One month after Conroe City Council approved a new $500 street-closure application fee, the ordinance is already reshaping how community events operate, drawing growing concern from residents and small-business owners.

Council adopted Jan. 22 updates to the city’s special event regulations, requiring organizers to obtain permits when events close streets, restrict public access or disrupt normal traffic flow.

According to the ordinance, it is designed to “secure the general health, safety and welfare” while managing impacts tied to large public gatherings. Norman McGuire, assistant city administrator and public works director, told council during a Jan. 22 meeting that the $500 price tag is comparable to nearby cities.

In their own words: As the ordinance begins taking effect, residents and small-business owners have voiced growing frustration, saying the new fee structure reshapes who is able to host events in Conroe.

Savannah Schroeder, a Conroe resident and small-business owner, said the policy threatens the types of markets that helped entrepreneurs like herself get started.

Lake Conroe Splash Zone, an inflatable obstacle course and park, is set to be open for business by the end of March, owners confirm.

Two-minute impact: Founded by Carter Drab, Lake Conroe Splash Zone is an inflatable obstacle course located inside Lake Conroe Beach Park. Running daily from 9 a.m.-7 p.m, the park will have over 10 different obstacle courses supervised by various lifeguards. 

• 14968 Hwy. 105, Montgomery

Conroe ISD is projected to see enrollment grow to 73,000 students by the 2030-31 school year, according to a new Zonda Demographics study presented to the board of trustees at its March 17 meeting.

A previous 2022 study performed by Population and Survey Analysts projected higher numbers, with nearly 100,000 students expected by 2032-33.

What to know: Conroe ISD enrollment increased by 5,072 students overall in the last four school years, with 150 fewer students entering in the 2025-26 school year, according to Zonda.

“We used district birthdate data, from the state health department ... we look at the ZIP codes that predominantly make up the district and look at the kindergarten enrollment as a capture rate,” said Rocky Gardiner, Zonda’s director of school district consulting.

Digging deeper: Zonda officials said within the next 10 years, the district will grow to almost 73,000 students by 2030-31 before an anticipated decline by 2035-36 to around 71,500 students. This contrasts with a previous PASA report that showed nearly steady growth expected from 2023-33.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials have announced a new dress code for entry, beginning March 17.

Sorting out details: The Rodeo has provided an update on its code of conduct for guests, according to its website.

The following is prohibited:

• Clothing with "objectionable" material, such as obscene language or graphics
• Excessively torn clothing or visible undergarments exposing excessive portions of the skin
• Clothing or other attire of affiliation with a criminal street gang
• Clothing or apparel that intentionally obscures the face, unless worn for cultural or religious reasons or a medical condition

Texas families now have an additional two weeks to apply for the state’s new education savings account program, a Houston federal judge ruled March 17.

What's happening: U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett ordered the state comptroller’s office to extend the application deadline to March 31 over concerns that no Islamic private schools had been greenlit to accept state ESA funds. In two lawsuits filed in early March, four Muslim parents said they felt deterred from applying for education savings accounts because the Islamic schools they send their children to were not among the 2,200 schools authorized to participate in the program.

Parents previously had until 11:59 p.m. March 17 to apply for the program.

Latest update: In a March 17 news release, the comptroller’s office confirmed that applications would be accepted through March 31 in compliance with the judge’s order.

Over 229,000 students had applied for the $1 billion program as of March 17, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said. The state will use a need- and income-based lottery system to determine who is accepted.