WEDNESDAY VOLUME XXVIII NUMBER 52 Section 1 8 pages
December 27, 2023 Home of the ‘Lone Star Flag’ and Randy F. Roan
Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper
Established 1995
Montgomery County News
Montgomery, Texas 77356
50 Weekly
PRE-SRT POSTAGE PD #80 MONTG. TX
PBOX Magnolia, TX 77353
Pct. 4 Deputies Crack Weekly Multi-City Gas Prices Burglary Children are invited to celebrate Operation
Texas The Woodlands Children’s Average gasoline prices in Texas have risen 11.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.64/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 1.5 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 2.5 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen 0.6 cents in the last week and stands at $4.00 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $2.25/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.89/g, a difference of $1.64/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.25/g while the highest was $3.89/g, a difference of $1.64/g. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.07/g today. The national average is down 13.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 1.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. Historical gasoline prices in Texas and the national average going back ten years: December 26, 2022: $2.62/g (U.S. Average: $3.06/g) December 26, 2021: $2.83/g (U.S. Average: $3.25/g) December 26, 2020: $1.92/g (U.S. Average: $2.25/g) December 26, 2019: $2.22/g (U.S. Average: $2.54/g) December 26, 2018: $1.97/g (U.S. Average: $2.30/g) December 26, 2017: $2.20/g (U.S. Average: $2.44/g) December 26, 2016: $2.06/g (U.S. Average: $2.28/g) December 26, 2015: $1.76/g (U.S. Average: $2.00/g) December 26, 2014: $2.06/g (U.S. Average: $2.30/g) December 26, 2013: $3.06/g (U.S. Average: $3.26/g) Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Midland Odessa- $2.85/g, up 28.8 cents per gallon from last week's $2.56/g. San Antonio- $2.55/g, up 9.3 cents per gallon from last week's $2.46/g. Austin- $2.62/g, up 14.1 cents per gallon from last week's $2.48/g. "After 13 straight weeks of decline, average gasoline prices have edged higher due to optimistic comments from the Fed on cutting interest rates in 2024, coupled with Houthi attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, boosting concerns of a disruption to global shipping, including oil shipments," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "For now, the price of gasoline has already jumped, but could ease slightly this week ahead of the New Year. For now, I'm optimistic that we may still have a chance of seeing the first $2.99 national average since 2021 sometime before spring arrives. We'll have the full details on what we expect for gasoline and diesel prices in 2024 later this week. Hopefully motorists will be able to celebrate a New Year with good news at the pump!" SOURCE GasBuddy
Museums’ December 30th High Noon Countdown
the incoming New Year during
photos courtesy of The Woodlands Children's Museum. High Noon Countdown will take place at The Woodlands Children’s Museum on Saturday, December 30, 2023 at 9:30am-11:00am, 11:45am-1:15pm, and 2:00pm-3:30pm.
THE WOODLANDS, T X – O n S a t u r d a y, December 30th, the museum offers a delightful way to ring in the New Year with a balloon drop, themed art projects and holiday music, all designed for little ones under age seven and their families. Guests are invited to dance and sing along with Tom’s Fun Band, who will perform classic holiday
Legals.............................6, 7
Business Directory.............8
and 2:00pm-3:30pm. “Children will be filled with anticipation and wonder as they excitedly countdown to ten, awaiting the release of a cascade of colorful balloons” stated Angela Colton, the m u s e u m ’s E x e c u t i v e Director. During the event, children may create a special New Year’s hat and participate in bubble wrap
See Museum, page 2
Montgomery County VSO Changing Hands
by MCN contributing writer, Ruben Borjas Jr CONROE, TX – After a 41 year career with Montgomery County, 39 of which are with the county Veterans Service Office, Kay Lee will officially step down in her role as the county’s service officer at year’s end. Lee started with Montgomery County in 1982, with the county parks department, and was even laid off for a short period after county budget cuts. Kay joined the Veterans Service Office in 1985 as a file clerk, of which she found out there was no filing system, so she took it upon herself to create a system which is still in use today. “Every single time I can help a Veteran get the benefits they deserve has Community............2, 3, 4, 8 always been the best Commentary...............2, 3, 4, 5 reward for me,” said Lee. Church Directory..............5 “It makes a change in their l i v e s . Yo u m a k e a
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carols throughout the event. Children and families are provided an opportunity to embellish their own time capsules, containing prompts to record special and endearing information for 2023 and look ahead to 2024. A festive balloon drop will conclude the end of each of the three sessions offered at 9:30am11:00am, 11:45am-1:15pm
dancing, which adds a new dimension of sensory fun, as families gleefully stomp and leap on plastic bubbles. The symphony of pops and giggles creates an opportunity for movement and celebrating together. Tickets are $20 for children ages 1-13, $10 for adults, and infants under one are free. Tickets may be purchased online at www.woodlandschildrens museum.org. The museum is only open for High Noon Countdown and will reopen to the public on Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at 10:00am. About The Woodlands Children’s Museum T h e Wo o d l a n d s C h i l d r e n ’s M u s e u m , a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was founded out of a desire to meet the community’s proven need for a positive environment where children and their families can learn, play, and make special memories throughout the year. At the museum, fun and learning go hand in hand, whether children are creating art, singing along to a musical performance or conducting a science
12.21.23 around 5pm, a burglary of a vehicle occurred in the Gringos’ p a r k i n g l o t a t Va l l e y Ranch. Pct. 4 Deputies working the #SafeShopper program were on scene in minutes and began the investigation. Deputies canvassed the area, did not locate the suspect vehicle, but received good information from a CCTV camera at the business. Later that evening, the victim of the burglary was able to use the “find by iPad” function, which showed its location to be on Needham Rd in Porter, TX. Upon making contact at the residence, Deputies were met by a female at the door, identified as Jacqueline Polanco, a 27 years of age from Porter, TX. The suspect vehicle, registered to Ramon Gallegos Jr., 25 years of age from Houston, TX, was also found at the location. Gallegos, who was discovered to be Polanco's boyfriend, had active misdemeanor and felony warrants for his arrest and Polanco herself was on bond for a recent arrest in Harris County for Hindering/Apprehension of a Felon. As the investigation Polanco misled Deputies again about Gallegos's presence at the residence, resulting in her being charged again for Hindering/Apprehension and placed in custody. Unfortunately, Gallegos managed to evade arrest by slipping out of a rear bedroom window. During the operation, Deputies successfully recovered stolen property not only from the Gringo’s vehicle burglary but also from other incidents spanning from Houston to College Station. Efforts are underway to identify victims of the additional burglaries. At the time of the media release, Gallegos is at still large, but will soon be in custody, facing additional charges from Montgomery County, Harris County and others, in addition to his existing warrants.
Kay Lee (center) along with Asst VSOs Karen Karr (in red), and Asst VSO Kathy Smith to her right (in black), along with Amber King and Julie Pavlock on the flanks difference that helps them for the better, and that’s what has kept me working here as long as I have. It’s truly been a blessing and an honor to be able to help.”
Kay remarked of one Veteran who was about to lose his residence, but his compensation came in just in time to save him from homelessness. The office
has had but a few personnel for a number of years, but the increasing Post-9/11 Veterans triggered a need
See VSO, page 2
Happy New Year from Montgomery County News! H a p p y N e w Ye a r from MCN, Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper! Look for the next issue of MCN January 10, 2024.