 97,000 students
Lone Star College System’s enrollment numbers are 5.9% higher than they were in fall 2024 and 15.9% higher than a decade ago, according to a Sept. 10 news release.
“We celebrate the fact that more students are choosing to call Lone Star College System home. However, our primary focus is not on boosting enrollment but on improving student outcomes through high-quality education,” LSCS Executive Vice Chancellor Seelpa Keshvala said in the release.
Breaking it down: According to the news release, enrollment is at an all-time high this fall with 97,294 students. 29,860 students are new to the college, while 32.5% of students are full-time and 67.5% are part-time.
Quote of note: “Regardless of their background, we want to help our students get from where they are to where they want to be,” Keshvala said. “We are striving to remove barriers, increase retention and completion, and embrace innovation to inspire growth and excellence in higher education.”
DATA: See how Greater Houston-area school districts scored in accountability ratings
Across the state, most school districts and campuses maintained or improved Texas Education Agency A-F accountability scores between the 2023-24 to 2024-25 school years, and the Houston region is no exception.
Within districts in Community Impact’s Greater Houston coverage area, Willis and Houston ISDs saw the largest increases across all categories that make up the overall score, per data released by the TEA on Aug. 15.
The bigger picture: The data showed that since 2023-24, the number of schools that received an A rating across Greater Houston grew from 21.9% to 26.9%, while the number of campuses rated F shrank from 6.4% to 2.6%.
Going forward: House Bill 8, which was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott on Sept. 4, would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test and replace it with three shorter tests taken at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
8 new mobile STEM labs to visit 270 Texas school districts this school year
Education in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, may become more accessible for Texas public school students this school year.
What happened: Officials from national education nonprofit Learning Undefeated and the Texas Education Agency celebrated the opening of eight new mobile STEM labs at a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony in Austin. The TEA-funded labs are expected to visit 270 school districts across the state in the 2025-26 school year.
Notable quote: “In an ever-changing world, access to STEM education remains critical to help prepare our students for career pathways and lifelong success,” said Alejando Delgado, TEA deputy commissioner of operations.
The overview: Learning Undefeated built eight new mobile STEM labs after receiving a $3.5 million grant from the TEA, according to Learning Defeated information. The organization opened its first mobile STEM lab in Texas in 2020.
The nine regionally-based labs will now visit elementary and middle school campuses across the state’s 20 educational service center regions. Kindergarten through eighth grade students may participate in a variety of STEM activities to learn engineering design.
