The nonprofit Bridgewood Farms is beginning to plan multiple long-term projects to upgrade its facilities and better serve adults with disabilities. These initiatives are spearheaded by Executive Director Randy Doleman, who said he has years of nonprofit experience and hopes to take Bridgewood ​into the future with multiple new facility upgrades.

Some context: Doleman was hired by Bridgewood in 2023. He said his interest in the organization was not only because of his past work in the nonprofit sector, but also his personal experience working with adults with disabilities. 

The details: The four main projects Bridgewood Farms has in the works include a new campus facility to help teach classes on Bridgewood Farms’ campus, a new food pantry in partnership with Montgomery County Food Bank, new homes to create a neighborhood for adults with disabilities, and an expansion of the Grove program, which teaches adults with disabilities life skills, to allow for more participants.

New Bridge Fusion Steakhouse & Bar is coming to Montgomery, co-owner and executive chef David Moore confirmed.

In a nutshell: The restaurant plans to offer a fusion-style menu anchored by high-quality steaks, along with chicken, pork and seafood options. Moore said the concept is also expected to include a bar and entertainment features such as interactive darts, plus a lineup of nonalcoholic drinks. 

• 759 Pine Market Ave., Montgomery

Check out several events to attend in the Conroe and Montgomery area this weekend. This is not a comprehensive list, and events are subject to change.

Conroe Girls Who: Cupid Galentine's Event
Conroe Girls Who invites attendees to bring friends for a night of dancing and cowboy-themed fun this Saturday at the Moonshine Deck Icehouse. Attendees for the Galentine's event will also receive goodie bags and other items from on-site vendors and more. 

• Feb. 21, 6 p.m.
• $35 
• 6446 Old FM 1488, Magnolia

• Feb. 20, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m., Feb. 21, 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m, Feb. 22, 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.
• $20-$40
• 13551 Rogers Road, Willis

Conroe ISD held a construction presentation Feb. 17 regarding the ongoing and future projects under construction throughout the district.

What to know: Easy Foster, Conroe ISD executive director of planning and construction, presented an overview of the 2023 bond projects, including the following:

• Proposed contracts: 37
• Completed projects: 8
• Projects under construction: 20
• Projects currently in the design process: 4
• Upcoming design: 5

Candidates for the Republican primary for U.S. House District 2 gathered at The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership on Feb. 19 for a forum on economic and business topics during the first week of early voting.

What happened: Incumbent Dan Crenshaw and candidates Martin Etwop and N. Lee Plumb attended the forum, and state Rep. Steve Toth, who represents District 15 in the Texas Legislature, was also invited but did not attend.

The details: The candidates offered information about their backgrounds and motivations for running, and questions covered topics such as the economy and legislative policies.

Get involved: Early voting began Feb. 17 and will end Feb. 27. A list of some of the positions on the sample ballot for voters in The Woodlands area in Montgomery County can be found here.

During an arctic blast last month, the Texas power grid remained stable throughout the storm and the state came away largely unscathed. The Lone Star State has not seen widespread blackouts since February 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and nearly 250 people died.

The response: In Uri’s wake, state lawmakers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas made changes to restructure ERCOT’s governing board, mandate earlier public alerts during tight grid conditions and require that energy providers “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Roughly 40,000 megawatts of power—enough to serve about 10 million residential customers—have been added to the grid since 2021 and the state’s energy supply has become more diverse.

Looking ahead: State leaders have expressed confidence that the grid would hold up during “a storm similar to Uri.” Yet some energy analysts caution that rapidly rising electric demand, driven by the construction of new data centers throughout Texas, means challenges may still lie ahead.