Conroe City Council approves name change, new positions for Oscar Johnson Jr. center
Conroe City Council voted Aug. 28 to rename the Oscar Johnson Jr. Community Center as the Oscar Johnson Jr. Enrichment & Recreation Center ahead of its September opening and add four new staff positions.
What you need to know: Along with the name change, Conroe City Council members also approved adding four new staff positions—a community programs manager, a facility and rentals coordinator, and two employees for senior services—to help manage the expanded operations of the new 87,000-square-foot facility, which replaces the former 5,000-square-foot center.
Deputy City Administrator Nancy Mikeska said the added roles are needed to oversee programming, rentals and events across the 20 parks in the city’s department.
Diving in deeper: According to a presentation, council members were presented options for the name change. Mikeska said board members of the Oscar Johnson Jr. Community Center favored the Oscar Johnson Jr. Enrichment & Recreation Center.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled Sept. 9 from 2-5 p.m., the building will not open for public use until staff have fully transitioned to the new facility, Mikeska said.
Plato’s Closet files plans for work at site in Conroe
Plato’s Closet has filed plans for renovations at a site in Conroe, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The details: Construction is set to begin in October and wrap up in December, according to the filing. The project has an estimated cost of $100,000. Details are subject to change.
Montgomery City Council approves $10K firearms range contract
Montgomery City Council approved an agreement Aug. 26 for the police department’s use of a firearms training range for $10,000 with Valhalla Trust.
The gist: According to agenda documents, the $10,000 annual contract—funded through the Montgomery Crime Control and Prevention District—provides law enforcement officers with access to a designated facility for required training and certification.
Police Chief Anthony Solomon said the department previously used a range in Tomball but distance restricted officers to about one training day per year. Solomon said department requirements call for six range days annually.
“This agreement allows us to do our six range days,” Solomon said. “Right now, we can’t do those six range days.”
Stay tuned: Solomon said the department is exploring building its own range in 2027-28, with a projected cost of about $360,000.
SHSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine officially begins Richmond residency program
Sam Houston State University’s College of Oseopathic Medicine in Conroe and OakBend Medical Center officially launched their new residency program in Richmond, Texas, according to an Aug. 25 news release.
In a nutshell: The four residents who make up the first class of the new residency program began training Aug. 1, according to the release. The program will grow to 12 residents across three years. Residents will train at OakBend Medical Center and its affiliated clinicals to get experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Quote of note:“This residency is a natural extension of SHSU-COM’s mission,” SHSU-COM Dean Dr. Thomas J. Mohr said in the release. “We are committed to building programs that help increase the number of physicians serving in Texas. This collaboration with OakBend Medical Center is an important step toward that goal.”
Montgomery County approves roadside vendor, solicitor regulations
Roadside vendor and solicitor regulations will take effect in Montgomery County after commissioners voted Aug. 26 to adopt an ordinance regulating roadside vendors and solicitors in unincorporated areas of the county.
What you need to know: The ordinance bans the solicitation of money as well as the sale or distribution of food and merchandise on public highways, roads or rights of way. It also prohibits vendors from placing or maintaining structures in those areas, per the ordinance.
According to the ordinance, the goal is to address traffic congestion and safety hazards caused when drivers stop or slow down to engage with vendors or solicitors.
“Public safety is threatened by drivers who are distracted by the operation of vendors and solicitors on a public highway or road,” the ordinance states.
Violations will be classified as Class C misdemeanors under the Texas Transportation Code, with each day of noncompliance considered a separate offense. The new rules take effect Sept. 1
Frontier Airlines announces 8 new routes from IAH airport
Starting in late November, Houston travelers flying on Frontier Airlines will have new routes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The framework: Josh Flyr, vice president of network and operations design, said in an Aug. 26 news release that the company is thrilled to add new routes from Houston as part of its aim to expand low-fare carrier options in the top 20 metros in the country.
“With new nonstop routes to exciting domestic and international destinations, now is a better time than ever for Houston-area travelers to fly with Frontier and enjoy the convenience, comfort and signature affordability we offer,” Flyr said.
What you need to know: The Denver-based airline company announced the following new IAH domestic and international routes launching in late 2025 through early 2026:
Gov. Abbott signs new congressional map; Texas Democrats vow to fight in court
Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas’ new congressional map into law Aug. 29, declaring in a video posted to social media that “Texas is now more red in the United States Congress.”
The details: Under Texas’ current congressional boundaries, Republicans hold 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats. State lawmakers have said the new map will help them gain up to five more during the 2026 midterm elections.
Texas Democrats have called the mid-decade redistricting effort unconstitutional and "racially discriminatory," while Republicans asserted that the map "complies with the law" and was designed to help more Republicans get elected to the U.S. House.
Next steps: Texas’ new congressional map is set to take effect in early December, although it will be discussed in court two months earlier. After state senators approved the map Aug. 23, the League of United Latin American Citizens and a group of Texas residents filed a lawsuit asking that the map be found unconstitutional.
A panel of three federal judges will hear arguments in the case Oct. 1-10 in El Paso.
