Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved a new appointment structure March 5 for emergency services district boards that span more than one commissioner precinct.

In a nutshell: A move county officials said is meant to add consistency to how those boards are filled, it passed in a 4-1 vote after the commissioners discussed oversight, accountability and who should help shape boards that make high-stakes public safety decisions.

Under the new structure, the county judge will select one of the five seats on each ESD board, while the remaining four seats will be recommended by the commissioner—or commissioners—whose precinct includes that district. 
For ESDs that cross into two precincts, each commissioner would select two positions; if an ESD lies fully within one precinct, that commissioner would select four. Final appointments would still require approval from the full court.

Why it matters: The change affects how Montgomery County fills boards that govern local ESDs, which oversee fire and emergency response operations and, in some cases, manage budgets that rival or exceed county department budgets.

Preferred Technologies' new office space officially opened its doors on Jan. 15, officials confirmed.

Two-minute impact: The Texas-based company specializes in enterprise security integration and cybersecurity. The company began in 2005, when its office was originally based in a trailer, according to its website.

More details: According to a news release, the new facility will allow Preferred Technologies to self-perform complex security projects for customers across Montgomery County and the north Houston metro area.

• 2346 FM 1484, Conroe

Houston Airport System officials are urging travelers to arrive early as TSA wait times may exceed two hours in some locations, HAS officials said in a March 8 news release. 

What's happening? Due to the partial federal government shutdown, TSA officers are working without pay creating staffing shortages that have led to longer than typical wait times at airports nationwide, including at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said HAS is expecting about 2.2 million spring break travelers during the government shutdown.

"Spring break brings some of the busiest travel days of the year," Szczesniak said in a statement. "When more passengers meet fewer security lanes, wait times can grow quickly."

Keep in mind: At HOU, officials said travelers should plan to arrive four hours before their scheduled departure as TSA wait times may extend beyond two hours.

At IAH, officials said travelers should allow extra time for security screening, noting some international air carriers have recently moved from Terminal D to E.

Over 2.3 million Democrats and nearly 2.2 million Republicans voted in the March 3 election, according to unofficial election results from the secretary of state. Totaling nearly 4.5 million voters, this is “the highest voter turnout for a primary in Texas history,” the secretary of state’s office said.

By the numbers: Nearly one-fourth of Texas’ 18.7 million registered voters participated in the primaries, shattering turnout rates from recent years. Less than one-fifth of registered voters cast ballots in the 2024 presidential and 2022 midterm primaries, state election records show.

Texas’ previous primary turnout record was set in 2008, when 4.2 million voters cast ballots in high-profile presidential primaries.

Zooming in: Election data shows the most people cast votes in the high-profile U.S. Senate races that topped the ticket, with the total numbers of votes steadily decreasing down the ballot in both primaries.

There is “some certainty” that voter enthusiasm will extend to the November midterm election, Republican data analyst Ross Hunt told Community Impact during early voting.

Texas held its primary elections on March 3, with Republican and Democratic voters selecting their parties’ nominees for scores of federal, state and local seats. Yet for some candidates, a major hurdle still remains before the November election.

The overview: Dozens of primary races are headed to May runoffs after no candidate picked up more than half of the vote, triggering an overtime round between the two highest-performing candidates.

The details:  Texas’ runoff election is set for May 26, the day after Memorial Day. Early voting runs from May 18-22, per the secretary of state.

State law requires primary candidates to receive more than 50% of the vote to advance to a general election, meaning a candidate must earn a majority of the vote—not just the highest number of votes—to win their primary outright. This rule means crowded races in Texas primaries and special elections frequently result in runoffs.

In those races, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff.

Keep reading to learn about voting in the runoffs and who's on the ballot.