Joey Jamison founded Chosen Farm and Sawmill a sawmill company that transforms discarded trees into handcrafted furniture in 2022 and uses the proceeds earned to help those in need while dedicating his days to worship and gratitude.

The backstory: Joey Jamison said he was reminded of his faith in 2019 after a multiple-vehicle accident left him nearly immobile, leaving his vertebrae shattered in five places and his faith shaken. A year into his recovery, still battling excruciating pain, he turned to prayer and asked God for healing. By morning, Jamison said the pain was miraculously gone. His said his experience renewed his faith and reshaped his purpose. 

Respecting the craft: Joey Jamison said he starts his mornings in his outdoor woodshop with music as he enjoys nature, praising God and crafting wood projects. Utilizing two sawmills and tractors, Jamison and his wife, Sandra, mill trees from pine and maple trees to cedar and oak trees. Crafts made range from coffee tables and cutting boards to Christian-based crafts featuring keychains, zipper chains and necklaces.

Texas Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine is marking its 50th anniversary this year, celebrating five decades of providing orthopedic and sports medicine care to patients across Tomball and the North Houston region, a representative confirmed.

The impact: Founded in 1975, the practice has grown from a small orthopedic office into a multispecialty provider offering care in joint replacement, sports medicine, spine, foot and ankle, hand and upper extremity, trauma, and physical therapy.

Today, Texas Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine operates two clinics across the area, including its long-serving clinic in Tomball.

Over the years, the practice has expanded its services to include on-site MRI, rehabilitation, casting, bracing, and comprehensive orthopedic treatment.

• 13603 Michel Road, Tomball; 9319 Pinecroft Drive, Ste. 200, The Woodlands

The Houston-Galveston Area Council is hosting public meetings for its Safety Action Plans, a measure to improve transportation safety and reduce serious roadway injuries and fatalities, officials announced in a Dec. 1 news release.

With nearly 20% of traffic deaths in Texas—760 people a year, or two people a day—and another 3,725 people annually experiencing life-altering injuries on roads in the Houston-Galveston region, H-GAC created the SAP projects to generate plans to reduce the number of fatal or serious accidents.

Get involved: Community members can provide feedback on roadway safety online or attend a first-round public meeting for the local SAPs, per the release.

Meetings include:

• La Marque: Dec. 1 from 5-7 p.m. at La Marque City Hall
• League City: Dec. 3 from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Johnnie Arolfo Civic Center
• Sugar Land: Dec. 6 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the T.E. Harman Center
• Pearland: Dec. 10 from 5-7 p.m. at the Pearland Chamber of Commerce
• Regional Joint Meeting (H-GAC/METRO/Gulf Coast Rail District): Feb. 12, 2026, from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Houston-Galveston Area Council

A dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Dec. 4. The new laws come 90 days after the end of a special legislative session that took place this summer.

The overview: Some of the bills becoming law Dec. 4 include:

• House Bill 8, which will replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, with three shorter exams beginning in fall 2027
• House Bill 18, which is designed to deter future legislators from leaving the Texas Capitol to prevent a legislative chamber from considering legislation, known as breaking quorum
• Senate Bill 54, which will roll back a short-lived rule that allowed registered Texas voters who moved within a county to update their address at the polls and immediately vote in their new precinct