Community Impact staff compiled a number of articles ranging from elections to data center development and new store openings.
Here are the top five stories you may have missed from Oct. 31-Nov. 6 in the Conroe and Montgomery area.
See updates on the election for Conroe ISD positions 1 and 3
With all 121 Montgomery County voting precincts reporting on Nov. 4, Ryan Tsamouris secured the Position 1 seat on the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees. Incumbent Misty Odenweller also secured another term for Position 3 on the board.
Tsamouris beat incumbent Aggie Gambino for Position 1 with 50.47% of the vote over Gambino's 49.53%, according to unofficial results.
Tsamouris said in a statement on his official social media account that his main priority now is to begin the onboarding process to join the board and begin to work as soon as possible.
See updates on the election for Position 2 in Conroe ISD
Candidate Rod Hammer narrowly achieved a victory over Destinee Milton and Robin Deferrari for Position 2 on the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees.
While no candidate received over 50% of the vote in the race, board trustee elections are called based on a plurality vote.
Hammer held 40.79% of the vote according to unofficial election results. Meanwhile, challengers Destinee Milton and Robin Deferrari garnered 36.33% and 22.88% of the vote, respectively.
Montgomery County water officials say data centers aren’t likely to target county for development
Speaking at a symposium Thursday celebrating 25 years since the creation of the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, which oversees the county’s groundwater supplies, the agency’s leaders said data center developers are unlikely to target Montgomery County.
“If they were going to use water in a way that wasn't good, in a way that wasn't conserving, (they) would have a really hard time getting a permit from us,” said Jim Spigener, board president of LSGCD.
Data centers, which have large power and water needs, have become a political flashpoint in communities across Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott in September directed regulators to stop issuing new permits after declaring Texas “the epicenter of AI development” a year ago, which the facilities support.
H-E-B finalizes grand opening date in Montgomery
The new 127,000-square-foot facility is set to have multiple amenities, including an on-site car wash and gas station, as well as other common H-E-B features such as a bakery, H-E-B Meal Simple, an outside seafood boil area, frozen foods and more.
“H-E-B is bringing its fresh food, quality products and commitment to Montgomery with the opening of its newest store,” officials said in the news release.
Montgomery County tops 192,000 votes cast ahead of election day
Montgomery County saw 192,952 ballots cast during the early voting period for the Nov. 3 election, according to the county’s elections department.
That represents 39% of registered voters, according to data from the Texas Secretary of State’s website. Compared to the 2022 November midterm elections, 5% more registered voters cast a ballot during this election's early voting.
