On March 6, Blinn College hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on the 100-acre property that will be the home of the new Waller campus. During the ceremony, Blinn College officials spoke about how the new campus symbolizes the strong relationship Blinn has with the local Waller area. 

How it happened: The new facility came to fruition thanks to legislation passed by Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst, which added the Harris County portion of Waller ISD to Blinn’s official service area, she said during the ceremony. Kolkhorst expressed her joy at the growth not only of Blinn College but also of the Waller area as a whole. 

Quote of note: “It’s a physical symbol of the commitment for the future of [the] Texas area that is growing so dynamically,” Kolkhorst said. “I will tell you the march for the future of Texas is really right here and Blinn College will be at the front of that line.”

Bayou City Keys has relocated from 33300 Egypt Lane, Magnolia, to a new location along FM 1488.

The details: The business has been locally owned in Magnolia since 2019. With the relocation, it will be more visible from the road, have better accessibility, have more warehouse space and can be open on Saturdays, officials said.

• 10240 FM 1488, Ste. 100, Magnolia

Houston Airport System officials are urging travelers to arrive early as TSA wait times may exceed two hours in some locations, HAS officials said in a March 8 news release. 

What's happening? Due to the partial federal government shutdown, TSA officers are working without pay creating staffing shortages that have led to longer than typical wait times at airports nationwide, including at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said HAS is expecting about 2.2 million spring break travelers during the government shutdown.

"Spring break brings some of the busiest travel days of the year," Szczesniak said in a statement. "When more passengers meet fewer security lanes, wait times can grow quickly."

Keep in mind: At HOU, officials said travelers should plan to arrive four hours before their scheduled departure as TSA wait times may extend beyond two hours.

At IAH, officials said travelers should allow extra time for security screening, noting some international air carriers have recently moved from Terminal D to E.

Over 2.3 million Democrats and nearly 2.2 million Republicans voted in the March 3 election, according to unofficial election results from the secretary of state. Totaling nearly 4.5 million voters, this is “the highest voter turnout for a primary in Texas history,” the secretary of state’s office said.

By the numbers: Nearly one-fourth of Texas’ 18.7 million registered voters participated in the primaries, shattering turnout rates from recent years. Less than one-fifth of registered voters cast ballots in the 2024 presidential and 2022 midterm primaries, state election records show.

Texas’ previous primary turnout record was set in 2008, when 4.2 million voters cast ballots in high-profile presidential primaries.

Zooming in: Election data shows the most people cast votes in the high-profile U.S. Senate races that topped the ticket, with the total numbers of votes steadily decreasing down the ballot in both primaries.

There is “some certainty” that voter enthusiasm will extend to the November midterm election, Republican data analyst Ross Hunt told Community Impact during early voting.