The Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 board of commissioners will meet Nov. 20 to discuss a report on ongoing fire station construction as well as hear an update on ongoing misconduct allegations within the district.

The details: According to agenda documents, the Harris County ESD 9 board will hear an update from Martinez Architects regarding the planned construction of new fire stations. The board will also consider an update on land for Fire Station 19, one of two proposed fire stations without finalized land agreements.

Also of note: Board members will also discuss ongoing allegations of misconduct against Commissioner Robert Paiva, which the board decided Oct. 20 to report to the Harris County district attorney's office. Several commissioners during the Oct. 20 special-called meeting alleged Paiva had more than once violated board policies and abused his power as an elected official, as previously reported by Community Impact.   

Jermaine Thomas will serve as judge for Harris County’s newly created fifth civil court at law starting in December after Harris County commissioners unanimously appointed Thomas at the Nov. 13 court meeting.

Quote of note: “This appointment is not just a personal milestone,” Thomas said. “It represents an opportunity to expand access to justice and strengthen the foundation of fairness that Harris County courts are built upon.”

Judges within Harris County civil courthouses see cases regarding civil matters, including eviction appeals, property disputes, personal injury suits, contract cases and small business claims, according to the court’s website.

Put in perspective: In March, Harris County commissioners requested that Texas lawmakers create five additional civil district courts by 2027 to address the county's longstanding court backlog, joining Brazoria and Fort Bend counties in similar requests as continued population and business growth occurred in the region. The last time a civil district court was created in Harris County was in the early '80s, said Lauren Reeder, Harris County District Court judge for the 234th civil court. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration on Nov. 17 lifted a flight reduction emergency order for 40 airports, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.

What's happening: The FAA safety team indicated a steady decline in staff-trigger events in air traffic control facilities, such as delays and cancellations, and recommended that normal operations resume across the national airspace system, according to a Nov. 17 news release from the administration. 

According to previous Community Impact reporting, "high impact airports" such as IAH and HOU were ordered early November to cut flights by 10% in response to air traffic controller shortages due to the federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12. Federal employees, including air traffic controllers and some pilots, were not paid during this time.

One more detail: The FAA reported eight staffing triggers—an alert of insufficient staffing at an air control facility—Nov. 15 and only one on Nov. 16 compared to a record-high of 81 on Nov. 8, according to the release. 

Texans began receiving full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 14, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced. The renewed SNAP payments came after two weeks of delays due to the 43-day federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.

The overview: SNAP is a federally funded program that provides low-income individuals and families with monthly stipends to spend on groceries. The food assistance program ran out of funding Nov. 1, one month after the government shut down amid disagreements over federal health insurance subsidies.

The details: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks. Payments are issued on a rolling basis throughout each month.

“For SNAP clients who receive benefits on or after the 14th of the month, full benefits will be issued on their normal issuance date,” the HHSC website states. “SNAP clients who already received partial benefits will receive the rest of their monthly amount on or after Nov. 14.”