Conroe City Council members can once again participate virtually in closed executive sessions after council voted 3-2 on July 9 to repeal a year-old rule requiring them to attend in person.

Mayor Pro Tem John Sellars and council members Kristin Hoisington and Ken Blevins supported the repeal. Council members Shana Arthur and David Hairel voted against it.

The takeaway: Mayor Duke Coon, who brought the item forward, did not vote. Under the city’s charter, the mayor serves as a nonvoting member of council except when needed to break a tie.

The change allows the mayor and council members to participate in executive sessions by video or telephone when attending a meeting remotely. Executive sessions will remain closed to the public and are used to discuss certain matters, including legal advice, personnel, real estate and pending litigation.

How we got here: Council adopted the in-person attendance requirement on April 24, 2025. The policy required the mayor and council members to be physically present to participate in executive sessions and prohibited participation by video or telephone.

Per a July 9 Hamra Enterprises release, several locations have plans to reopen across the North Houston area after going dark since August 2025. Stores reopening per the release include seven locations in Katy, Cy-Fair, Spring and Conroe and will begin with the Spring and Katy locations in July, CEO Mike Hamra told Fast Company in a statement.

The details: After abruptly shutting down several locations in the wake of a high-profile dispute last summer, per the release, new owners with Hamra Enterprises confirmed several Houston area re-openings.

Quote of note: “The Houston-area restaurants have been dark since August 2025, when their previous owner—ordered by a judge to stop using the Panera name—closed them down and sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection,” read the release.

Also of note: The Panera Bread restaurants are Hamra’s first in Texas and will mark the company’s expansion into its 12th state. It has been a Panera Bread franchisee since 1997, according to the release and includes 88 Panera cafés across eight states.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials announced the creation of a new C-level leadership position called chief operating officer and general manager.

In a nutshell: The new position—which will be filled by current Chief Revenue Officer Amber Burda—aims to unify strategic direction as well as align programming and strategy for the annual rodeo event, officials announced in a July 7 news release.

Burda has served as chief revenue officer since 2023, although she was initially hired in 2017 as the executive director of sponsorships, business and corporate development, where she led the creation of official rodeo sponsorships.

Sorting out details: Her focus will be on ensuring cross-departmental coordination to enhance operational efficiency, while aligning pricing and revenue strategies with the organization’s mission

In the new role, Burda will oversee most public-facing aspects of the rodeo, including:

• Mission

• Show operations

• Ticketing

• Sponsorships

• Stadium presentation

• The carnival

Burda will also be involved in the creation of the organization’s new agricultural complex along Hwy. 288, per the release.

Wing, a drone delivery service, is now available at eight additional Walmart locations across the Greater Houston area, company officials announced via a July 8 news release.

What's new: Beginning July 8, drone delivery service is now also available at the following Greater Houston-area Walmart locations:

• 13003 Tomball Parkway, Houston
• 12353 FM 1960 Road W., Houston
• 2901 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring
• 20310 Hwy. 59, New Caney
• 1025 Sawdust Road, Spring
• 13484 Northwest Freeway, Houston
• 13750 East Freeway, Houston
• 3506 Hwy. 6 S., Houston

Montgomery County has spent more than $102 million from its voter-approved 2025 road bond program, with another round of bond funding likely coming near the end of the year.

During a July 9 Commissioners Court meeting, Budget Officer Amanda Carter said the county has received $188 million in bond proceeds and $3.7 million in interest income, bringing total revenue for the program to $191.7 million.

Of that amount, commissioners have allocated $145.3 million toward road projects, leaving $46.4 million available for future allocations. The county also had $89.3 million in cash remaining in its road bond account.

By the numbers: The July financial report shows the following allocations and spending by precinct:

• Precinct 1: $28.3 million allocated; $19.4 million spent
• Precinct 2: $56.6 million allocated; $44.1 million spent
• Precinct 3: $29.2 million allocated; $21.5 million spent
• Precinct 4: $31.2 million allocated; $17.3 million spent