From fried chicken to upscale dining, Community Impact highlighted multiple dining establishments for the area in its Conroe/Montgomery edition. Here are five restaurants for locals to check out.

1. Coop’s Hot Chicken
Owned by the Sawyer Marketing Group and operated by Shawn Ward, Coop's Hot Chicken opened in Montgomery County in November 2023.

• 2466 FM 1488, Conroe

• 1​​9786 Hwy. 105 W., Ste. 100, Montgomery

Alpha Gym, a warehouse-style fitness facility, will open its doors in February, owners Cory and Lindsey Malak confirmed.

The details: The gym will offer a variety of machines, including plate- and pin-loaded machines, free weights and powerlifting equipment.

• 120 Corporate Drive, Willis

PetSet debuted a custom-built mobile spay-and-neuter clinic Dec. 18, expanding the nonprofit’s ability to bring preventative veterinary care directly to Houston neighborhoods with limited access to services, according to a news release.

The details: The state-of-the-art unit was designed to increase efficiency and capacity, allowing PetSet to perform more surgeries each day and serve larger and older animals, according to the release.

PetSet officials said the mobile clinic is expected to support up to 1,200 additional surgeries annually and is designed specifically for high-volume surgery days. 

The mobile unit includes an expanded number of kennels and a second surgical table to support multiple procedures at once. 

“With these enhancements, we expect to perform hundreds more spay and neuter surgeries each year,” Co-President Tama Lundquist said. “This new mobile unit is a critical step forward in addressing the root causes of animal overpopulation across Greater Houston.”

The clinic is scheduled to begin full operations in January and will rotate through communities across Greater Houston.

From DJ sets to jazz performances, the following parties each offer unique ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Houston. 

Doc’s Houston: The jazz club is kicking off New Year’s Eve with back-to-back performances led by Tianna Hall and The Houston Jazz Band at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Guests can also enjoy a festive four-course prix fixe menu, beginning with a cozy black-eyed pea soup, followed by a grape-arugula salad with walnuts, ricotta and pomegranate molasses.

• Dec. 31, 7 p.m.
• $75-$125 (per ticket)
• 1201 Westheimer Road, Ste. A, Houston

Moon: Enjoy New Year’s Eve at the newly opened Post Oak cocktail bar. Guests can start the night with regular service before a DJ brings in curated sounds to celebrate the hour. 

• Dec. 31, 5 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m.
• Prices vary
• 1800 Post Oak Blvd., Ste. 6110, Houston

Catch up on Community Impact’s coverage this week with five trending Greater Houston-area stories from Dec. 19-26:

1. Coastal Texas Project moves forward with two new design contracts

2. $81M Greenhouse Road underpass set for 2026 construction

3. 8 businesses coming soon to Sugar Land-Missouri City

4. Vevor to open at former Big Lots location on Jones Road

5. Singas Famous Pizza coming to Sugar Land
 

2026 is a big election year in Texas. Voters will see 18 statewide races, all congressional seats, most state legislative seats and a variety of local positions on the ballot.

The overview: The Republican and Democratic primary elections will be held March 3, and the midterm election is set for Nov. 3.

Texas holds primaries for all partisan elected positions, such as state officials; state and federal lawmakers; and county judges, commissioners and justices of the peace. Third-party candidates, including independents, Libertarian Party candidates and Green Party candidates, have separate election processes will not be listed on the primary ballots in March. Eligible candidates representing various parties will appear on the November ballot.

Looking back: All statewide offices on the ballot are currently held by Republicans, although some are not running for reelection. No Democrat or third-party candidate has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994, election records show.

Check out the full article for more details on election processes and an overview of state-level races.