OAK RIDGE NORTH – A 3-year-old boy drowned in his grandparents’ backyard pool Sunday morning, according to local police officials....

CONROE- A motorcycle driver was killed and his passenger was critically injured around 6:27 p.m. Sunday when police say an intoxicated driver allegedly turned his pickup truck directly in their path, making a collision unavoidable on FM 2854 at Loop 336....

THE WOODLANDS – Bruce Tough, Nelda Blair, Peggy Hausman, Tom Campbell and Claude Hunter will serve on The Woodlands Township board after receiving the five highest vote totals in Saturday’s election....

WILLIS – Willis voters overwhelmingly approved a “home rule” charter Saturday, with 72 percent of voters supporting the change in the way the city’s government is run....

Reporters spent part of election day visiting voting places throughout the county and taking note of memorable people and events....

Conroe City Council Position 1 candidates Marsha Porter and Debbie Glenn are headed for a runoff....

Montgomery County residents will be paying nearly $950 million in bonds to improve public school and college district facilities after passing the Conroe Independent School District and Lone Star College System bonds....

MONTGOMERY – Two men charged in Thursday night’s shooting death of Perry Hook, 58, at the KOA Kampground near Montgomery told investigators they had no idea anyone was struck by one of their bullets, officials said....

Voters are expected to turn out in notable numbers today, particularly in The Woodlands, for the county’s third joint election....

Local, state and federal law enforcement officials are teaming up to find a fugitive capital murder suspect who failed to show up Monday for his trial....

DECKER PRAIRIE — A 31-year-old woman was found at the bottom of a swimming pool in the area of FM 249 and Hardin Store Road late Friday afternoon. Montgomery County EMS responded and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the unidentified woman, who was transported to Tomball Regional Medical Center, according to officials. No further details were available as of press time....

THE WOODLANDS — High construction costs have defeated Grogan’s Mill residents’ hopes that the Texas Department of Transportation would build a sound wall protecting their homes from freeway noise....

It was one of the happiest moments of her life. Erin Scott had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl with her husband and 2-year-old son at her side, but soon things would take a drastic turn....

GRANGERLAND – Dissecting frogs, replicating the digestive process and stirring swirling cauldrons of goo were all part of the curriculum for moms and dads going back to school....

As the dust settled in the Rodeo Arena at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on Saturday, so did the Lone Star Stampede, an event that drew thousands of people to witness rodeo events and cook-off competitions in the latter half of last week....

WILLIS — A Brahbam Middle School student was arrested May 2 for displaying a gun on campus in early February, according to Lt. Leslee Cade, with the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office....

Each year in the month of May, members of the law enforcement community and its supporters commemorate the officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their community. At the same time, we celebrate the dedication shown daily by thousands of officers across the nation. I would like to share some words with you that come from an anonymous work entitled “The Creation of Peace Officers.”...

A Conroe woman, who opened her home, heart and life to help children at risk learn the meaning of life and family, knows she has made a difference in the lives of her boys....

The Stampede of Pits Barbecue Cook-off earned its namesake this weekend, drawing more than 100 teams from across Texas to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds to compete in cooking events Friday and Saturday....

Graduates: Air Force Airman Ryan M. Sanders has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio....

The blessings kept on coming Saturday for a Conroe family who moved into a new house built by Habitat for Humanity and received a blessing on their home by a Catholic cardinal....

Mother’s Day accounts for 25 percent of all holiday floral business, and three generations of local women have put their own unique mark on Mother’s Day bouquets over the past 71 years....

Money Concepts: Money Concepts, a local wealth management and financial planning firm, recently worked in conjunction with the Academy of Lifelong Learning at Lone Star College-Montgomery, the Conroe Independent School District and Junior Achievement to offer a professional education series of financial classes to help improve individual financial security. More than 20 classes were conducted by Money Concepts at its Woodlands regional office and the Lone Star College-Montgomery campus for working adults and retirees. Call Kevan Gaugk, (281) 362-2766, or e-mail him at gaug@moneyconcepts.com....

THE WOODLANDS – With black, flowing gowns draped in colorful cords and caps pinned into place with precision only a graduate can appreciate, a new crop of workers are ready to conquer the world....

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Conroe school board member Bruce Tough said he will resign his trustee position following his election to The Woodlands Township board of directors on Saturday.

Conroe will have a new mayor and city councilman, but a second city council seat will go back to voters for a runoff election.

Lone Star College System's $420 million bond passed Saturday, supplying needed funding for the system's planned construction and renovations to service the booming student population.

Accustomed to hearing gunfire from those taking target practice in the distance, Perry Hook hardly felt in danger when he sat down outside his recreational trailer to relax while his wife cooked dinner Thursday evening.

The Conroe City Council awarded a nearly $390,000 incentive grant Thursday to a manufacturing facility that expects to bring its plant and more than 100 jobs to the city.

When Imperial Oaks resident Erin Scott gave birth to her little girl Finley on Dec. 1, it ended up being a double miracle of sorts.

Authorities are looking for a Huntsville man who was free on bail and failed to show up for his capital murder trial in Conroe this week.

After Conroe Independennt School District graduates doff their caps and gowns, they can eat, gamble and rock the night away at the annual Operation Graduation lock-in. The Woodlands and The Woodlands College Park high school seniors can attend the 21st Annual Operation Graduation lockdown in June at McCullough Junior High.

Montgomery County has rejected a proposal by the Houston-Galveston Area Council to participate in more localized transportation planning.

Montgomery County is promoting a new ride-sharing program for its employees.

Who is Lake Conroe resident Roger Crooks? And why is he suing the government of Sierra Leone? Once linked to alleged arms smugglers, Crooks, 59, is a well-known businessman in Sierra Leone who mined diamonds there and helped save people fleeing the fighting during the country's bloody coup in 1997.

The Army is investigating the death of a soldier from Willis who died while she was at Fort Irwin, Calif., for training. Army Spc. Emily T. Ort, 24, was found unresponsive in her sleep early Saturday morning, officials said. She was pronounced dead later. No further information was available.

People of every age from countries across the globe slog through paperwork and customs to come to the United States for the chance to lead a better life.

A heart problem contributed to the death of a Conroe man who was stricken while swimming in a triathlon last weekend, although the cause of death was drowning, an autopsy shows.

Montgomery County will offer emergency preparedness training to its employees during their regular work days.

For Michael Gager, inspiration is found in the stars.

Some people were pleased, others surprised as they walked away from the Old Baptist Church in downtown Montgomery, where an expert told them how valuable their cherished antiques are.

The audio visual club is finally getting the respect it deserves.

Montgomery County got the green light from the regional planning authority to pursue federal funding for public transit options for the area.

The Leadership Montgomery County class is wrapping up its final project and headed toward graduation.

Chancellor Richard Carpenter's three-year contract was reviewed and approved Thursday by the Lone Star College System board of trustees as part of an annual policy for all administrative employees. Carpenter refused a raise in salary, instead accepting only moving cost compensation to bring his family to Texas from their current home in Madison, Wis.

Two administrative law judges have recommended that state environmental officials approve a Houston company's permits to pump industrial waste into an underground well in east Montgomery County, despite widespread opposition.

Conroe Councilman Jim Gentry wants to transplant a successful Pittsburgh program for underprivileged youth and adults to Conroe. Called the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and Bidwell Training Center Inc., the internationally-known program uses art and jazz to empower youth and provides vocational training for unemployed or at risk-youth.

It seems self-service when it comes to grabbing a meal is becoming less popular with the recent growth of third-party restaurant delivery services in Montgomery County.

On their sixteenth birthday, it's every teenager's dream to be handed a newly minted license and the car keys.

Congratulations for a job well done are in order for those featured in our Rotary column this week. Each has worked countless hours, sometimes over the course of many years, to achieve the successes we recognize today....

Customers from across Montgomery County have come to a 150-year-old barn from Kentucky to enjoy coffee, fine dining and live music in The Woodlands....

Shirley Rothwell...

THE LAKE CONROE AREA REPUBLICAN WOMEN don’t just stand around looking for candidates to support, although some of that might go on....

Annually the kick-off for Montgomery County Cattle Baron’s Ball is the stupendous fashion show and luncheon....

Many years ago, back in another century, I was a student here in New York at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. I think what terrified me most about studying the difficult craft of acting was the amount of memorization involved. I was always afraid I would forget a line of dialogue and look foolish myself, while leaving some fellow thespian hanging. Thus I have always admired actors who can master difficult scripts while making it all look easy. There was plenty of that in Texas last week when I attended the premier of Town Center Theatre’s courageous current production of David Ives’ award-winning comedy, “All In The Timing.”...

Growing up in the ghettos of Houston and not having someone to care about you at a young age really takes a toll on a young person’s life. My biological mom was addicted to crack cocaine and chose drugs over me and my three little brothers and my sister. I was the devil’s son. I would wait until night time and go inside of people’s cars and take whatever I could cause that is how it was growing up in the streets....

My friend Glenda could hardly wait to have lunch at this seafood restaurant as she had enjoyed the food many times at the Fish Place in Clear Lake....

“Blue railroad train goin’ down the railroad track...

If I were a 9-year-old no doubt that rating would be a gazillion stars instead of two and a half, but I’m a 45-year-old critic who thinks “Speed Racer” is one of the most interesting looking films I’ve ever seen. However the eye-popping movie is such a mix-mash of styles it’s exhausting in one way and a bit of a bore in another....

Editor’s note: The Courier each week runs a summary of reports on area restaurant inspections by the Montgomery County Health Department Environmental Health Services. The departmetn routinely performs food establishment inspections twice per year, or more often if the inspection report was bad resulting in numerous demerits or a complaint was filed. Below are all establishments that reeived no demerits, plus esstablishments each week that received the most demerits....

DEBRA DUNCAN, a television anchor accustomed to reporting headline news, will make some of her own May 17 when she emcees the CATTLE BARONS’ FASHION SHOW at The Woodlands Marriott Waterway Hotel and Convention Center....

“Made of Honor” is a mildly entertaining romantic comedy showcasing the appeal of Patrick Dempsey, the popular television actor who plays the charming “Grey’s Anatomy” surgeon with the flattering nickname of “Dr. McDreamy.” Told from his male perspective, the ambitious Dempsey modeled his performance after Cary Grant, the Golden Age master of the genre current moviegoers describe as chick flicks. While Dempsey projects an affable persona and has adopted many Grant mannerisms, he lacks what Grant exuded, the presence to please an audience of both genders....

Editor’s note: The Courier each week runs a summary of reports on area restaurant inspections by the Montgomery County Health Department Environmental Health Services. The departmetn routinely performs food establishment inspections twice per year, or more often if the inspection report was bad resulting in numerous demerits or a complaint was filed. Below are all establishments that reeived no demerits, plus esstablishments each week that received the most demerits....

For more than 24 years, a local Chinese restaurant has been an institution for Asian cuisine – offering a tasty and healthy alternative to traditional fast food....

By Peggie MillerPerforming Arts columnist...

“Deception” is touted as an erotic thriller but falls flat because the absurd plot is overly contrived and fails to deliver on the basics. As for deception, the transparent tale is neither thrilling nor erotic. Given the advantages of an accomplished cast and excellent if unflattering close-up cinematography, a general lack of character development, poor dialogue and a tentative approach to the sexual subject matter all contribute to an unbelievable story....

Buy a hat and prepare to hold onto it – Derby Day in Conroe has arrived....