🍖 Chef Austin Simmons Returns to The Woodlands With Charolais, a 300-Seat Beef Showcase at Hughes Landing
🏛️ Dallas Firm to Design Montgomery County's New Justice Center
🥫 Montgomery County Food Bank Welcomes Five New Board Directors
🎒 Interfaith Kicks Off School Supply Drive for Local Students in Need

TWD | Issue #003

⛈️ Thunderstorms · Monday, July 13, 2026

High 82°F · Low 72°F
💧 Humidity 89% · 💨 Wind S 6 mph · 🌧️ Rain chance 70%
🕐 Rain expected: scattered storms this morning, with more likely this afternoon
☀️ UV Index 7 of 11
🌅 Sunrise 6:30 AM · 🌇 Sunset 8:25 PM

Keep the umbrella in the car today, storms could roll through more than once before this one clears out.

Source: The Weather Channel

Chef Austin Simmons just held a soft opening for family and friends at his new restaurant, Charolais. The 7,500-square-foot space, seating nearly 300 guests, has taken over the former Local Pour spot on Hughes Landing's Restaurant Row.

This isn't Simmons' first stop in The Woodlands. He previously led the kitchen at TRIS, which closed in January of last year. Even after those doors shut, Simmons stayed a familiar face around the community, and Charolais is his next chapter: a mid-scale, modern, casual concept built around signature steak boards, burgers, and cuts.

The restaurant's identity centers on where the beef comes from. Simmons runs his own genetics-driven cattle program, Chef & Rancher, which covers breeding, sustainable animal husbandry, and full oversight all the way to the plate. The Chef Austin Wagyu line is a cross of Black Wagyu and French Charolais. An adjacent butcher shop will let guests buy raw beef and watch cuts being prepared, with the option to choose how their steak gets cooked, including live fire or cast iron.

Diners who remember TRIS's pricier menu, think Korean butter poached crab and lobster pot pie, will notice a shift. Simmons is aiming for accessibility at Charolais, with an average price point at least $30 less per person than his old restaurant.

Why it matters: A well-known local chef betting on a bigger, more accessible restaurant right in Hughes Landing says something about how much confidence there is in The Woodlands' dining scene right now.

Source/Credits: Woodlands Online | Charolais By Chef AustinSimmons

Montgomery County is moving forward on a proposed new justice center, with commissioners unanimously selecting Dallas-based Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects (BSW Architects) for the project during a July 9 meeting. A contract laying out scope, cost, and payment schedule will come back before the court for approval.

The selection lets the county start refining plans and developing a more reliable cost estimate for the courthouse project. BSW architect Charlie Goodman said the firm plans to build on an earlier facility study rather than starting from scratch, though the existing plans will need to be reviewed and updated.

Commissioners haven't yet approved a bond election or settled on how the justice center would be funded, but officials have discussed the possibility of putting a bond proposal in front of voters this November.

Why it matters: A November bond vote on a justice center is the kind of thing that's easy to miss until it's already on your ballot.

Source/Credits: Community Impact | BSW Architects

Montgomery County Food Bank is welcoming five new members to its Board of Directors for the term beginning May 2026, drawing leaders from grocery retail, education, waste services, and the local business community. Brian Albert, a partner at Kean Miller LLP in The Woodlands, has also been named Board Secretary, stepping into the role after the departure of outgoing Secretary Edmund Robb.

Among the incoming directors are Kaylea Williams, Division Associate and Labor Relations Manager at Kroger; Mark Linabury, President and CEO of the Greater East Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce; Mary Anne Whitney, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Waste Connections; Dr. David Vinson, Superintendent of Conroe Independent School District; and James Anderson, General Manager at H-E-B.

Food Bank President and CEO Scott Burns thanked the departing directors, Edmund Robb, Elizabeth Garner of The Kroger Co., and Victor Nivens of H-E-B, for their years of service. The organization's 78,000-square-foot warehouse in Conroe provided more than 10 million meals to Montgomery County neighbors in 2025.

Why it matters: The people steering the Food Bank's board are part of why it can serve as many neighbors as it does.

Source/Credits: Hello Woodlands | Montgomery County Food Bank

Interfaith of The Woodlands has launched its annual Kits 4 Kids School Supplies Assistance Program, aiming to help local students start the school year prepared. Each year, Interfaith provides supplies to more than 2,000 Conroe ISD students whose families are facing financial hardship across South Montgomery County, relying on donations from local businesses, churches, organizations, schools, and community members.

"Every child deserves the opportunity to start the school year feeling prepared and supported," said Missy Herndon, President and CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands. "Through our school supply assistance programs, our community comes together each year to help local children succeed while reminding families that they are not alone during challenging times."

Interfaith is currently collecting new supplies and backpacks. Most-requested items include themed backpacks, markers, crayons, notebooks, binders, glue sticks, pocket folders, pencils, and headphones. Community members and local businesses are encouraged to host their own supply or backpack drives to help meet the need.

Why it matters: Two thousand kids starting the school year without the basics isn't abstract, it's a real gap this community closes every summer.

Source/Credits: Woodlands Online | Interfaith of The Woodlands

🏃 Goose's Acre Running Club. The Goose's Acre Bistro & Irish Pub, 21 Waterway Ave. 5:30–7:30 PM. Weekly group run, all ages welcome, pet and stroller friendly. Free. More info

💆 Medical Aesthetics & Laser Annual "Christmas in July" Event. 9180 Pinecroft Drive. Runs July 13–17. 20% off services and products, $100 off fillers (excludes Biote and tox), free gift with purchases over $250, and entry into a grand prize giveaway. More info

🎈 Boogie Bash: Luau Dancing. The Woodlands Children's Museum, 4775 West Panther Creek Drive. 11:00 AM. Tropical-themed dance session for toddlers featuring an actual hula dance. Included with admission ($10). More info

🎨 Art Matters Series III: Fireside Chat with Bob Mosier. The Woodlands Arts Council Gallery, 9450 Grogan's Mill Road, Suite 160. 2:00–4:00 PM. Free, open to the public, RSVP required. An intimate conversation with exhibiting artist Bob Mosier on art, creativity, and community. More info

🎸 Flatland Cavalry with Randy Rogers Band and Zack Telander. The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Drive. 7:30 PM. Texas country night on the Main Stage from the Work of Heart Tour. Tickets required. More info

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

Texas Litter Control offers low-cost spay and neuter services across four Harris and Montgomery County locations, including one right in Spring. The nonprofit just took over a shuttered clinic to expand capacity to 50 animals a day, and donations through the Petco Foundation are being matched through August. Call 281-528-1238 to book.

Source/Credits: Community Impact

Lake Woodlands isn't natural at all. The 200-acre freshwater lake was fully excavated by hand in 1984 and 1985, and today it's home to the Midgard Serpent, a sculpture of the sea serpent from Norse mythology, one of several public art pieces scattered around the township.

"That's all cattywampus." Translation: something is crooked, askew, or just plain out of sorts, like a picture frame hanging wrong on the wall.

When jogging, we put on special clothes so people don't think we are running away from something.

Why don't skeletons ever start arguments?
— They don't have the guts.

🎻 The Woodlands Symphony Orchestra unveiled its Season 13 lineup, "Expect the Unexpected," featuring a sports-tribute concert, a Grateful Dead symphonic show, and an audience-participation jazz holiday concert running July 2026 through May 2027. Read more

🥟 Cooking Girl Chinese Cuisine, known for dishes like Sichuan beef and dry pot duck, is coming soon to Grogan's Mill Village Center. Read more

🌻 Volunteers from Critter Control joined Township Environmental Services at Wendtwoods Park to install 103 native pollinator plants, funded by an $8,000 grant from Keep Texas Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful. Read more

💰 Woodforest Charitable Foundation awarded $6.7 million to 232 nonprofits across Montgomery and Harris counties this year, bringing its total giving past $47 million since inception. Read more

📚 North Houston's City Place is keeping summer going with reading programs and family movie nights even as the school year approaches. Read more

🔬 Sam Houston State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Conroe opened applications for a new online master's program in applied biomedical sciences, with tracks in healthcare AI, regulatory affairs, and clinical sciences starting this fall. Read more

🏛️ The Woodlands Township Board of Directors will hold its regular meeting on Thursday, July 16. Read more

🕊️ Montgomery County law enforcement honored fallen Sheriff's Deputy Erika Serrato with a funeral procession through Conroe and The Woodlands, prompting a traffic advisory along the route. Read more

🚔 The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office accepted 52 DWI and 2 BWI charges from the Erika Serrato July 4th DWI Initiative, a weekend enforcement push involving 82 officers countywide. Read more

⚖️ Local attorney Chuck Meyer launched an independent campaign for Justice of the Peace, gathering the signatures required to get an independent candidate on the ballot by walking the precinct door-to-door. Read more