After nearly four years of construction, work on a $128.2 million project to widen FM 1960 in the Lake Houston area is expected to wrap up by February, officials with the Texas Department of Transportation confirmed Nov. 5.

The big picture: In late 2021, construction began on a two-part project that will widen FM 1960 from a four-lane asphalt roadway to a six-lane divided concrete roadway. Segment A—a $58.2 million project—runs from Business FM 1960 to east of Twigsworth Lane, while Segment B—a $70 million project—continues to the western approach of the McKay Bridge at Lake Houston.

Latest update: For Segment A, construction of new traffic signals continues at all signalized intersections, as well as project cleanup and accessibility improvements, TxDOT Public Information Officer Bambi Hall confirmed via email Nov. 5. 

What else? For Segment B, Hall said the remaining work includes the completion of three proposed traffic signals at the intersections of FM 1960 and Atascocita Road, West Lake Houston Parkway, and Farmingham Road. 

Shalom Baruch, a Jewish cemetery in Humble, is now home to the first permanent Oct. 7 monument in North America, officials announced in a Nov. 3 news release.

The big picture: Per the release, the monument honors the lives that were lost as well as the survivors and hostages of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel. The monument was unveiled at a Nov. 2 ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 community members, elected officials and faith leaders.

Zooming in: Per the release, the monument was conceptualized and designed by an art committee with members including Anat Ronen, Kristen Coco and Jonathan Dror.

"The Star of David emerging from the ground stands as a symbol of resilience, identity and collective memory," Coco said in a statement. "It honors those we lost, affirms the strength of Israel and reflects a commitment to rise above hate, together."

Check it out: The memorial can be visited during the cemetery's regular hours, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

• 7910 Rankin Road, Humble

A special runoff election for Texas' 18th Congressional District will be held Jan. 31, Gov. Greg Abbott announced via a Nov. 17 proclamation.

What's happening: As previously reported by Community Impact, 16 candidates ran in the Nov. 4 special-called election for District 18, including five Republicans, seven Democrats, three independent candidates and one Green Party candidate. The top two vote-getters—Democratic candidates Christian Dashaun Menefee and Amanda Edwards—received 28.9%, or 22,022 votes, and 25.55%, or 19,467 votes, respectively, per results posted on the Harris County Clerk's Office website.

As neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote, Menefee and Edwards will face each other once again in a special runoff election Jan. 31. Per the proclamation, early voting will run from Jan. 21-27.

Something to note: Voters should note the special runoff election for District 18 is being held separately from other Nov. 4 races that resulted in a runoff.

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration on Nov. 17 lifted a flight reduction emergency order for 40 airports, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport.

What's happening: The FAA safety team indicated a steady decline in staff-trigger events in air traffic control facilities, such as delays and cancellations, and recommended that normal operations resume across the national airspace system, according to a Nov. 17 news release from the administration. 

According to previous Community Impact reporting, "high impact airports" such as IAH and HOU were ordered early November to cut flights by 10% in response to air traffic controller shortages due to the federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12. Federal employees, including air traffic controllers and some pilots, were not paid during this time.

One more detail: The FAA reported eight staffing triggers—an alert of insufficient staffing at an air control facility—Nov. 15 and only one on Nov. 16 compared to a record-high of 81 on Nov. 8, according to the release. 

Jermaine Thomas will serve as judge for Harris County’s newly created fifth civil court at law starting in December after Harris County commissioners unanimously appointed Thomas at the Nov. 13 court meeting.

Quote of note: “This appointment is not just a personal milestone,” Thomas said. “It represents an opportunity to expand access to justice and strengthen the foundation of fairness that Harris County courts are built upon.”

Judges within Harris County civil courthouses see cases regarding civil matters, including eviction appeals, property disputes, personal injury suits, contract cases and small business claims, according to the court’s website.

Put in perspective: In March, Harris County commissioners requested that Texas lawmakers create five additional civil district courts by 2027 to address the county's longstanding court backlog, joining Brazoria and Fort Bend counties in similar requests as continued population and business growth occurred in the region. The last time a civil district court was created in Harris County was in the early '80s, said Lauren Reeder, Harris County District Court judge for the 234th civil court. 

Texans began receiving full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 14, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced. The renewed SNAP payments came after two weeks of delays due to the 43-day federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.

The overview: SNAP is a federally funded program that provides low-income individuals and families with monthly stipends to spend on groceries. The food assistance program ran out of funding Nov. 1, one month after the government shut down amid disagreements over federal health insurance subsidies.

The details: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks. Payments are issued on a rolling basis throughout each month.

“For SNAP clients who receive benefits on or after the 14th of the month, full benefits will be issued on their normal issuance date,” the HHSC website states. “SNAP clients who already received partial benefits will receive the rest of their monthly amount on or after Nov. 14.”