Porter SnoBall opened March 20 for its 50th season, owner Karen Barfield said via email April 10.

The history: The shaved ice stand was originally opened by Barfield's mother, Martha Turner, in April 1976. At the time, prices started at 25 cents and the stand was located farther south on Loop 494 near Ford Road. The business name, Porter SnoBall, was given a few years later in 1979.

Barfield said she assumed ownership of the business after her mother's passing in 2001.

What to expect: Porter SnoBall offers 50 shaved ice flavors available in four sizes with toppings ranging from cool whip and Nerds to caramel and condensed cream. The business is open seasonally, typically opening by April 1—if not sooner—and closing by Labor Day. The cash-only establishment is closed Mondays.

Quote of note: "Porter SnoBall has never changed the way we do things," Barfield said. "Quality, friendliness and devotion to the people of this area are what have kept us in business." 

• 23852 Loop 494, Porter

Check out what's happening in New Caney and Porter from April 16-21.

VFW Auxiliary Golf Outing: The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4816 Auxiliary is holding a golf outing featuring a four-person, 18-hole scramble at Oakhurst Golf Club. Afterward, the VFW's facility in Porter will host a dinner with awards and raffle prizes.

• April 17, noon (registration and putting contest), 1:30 p.m. (shotgun start)
• $100 (per golfer)
• Oakhurst Golf Club, 20700 Mills Branch Drive, Porter; VFW Post 4816, 24411 Cunningham Drive, Porter

• April 18, 7-11 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 23020 Speed St., New Caney

• April 21, noon
• Free (admission)
• 21679 McCleskey Road, New Caney

Montgomery County commissioners are set to begin work on the county’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget, with a proposed calendar that lays out months of department meetings, public presentations, budget workshops and a final adoption date Sept. 8. 

What you need to know: The budget calendar launched the FY 2026-27 process April 9, with a formal kick-off scheduled for the next Commissioners Court meeting April 23, Budget Officer Amanda Carter said.

According to the county’s budget schedule, the first phase—budget development—runs from April 9 to July 15 and includes training, budget packet distribution and meetings between the budget office, department heads and elected officials about their funding needs.

County departments would receive budget training and budget packets April 27-May 1, per the calendar. After that, the budget office is scheduled to meet with individual departments and elected officials from May 7-June 12. 

The big picture: Per Carter's presentation, the process is broken into three stages: budget development, preliminary budget and workshops, and adoption with compensation updates.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously voted April 13 to approve Susan Ballabina as the sole finalist to become the next president of Texas A&M University, officials announced in a Texas A&M news release.

What's happening: Ballabina currently serves as executive vice chancellor for the university system, overseeing systemwide operations and strategic initiatives, according to the release. She brings more than 30 years of experience within the A&M system and has previously held leadership roles, including chief of staff to the university president and deputy vice chancellor for Texas A&M AgriLife.

University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar said both Ballabina's experience and familiarity with the university position her well to lead Texas A&M as it approaches its 150th anniversary. He referred to Ballabina as a "proven leader."

What's next: Before Ballabina can officially take office, she is subject to a state-required 21-day waiting period.

The Artemis 2 astronauts safely returned to Earth on April 10, splashing down off the coast of San Diego at 7:07 CDT, according to NASA’s website.

The successful landing concluded the nearly 10-day mission that marked NASA’s first crewed journey to the moon in over 50 years.

In case you missed it: The mission sent NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a lunar flyby, making them the first humans since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 to go beyond low-Earth orbit, as previously reported by Community Impact.

The crew included Friendswood residents Wiseman and Hansen, along with pilot Glover, who is a parent within Clear Creek ISD.

Texas retailers can resume selling smokable hemp products after a Travis County judge temporarily blocked some of the state’s sweeping new regulations on the hemp industry.

The background: On March 31, the state health department enacted rules changing how THC content is measured in consumable hemp, which industry experts said effectively outlawed most smokable hemp products.

The Texas Hemp Business Council, a federal hemp industry group, and several local hemp companies sued the state April 8, arguing that the state health department does not have the authority to reclassify legal THC levels. State officials have defended the rules, saying they are in line with a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who at the time called for stricter oversight of the multibillion-dollar hemp industry.

The latest: Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble sided with the hemp industry in an April 10 ruling, directing the state not to enforce the new THC testing requirement and a restriction on the transportation of hemp products between states. An additional hearing is scheduled for April 23.