Some of the most popular stories on our website this year focused on public education, new development and local elections. Here is a recap of the top 10 stories of 2016 in The Woodlands area.
1. Conroe ISD increases starting teacher salary to $51,500
The Conroe ISD board of trustees
unanimously approved pay raises and stipends proposed by district administration, including a starting teacher salary of $51,500. District officials said these adjustments will keep CISD competitive with peer school districts in the Greater Houston area.
Published: June 23
2. Ironman officials revise triathlon bike route to avoid potential event cancelation
After weeks of revision, a
94-mile biking route was approved for the May 14 Ironman triathlon in The Woodlands, taking about 3,100 participants through portions of Harris County in Spring.
Initially, the Ironman bike route led cyclists through four major construction zones and parts of the county affected by the spring floods.
Published: May 11
3. Crossroads Square at Creekside Park to offer new dining, retail options
Crossroads Square at Creekside Park, a new 4-acre lifestyle center, is
nearing completion at the intersection of Kuykendahl Road and Creekside Forest Drive. Tenants include a CHI St. Luke’s Health primary care facility, Coffeeshop Co., Fuddruckers, MW Cleaners, Refuge Bar and Bistro, and Twin Liquors. The tenants are expected to open by mid-December and early 2017.
Published: Aug. 3
4. Several roads closed in The Woodlands due to flooding
Historic rainfall conditions over Memorial Day weekend in south Montgomery County led to road closures in The Woodlands,
particularly Creekside Park. The village was at one point cut off from the remainder of the community because both Gosling and Kuykendahl roads' bridges were closed.
Published: May 28
5. Wal-Mart to open this spring in Benders Landing
A new Wal-Mart Supercenter at the intersection of Rayford and Riley Fuzzel roads opened this spring. The
new store is one of dozens of new businesses to open along the Rayford corridor this year.
Published: March 9
6. Nordstrom Rack coming to Portofino Shopping Center
Nordstrom Rack is officially coming to
Portofino Shopping Center, in the space occupied by Lifeway Bookstore. The new store will open in 2018.
Published: Oct. 13
7. Woodlands Township makes offer to purchase Creekside YMCA
Following months of feedback from residents of The Woodlands, the township board of directors voted Sept. 28 to execute a
sales contract to purchase the former Creekside Park YMCA at 6464 Creekside Forest Drive for $4.5 million. The sale was finalized in early December, and the facility will reopen in 2017 to residents, offering similar programming and events to the township’s existing recreation center.
Published: Sept. 29
8. 'Dancing with the Stars' cast members open studio in The Woodlands
“Dancing With the Stars” cast members Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Tony Dovolani opened their
eighth studio location in The Woodlands Waterway in late November at 1501 Lake Robbins Drive, Ste. 160.
Published: Nov. 29
9. Conroe ISD students score higher than state average
Conroe ISD students consistently scored
higher than the state average on the 2016 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams, according to data released in August. CISD earned a districtwide Met Standard rating with only one campus, Houston Elementary School, rated as Improvement Required.
Published: Aug. 16
10. The Woodlands Township election results in after lengthy delay
Gordy Bunch, Brian Boniface, John Anthony Brown and Bruce Rieser won
four positions on The Woodlands Township board of directors during the Nov. 8 election. The results of the election were delayed significantly that evening—no results were announced until nearly midnight—resulting in the development of a plan by county officials to speed up the process in the future. The county plans to release early voting results at 7 p.m. moving forward and will train employees to expedite receipt of mail-in ballots.
Published: Nov. 8
