Conroe ISD trustees approved in a 7-0 vote Jan. 20 the Grand Oaks feeder attendance boundaries and the 2026-27 school year calendar.

Items worth mentioning: The board previously received an update on the items Nov. 18 from Assistant Superintendent of Operations Chris McCord, who discussed the overcrowding at the current campuses in the Grand Oaks feeder due to development and new roads, as previously reported by Community Impact.

What else: New Position 1 trustee Agueda Gambino was sworn in for her position on the board following being selected through an application and interview process, as previously reported by Community Impact.

Several events and performances are scheduled in The Woodlands area this weekend, from Thursday through Sunday. This list is not comprehensive, and events are subject to change.

Sustainability lecture
Woodlands GREEN presents a Going GREEN Sustainability Lecture both in person and online. The program presents an overview of forest ecology and the history of forestry in Texas, including the role of W.G. Jones State Forest.

• Jan. 22, 6 p.m.
• Free
• HARC, 8801 Gosling Road, The Woodlands

• Jan. 24, 1-4 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• Rob Fleming Park, 6055 Creekside Forest Drive, The Woodlands

Wayne Mack will face Mark Keough for Montgomery County judge in the Republican primary election. 

Also of note: Early voting begins Feb. 17 for March 3 primary races in Texas, including several county and state contests.

Community Impact sent each candidate a Q&A with a deadline for response to ensure equal opportunity. Answers were limited to 50 words each, and answers that came in over 50 words were cut from the end to fit.

GameStop, a large retail gaming hub in the United States, disclosed in a recent Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing that it closed 590 stores in fiscal year 2024 and expects to shutter a "significant number of additional stores" during FY2025.

What we know: While GameStop has yet to release a standalone press release on the closures, the company's SEC filing states that officials have conducted a "comprehensive store optimization review" and are identifying for closure based on market conditions and individual store performance.

In the company's documents, GameStop notes that a significant number of customers have chosen to download games instead of buying games physically in-store.

"If consumers’ preference for downloading video game content in lieu of physical software continues to increase, our business and financial performance may be adversely impacted," the filing states.

The projections: While GameStop has yet to release a formal list of all individual stores closing by city or region, an unofficial list has been compiled of stores that closed in January.

Three Democrats are running for Texas attorney general in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: After three terms as Texas' top lawyer, incumbent Ken Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate, leaving his office open. Anthony “Tony” Box, Joe Jaworski and Nathan Johnson are vying for the Democratic nomination to succeed Paxton as attorney general.

Looking ahead: The winning Democratic candidate will face the winner of the Republican nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

Three Republicans are running for Texas attorney general in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The overview: After three terms as Texas' top lawyer, incumbent Ken Paxton is running for the U.S. Senate, leaving his office open. Joan Huffman, Mayes Middleton, Aaron Reitz and Chip Roy are seeking the Republican nomination for attorney general.

Stay tuned: The winner of the Republican primary will face the winning Democratic candidate in November. The winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

A set of permanent regulations for thousands of Texas businesses selling consumable hemp products took effect Jan. 21, after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission adopted them one day earlier.

The overview: The latest hemp rules do not bring significant changes to the roughly 60,000 businesses under TABC oversight. They replace similar emergency rules adopted Sept. 23, prohibiting Texas alcohol retailers from selling hemp-derived THC products to customers under 21 years old.

“The key you heard today… is the effect of THC on younger folks' development—much like alcohol, the same reasons we regulate alcohol for those 21 years old [and up],” TABC chair Robert Eckels said.

Zooming in: The TABC has limited jurisdiction over the consumable hemp industry and can only require age limits and ID checks, agency leaders said. State health officials are considering more comprehensive regulations on the industry.

“The Department of State Health Services’ rules are going to be much more robust,” TABC general counsel James Person said Jan. 20. “They actually cover the products themselves: the [THC] content, the testing and whatnot."