Following a soft opening in late November, Italiano's Restaurant officially opened in New Caney on Dec. 1, an employee confirmed Dec. 2. 

On the menu: Per the website, the Italian restaurant offers a menu of chicken, veal and seafood dishes as well as pizza, pasta, calzones, soups and salads. 

Some context: As previously reported by Community Impact, the new restaurant is located in the Centre at Gene Campbell retail center at the front of the East Montgomery County Industrial Park. 

The New Caney eatery marks the fifth Italiano's Restaurant location, with additional locations in Atascocita, Humble, Kingwood and Pearland. 

• Opened Dec. 1 
• 18934 E. Industrial Parkway, New Caney 

Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner Matt Gray's Office is hosting a public meeting Dec. 11 for residents to learn about flood mitigation efforts in the area.

What residents should know: According to Precinct 4’s website, the meeting will cover the Montgomery County Precinct 4 Flood Mitigation Grant Plan, which:

• Is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program
• Will establish a long-term strategy for flood mitigation in Precinct 4 
• Will identify specific project areas for future grant funding 

Lone Star College System trustees received updates on several projects associated with the college system’s $485 million bond approved by voters in 2014.

The details: LSCS Chancellor Mario Castillo said the college system is planning a Jan. 13 opening of the roughly $34 million Magnolia Center, which will serve as a satellite campus for LSC-Tomball. Once completed, Castillo said college system officials will move on to the roughly $10.5 million expansion of the LSC Victory Center.

A closer look: As previously reported by Community Impact, the Magnolia Center will offer academic transfer courses; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning programs; and emergency medical services Professions programs. As previously reported by Community Impact, the Victory Center will include more classrooms, a biology lab and a fitness center.

What’s next: While LCS officials couldn't provide a timeline for the LSC Victory Center by press time, Castillo said it was the last building that would be constructed that was funded through the 2014 bond.

On Dec. 3, Habitat for Humanity Montgomery County held a ceremony to celebrate the beginning of Marble Creek, its new neighborhood.

The gist: Homebuilding for the new neighborhood in Magnolia—which will accommodate over 200 families—will begin in the spring, Deputy Director Erik Armstrong said during the ceremony.

More details: Marble Creek joins the nonprofit’s other neighborhood, the Conroe-area Cedar Creek. Cedar Creek broke ground in 2009 and is nearly built out, Community Impact previously reported.

Quote of note: “I’m looking forward to seeing what y’all can do because I’ve seen it in Conroe, and I’m glad that we’re going to see it over here in Magnolia,” Charlie Riley, Montgomery County Precinct 2 commissioner, said during the ceremony. “This is going to be a great place, a lot of good folks are going to end up here, a lot of good folks are making it happen.”

What else: During the ceremony, Executive Director Vicki Johnson announced that an anonymous donor is donating $500,000 toward Marble Creek—$100,000 each year for five years.

Nine new medical cannabis dispensaries could soon open in Texas, the Department of Public Safety announced Dec. 1.

The overview: The nine companies were preliminarily approved to join three existing dispensaries that provide medical-grade, low-THC products to eligible patients through the Texas Compassionate Use Program. The program's expansion comes after state lawmakers passed House Bill 46 this spring.

Lawmakers also allowed dispensaries to store products in multiple locations, which advocates said would cut costs, and added more qualifying conditions to the program.

Zooming in: The nine providers given conditional licenses Dec. 1 are:

• Verano Texas LLC in West Texas
• Trulieve TX Inc. in the Panhandle
• Texas Patient Access LLC in North Texas
• Lonestar Compassionate Care Group LLC in North Texas
• Lone Star Bioscience Inc. in South Central Texas
• PC TX OPCO LLC, dba PharmaCann, in Southeast Texas
• Texa OP, dba TexaRx, in the Rio Grande Valley
• Story of Texas LLC in Southeast Texas
• Dilatso LLC in North Texas