The Highlands added a new amenity center exclusively for residents age 55 and older in early December, officials with developer Caldwell Communities announced via social media Dec. 9.

The details: As previously reported by Community Impact, The Hideaway is a 6,500-square-foot amenity center designed for active adults residing in the master-planned community's 55-and-up section, Fairway Pines.

Per the website, the center is located near hole 12 of the Highland Pines Golf Course and includes:

• Gathering space
• Rentable event space
• A spacious outdoor kitchen
• An outdoor patio
• Pickleball courts
• Bocce ball courts
• A state-of-the-art fitness center

• Opened in early December
• Highland Pines Golf Club, 6700 Highland Pines Drive, Porter

Check out what's happening in New Caney and Porter from Dec. 17-22. 

Christmas Storytime: R.B. Tullis Library will host a holiday celebration with themed stories, songs and crafts. Small snacks and beverages will be provided.

• Dec. 17, 10-10:45 a.m.
• Free (admission)
• 21569 Hwy. 59, New Caney

• Dec. 18, 6-8 p.m.
• $68
• Back Pew Brewing, 26452 Sorters McClellan Road, Porter

• Dec. 20, 6-10 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 23435 FM 1314, Ste. B-6, Porter

Sam Houston State University plans to partner with Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare and Huntsville Memorial Hospital to launch a new psychiatric residency program in 2026, according to a Dec. 15 news release.

What we know: The program plans to welcome its first four residents in July and plans to train 16 residents in total at full capacity. These residents will be given faculty training, educational oversight and academic resources, according to the news release. The residency is designed to meet the needs of East Texas.

Also of note: Tri-Country Behavioral Healthcare provides services to residents with mental illnesses and intellectual/developmental disabilities, and is sponsored by the commissioners courts of Liberty, Montgomery and Walker counties, according to its website.

In their own words: “This collaboration is a critical step in expanding mental health resources by training compassionate, competent psychiatrists who are equipped to meet the growing needs of the populations we serve,” Evan Roberson, executive director of Tri-County Behavioral Health, said via news release.

Montgomery County commissioners approved two extension requests Dec. 16 tied to disaster recovery grants used for buyout projects stemming from Hurricane Harvey and the 2016 storm and flooding events.

What happened: Commissioners considered and approved extensions to Hagerty task orders connected to the county’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grants—one related to Hurricane Harvey and one tied to the 2016 storm and flood event, according to the agenda.

The specifics: The Harvey grant extension request runs through Feb. 28, 2027, while the 2016 storm and flood grant extension request runs through April 30, 2026, according to the items.

More details: During the meeting, Jason Millsaps, executive director for the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told commissioners the extensions would allow the county, along with the General Land Office and the Texas Water Development Board, to keep working on the grants and “buyout property,” describing them as existing grants being extended to continue the work.

Texans now have a new database to track the results of local bond propositions and tax rate elections, or TREs, in their communities and across the state.

The details: Texas’ Local Government Bond, Tax, and Project Transparency Database was unveiled after state lawmakers passed House Bill 103 this spring. The new law requires the comptroller to compile information about all bonds, tax rate elections and maintenance tax rate changes proposed by local governments in an election, including:

• Ballot language for all tax-related proposals
• How each tax measure would impact the local tax rate or debt service
• The difference between the adopted tax rate and voter-approval tax rate, if applicable
• The entity’s tax rate for the prior year and the tax rate following the election
• A list of projects funded by each tax measure
• The results of each election, including votes for and against a measure