The Blinn College board of trustees approved multiple furniture and specialty training equipment purchases for the new Waller Workforce and Technical Education Complex.

Sorting out the details
According to a Jan. 20 news release, the Waller Workforce and Technical Education Complex is a new facility set to be completed by May. The facility’s features include:

• Three lecture classrooms
• Computer learning lab
• Medical learning lab
• Mechatronics/advanced manufacturing lab,
• Skilled trades lab

Cy-Fair Fire Department is partnering with a telemedicine company to connect non-emergency patients with physicians at dispatch, which officials said will reduce strain on EMS responders and costs for residents calling 911.

What happened: The Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 board of commissioners unanimously approved the agreement with RightSite Health Physicians during a Jan. 22 regular board meeting, with Commissioner Rob Paiva absent. EMS Director Justin Reed said the partnership comes at no cost to the district.

How it works: Reed said when CFFD’s dispatch receives 911 calls for non-emergency situations, such as stomach pain or high blood pressure, they can connect to a telehealth doctor through RightSite before sending EMS to the scene. 

RightSite’s services would not be considered in emergency cases like cardiac arrest or car accidents, so there wouldn’t be a delay in EMS response to time-sensitive situations, Reed said. Additionally, all patients must consent to the telehealth option and can request an ambulance instead at any time. 

All RightSite providers are board-certified ER physicians, a company representative said. 

Schools, government buildings and some polling places will remain closed on Jan. 26 as Winter Storm Fern had a late arrival to the Greater Houston area Jan. 24.

Current situation: According to the National Weather Service, the Greater Houston area can expect continued temperatures below freezing into Jan. 27. Per information on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ Grid and Market Conditions dashboard, power supply continues to outweigh demand.

Government closures: Meeting plans Jan. 26 for Roman Forest City Council and Fort Bend ISD have been postponed. Meanwhile, it is still unclear if Katy City Council's Jan. 26 meeting will take place as planned. 

Additionally, all early voting centers for the special runoff election for Congressional District 18 closed Jan. 25-26 due to inclement weather. 

Additional warming centers: More warming centers have opened across the Greater Houston area, in addition to the 13 warming centers that were announced in Harris County Jan. 22. All warming centers will be open through at least Jan. 26; however, residents are encouraged to call ahead if possible.

Six Republican candidates are vying for the position of Harris County judge.

The six candidates filed to run for a seat that had been occupied by a Republican until Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo defeated incumbent Republican Ed Emmett in 2018.

The setup: The candidates are Patrick “Marty” Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association; former Houston City Council member Orlando Sanchez; Air Force veteran Warren Howell; Piney Point Village Mayor Aliza Dutt; retired member of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Oscar Gonzalez; and Spring Branch business owner and resident George Harry Zoes.

Zooming out: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo formally announced in September that she will not seek reelection for a third term as judge of Texas’ largest county.

Candidates responded to six questions, including:

• Why are you running for Harris County judge?
• What are your top three priorities for constituents in Harris County, and why?
• What is your approach to collaborating with other commissioners to reach consensus on policy and budget decisions?

Need to catch up on Community Impact’s coverage from this week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from Jan. 19-23.

In a nutshell: Montgomery County commissioners took a step toward a new countywide transportation roadmap Jan. 15, discussing a mobility study they said will be the first to outline a 10-year plan for the entire county. 

County Judge Mark Keough said the project will kick off in January and is expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete. Once finished, he said the county plans to initiate a county thoroughfare plan update.

What else: The project to extend the Grand Parkway through League City has made progress after the city recently sold a 1.8-acre highway easement to the Texas Department of Transportation.

League City City Council voted unanimously to transfer the highway easement, also known as Parcel 315, to TxDOT for a sum of nearly $319,000, according to city documents.

One more thing: The Hallmark, a luxury senior living community, is expanding its campus in Greater Uptown by 2030.