🗳️ 104,054 Montgomery County Voters Cast Early Ballots in Week One

🚧 Eight Road Projects Around The Woodlands, From Turn Lanes to Hwy. 242

Tuesday, October 27

🌤️ Partly cloudy · 82°F / 60°F

Warm for late October, so dress light for the day and expect a mild evening.

Source: Vaisala Xweather

In the first week of early voting, 104,054 Montgomery County voters cast ballots at the county's ten early voting locations. That is more than 22 percent of all registered voters in the county. By comparison, 135,565 residents voted in the first week of the 2024 presidential election.

The Kevin Brady Library in The Woodlands drew the biggest crowd by far, with more than 14,400 voters in the first week alone. The sites in Splendora and Magnolia were the least attended and the quickest to get through.

Early voting continues through Friday, October 30, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Anyone in line by 7 p.m. can still vote. After that, voters must go to their assigned precinct polling place on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3.

Why it matters: With early voting ending Friday, the choice is between a possibly long wait at the busiest sites or a drive to Splendora or Magnolia, where lines are shortest.

Source/Credits: Woodlands Online

Community Impact's October roundup tracks eight road projects in The Woodlands area. Some are funded by the Montgomery County road bond in Precinct 3, and others are TxDOT projects. The list is not comprehensive, and details can change.

Three small fixes are done: longer turn lanes on Gosling Road at Research Forest Drive and at New Trails Drive, and new concrete pavement at Briar Rock Road and Borough Park Drive. Still underway: the Hwy. 242 widening between FM 1488 and I-45, which TxDOT puts at 96% complete with a fourth-quarter 2026 finish, and drainage work on the I-45 feeder roads, which is 10% complete and runs through the third quarter of 2028.

Two Grogans Mill Road signals are waiting on new equipment due by the end of November. Changes to Rayford Road near the Grand Parkway are next, with construction set to begin in 2027.

Why it matters: Hwy. 242 is nearly finished, but the I-45 feeder drainage project runs through 2028, so expect that stretch to stay busy for a while.

Source/Credits: Community Impact

🗓️ Intro to Pickleball | Ace Pickleball Club | 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM | More info

🗓️ Headshot Day, Plouvier Art | Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce | 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM | Members $145, non-members $175 (plus sales tax) | Booking closes Tuesday, October 27 at 5:00 PM | Reserve here

🗓️ Murder Mystery Dinner | The Refuge Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar | 6:30 PM | More info

🗓️ Milam & Greene Whiskey Pairing Dinner | Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar - The Woodlands | 6:30 PM | More info

🗓️ 6th Annual Bands for Badges | Sawyer Park Icehouse | More info

🗓️ Rock the Row | Hughes Landing | 7:00 PM | More info

🗓️ Halloween SpookTacular | The Woodlands Children's Museum, 4775 W. Panther Creek Dr., Suite 280 | 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Friday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday | Ages 7 and under, advance tickets recommended | Tickets

🗓️ Live Music on the Patio with J-Walkers | The Refuge Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar | 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM | More info

🗓️ Montgomery County Heart Walk | More info

🗓️ Gymboween Portraits, Meowgic Photo by Plouvier Art | Gymboree Play & Music The Woodlands | 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM | Essential $39, Standard $49, Premium $69, 10% off if booked by October 28 with code GYMBOWEEN26 | Book here

🗓️ Live Music on the Patio with The Rustics | The Refuge Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar | 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM | More info

🗓️ Dia de los Fieles Difuntos | Cantona Homestead, 24706 FM 2978, Tomball | 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM | Free parking | More info

🗓️ Fifth Annual Pumpkin Smash, The Woodlands Township | Sterling Ridge Park and Ride, 8001 McBeth Way | 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM | Free | More info

🗓️ Stitching Through Time: An Old Fashioned Quilt Exhibit | Spring Historical Museum | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM | More info

🗓️ Grand Trolley Reveal, The Woodlands Township | Town Center Trolley boarding point, south edge of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion | 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM | More info

Note: Dates and times are as announced online. Organizers may make changes. Always confirm before heading out.

By 1983, less than nine years after The Woodlands officially opened with a handful of model homes in Grogan's Mill, total investment in the community had reached $1 billion. By 1990, it had passed $2 billion.

"He jumped on me like a duck on a June bug." Translation: pounced on it the second the chance showed up.

The first person to ride a horse had no way of knowing in advance whether it was going to work.

I asked the librarian if they had books about paranoia. She whispered, "They're right behind you."

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