HTX-NCP: Impact 8/21/2025

Five newcomers will run for the New Caney ISD board of trustees Position 7 seat in November’s election, while the sitting trustee in Position 6 is currently unopposed, according to election filing information posted on the district’s website.

The gist: Before the filing period closed Aug. 18, Larry Buford, Kristina Haggard, David Hagler, Gretta Rogne and Stacey Kiki Shipley filed to run for Position 7, according to NCISD’s website. Incumbent Beth Prykryl did not submit an application to run for reelection.

Meanwhile, trustee Ty Trout filed to run for reelection in Position 6 and is currently unopposed, according to NCISD.

What's next: The deadline to submit a declaration of write-in candidacy is 5 p.m. Aug. 22, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s website.
 

Check out what’s happening in the New Caney and Porter areas this weekend, Aug. 22-24. This list is not comprehensive. 

Lavanderia Express First Anniversary Celebration: Lavanderia Express, a locally-owned laundromat, will celebrate its first anniversary with free food, live music and activities such as a foam play zone, face painting and balloon animals.

• Aug. 23, noon-8 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 24183 Hwy. 59, Porter

• Aug. 23, 5-10 p.m.
• $25 (general admission), $100 (VIP access)
• A.V. ‘Bull’ Sallas Park, 21675 McCleskey Road, New Caney

Check out the following restaurant news from across the Houston metro, as recently reported by Community Impact.

Best Bagel Shop
From cinnamon raisin to jalapeño cheddar, the Best Bagel Shop sells both traditional and savory bagels made in-house. Staff recommend pairing bagels with signature cream cheese options like vegetable or scallion cream cheese, as well as meats like smoked salmon and turkey. The shop also serves coffee, pastries, other breakfast items and sandwiches.

• Opened July 3
• 3833 Richmond Ave., Houston

• Opened July 30
• 601 E. NASA Parkway, Webster

The Lone Star College-Montgomery Fine Arts program has received a  $1.5 million Nathaniel Emerson Endowment along with six donated art pieces, the college announced Aug. 15. 

What to know: The campus will use the funds to add more state-of-the-art equipment, workshop events and professional speaker series, according to the news release. At LSC-Montgomery, the endowment and donated art pieces will help establish new avenues for learning, according to the release.

• 3200 College Park Drive, Conroe

The Texas House signed off on a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts Aug. 20. The vote came two days after approximately two dozen House Democrats ended a two-week walkout in protest of the redistricting effort.

The overview: Rep. Todd Hunter, a Corpus Christi Republican who filed the proposed map, said 37 of Texas’ 38 congressional districts would be redrawn, with “the primary changes focused [on] five districts for partisan purposes.”

“While there's no guarantee of electoral success, Republicans will now have an opportunity to potentially win these… five new districts,” Hunter said.

The debate: House Democrats decried Texas’ proposed map as “illegal and racially discriminatory,” arguing that it would “dilute” minorities’ voting power by dividing historically Black and Hispanic communities into multiple districts.

“Texans and Americans all across the country are watching,” Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, said. “They know this map before us is a calculated maneuver to diminish the voices of the very communities that power Texas.”

House Republicans maintained that race was not considered when the new lines were drawn.