The details: The business, previously located along FM 1488, is now located along Magnolia Circle. Ceconi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu offers classes for both adults and children.
RV park, resort coming to Plantersville with 94 RV spots, cabins, dog park
Knights of the RV, an RV park and resort, will open north of Magnolia and west of Montgomery in Plantersville. Reservations to stay onsite start Sept. 15, co-owner and marketing manager Megan Bruney confirmed.
The setup: The park offers 94 RV spots, four cabins, a bar and grill, a dog park, a fishing pond, a washateria, a general store and golf cart rentals. Bruney said Phase two for the park will add a swimming pool, splash pad and pickleball courts.
What's next: A grand opening for the park will be held Oct. 25 from noon-9 p.m. with guided tours and live music, according to an Aug. 14 news release.
Lone Star College-Montgomery celebrates 30th anniversary
The details: Lone Star College-Montgomery marked its 30th anniversary with a convocation event welcoming faculty, staff and students for the start of the fall semester, according to an Aug. 25 news release.
Opened in 1995, the Montgomery campus has grown, with more than 18,000 students enrolled in fall 2024, per the release.
The anniversary celebration included a speech from Dana Pritchard, the college’s first enrolled student, who shared her journey and encouraged students to “never give up,” according to the release.
Montgomery County approves roadside vendor, solicitor regulations
Roadside vendor and solicitor regulations will take effect in Montgomery County after commissioners voted Aug. 26 to adopt an ordinance regulating roadside vendors and solicitors in unincorporated areas of the county.
What you need to know: The ordinance bans the solicitation of money as well as the sale or distribution of food and merchandise on public highways, roads or rights of way. It also prohibits vendors from placing or maintaining structures in those areas, per the ordinance.
According to the ordinance, the goal is to address traffic congestion and safety hazards caused when drivers stop or slow down to engage with vendors or solicitors.
“Public safety is threatened by drivers who are distracted by the operation of vendors and solicitors on a public highway or road,” the ordinance states.
Violations will be classified as Class C misdemeanors under the Texas Transportation Code, with each day of noncompliance considered a separate offense. The new rules take effect Sept. 1
Gov. Abbott signs new congressional map; Texas Democrats vow to fight in court
Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas’ new congressional map into law Aug. 29, declaring in a video posted to social media that “Texas is now more red in the United States Congress.”
The details: Under Texas’ current congressional boundaries, Republicans hold 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats. State lawmakers have said the new map will help them gain up to five more during the 2026 midterm elections.
Texas Democrats have called the mid-decade redistricting effort unconstitutional and "racially discriminatory," while Republicans asserted that the map "complies with the law" and was designed to help more Republicans get elected to the U.S. House.
Next steps: Texas’ new congressional map is set to take effect in early December, although it will be discussed in court two months earlier. After state senators approved the map Aug. 23, the League of United Latin American Citizens and a group of Texas residents filed a lawsuit asking that the map be found unconstitutional.
A panel of three federal judges will hear arguments in the case Oct. 1-10 in El Paso.
Amid Democratic criticism, Texas lawmakers vote to overhaul STAAR and launch new tests in 2027
Both chambers of the Texas Legislature have voted to overhaul the state’s standardized testing system, putting public school students one step closer to taking new exams in the 2027-28 school year.
The details: House Bill 8 would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and replace it with three shorter tests, which students would take at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
Bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said HB 8 would “reduce test anxiety, provide teachers with immediate feedback and create a pathway for trust in our system again." The majority of House Democrats and a few Republicans disagreed, arguing Aug. 26 that the bill would increase the amount of time students spend on exams and essentially create “another STAAR test” developed by the Texas Education Agency.
Next steps: After state senators passed HB 8 with a 21-7 vote Aug. 27, the bill returned to the House for consideration of a Senate amendment. If House lawmakers sign off on the changes, HB 8 will be sent to the governor.
