WEDNESDAY VOLUME XXX NUMBER 3 Section 1 10 pages
January 22, 2025 Home of the ‘Lone Star Flag’ and Ivy & Arthur Ersepke
Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper
Established 1995
Montgomery County News
Montgomery, Texas 77356
50 Weekly PBOX Magnolia, TX 77353
Texas
Sam Houston Memorial Weekly Funeral Home being Remodeled Gas Prices
Average gasoline prices in Texas are unchanged in the last week, averaging $2.66/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 1.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 2.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 8.1 cents in the last week and stands at $3.606 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $2.31/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.46/g, a difference of $1.15/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.31/g while the highest was $3.46/g, a difference of $1.15/g. The national average price of gasoline has risen 6.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.09/g today. The national average is up 4.5 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: January 20, 2024: $2.64/g (U.S. Average: $3.07/g) January 20, 2023: $2.98/g (U.S. Average: $3.40/g) January 20, 2022: $2.96/g (U.S. Average: $3.32/g) January 20, 2021: $2.09/g (U.S. Average: $2.40/g) January 20, 2020: $2.23/g (U.S. Average: $2.54/g) January 20, 2019: $1.94/g (U.S. Average: $2.24/g) January 20, 2018: $2.29/g (U.S. Average: $2.53/g) January 20, 2017: $2.12/g (U.S. Average: $2.31/g) January 20, 2016: $1.65/g (U.S. Average: $1.87/g) January 20, 2015: $1.82/g (U.S. Average: $2.04/g) Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Midland Odessa- $2.69/g, down 12.0 cents per gallon from last week's $2.81/g. San Antonio- $2.58/g, down 11.1 cents per gallon from last week's $2.69/g. Austin- $2.58/g, down 10.4 cents per gallon from last week's $2.68/g. "It was only a matter of time before the national average began to rise, with oil prices last week reaching their highest level since July. Diesel prices have also jumped, driven by cold weather that has boosted heating oil demand," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "In addition, with President Trump's inauguration tomorrow, there could be price impacts depending on the executive orders he is preparing t o s i g n . We ' l l b e c l o s e l y monitoring potential impacts from any orders, while the threat of tariffs and possible retribution from Canada remain top of mind. However, the current increase is not yet the traditional seasonal rise, which is also likely to push prices higher and could begin in a few weeks." SOURCE GasBuddy
by Ruben Borjas, Jr The placement of a ‘For Lease’ sign in front of the Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home on Eva St. in Montgomery has confused some people thinking that the facility is no more, but it’s only in a state of transition. The SHMFH has moved to temporary offices just down the road at the Heritage Place II Building. The new temp offices are next to Cedar Brake Park, at 21300 Eva Street, on the second floor west entrance. The building at the 20850 Eva St. location is being remodeled under new management, but the funeral home will continue to maintain its current level of service to the Montgomery and surrounding communities despite the temporary change. Greg Smith, owner of the SHMFH has announced that the building has been sold to Montgomery developer Chris Cheatam, owner of Cheatam Management, LLC, who is going to remodel the building, and turn it into executive offices, with the SHMFH being able to maintain its front office footprint in the building upon the completion of the project. “This temporary move allows us to offer the same exact services that we have been offering since we
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services.” Cheatam owned the land next to the funeral owner, and both parties approached each other in regards to the sale of the building. Since the chapel was used only about once a month, the idea Cheatam proposed about using the chapel for office spaces, seemed to be a win-win for both parties. Saving on the heating and cooling charges for the funeral home will result in lower costs to families in their time of grieving for the loss of a loved one. Chris Cheatam wants to see Montgomery grow and be prosperous, and last fall, Chris and Greg got together in reference to the changing
funeral industry, with more funerals being cremations the use of a chapel is not needed near as often as in the past. Smith, whose company has funeral homes in Huntsville and Willis, wants to remain a presence in Montgomery, but doesn’t need as much space. Chris on the other hand is looking for more opportunities for more office space in Montgomery which is basically full at the moment. More office space means more jobs, more homes, more families, restaurants, businesses and visitors to See SHMFH, page 2
Coushatti Trace Chapter Names Outstanding Senior for DAR Good Citizen Award
Photo (Hall of Fame Board 24-25) Caption – Addison Hedges in the Montgomery High School Hall of Fame by Jan Cook
The Coushatti Trace Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), sponsors the DAR Community..........2, 3, 9, 10 Good Citizen program at local high schools and Commentary...............2, 3, 4, 5 selects an outstanding Church Directory..............5 senior to be entered into the Legals.........................6, 7, 8 state contest. This year, the chapter has selected
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SHMFH has moved to temporary offices just down the road at the Heritage Place II Building, next to Cedar Brake Park, at 21300 Eva Street, on the second floor West entrance opened in the early 2000’s,” said SHMFH Owner Greg Smith. “With this new arrangement, once completed, we can run the funeral home more effectively, efficiently, and more economically.” Smith went on to say that there are no changes in phone, email, staffing or services. The only change will be the reshaping of the chapel area in the SHMFH building, which is going to be remodeled into the aforementioned executive offices. “If we have a funeral that requires a chapel,” said Smith. ”We have worked out an agreement with all the area churches to use their facilities for memorial
Montgomery High School's DAR Good Citizen Addison Hedges for this honor. The program recognizes outstanding high school seniors who exhibit the qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism in their homes, schools, and communities. M i s s H e d g e s
demonstrates good citizenship serving as a leader of Mu Alpha Theta, Academic Decathlon, Interact Club, Leo Club and the National Spanish Honor Society. Addison is most widely known by students and staff for her heart of service and kindness. Through the school's service
organizations, she helps to organize and volunteers with Meal on Wheels, Angel Tree, Toys for Tots and Bingo Night; however, to Addie the most fulfilling of these is serving as a Sunday school teacher for preschoolers. Miss Hedges will receive a $500 scholarship and the DAR Good Citizen Pin and Certificate Set f r o m C o u s h a t t i Tr a c e Chapter. Her application and essay have been submitted to the Texas Society Daughters of the America Revolution for further consideration. Coushatti Trace Chapter, DAR, is a lineagebased organization promoting Historic Preservation, Patriotism and Education. For membership information, please contact Regent Kay P o n t i o u s a t CoushattiTraceDAR@gm ail.com. Follow us on Facebook page at Coushatti Trace Chapter, NSDAR.
This Ad Space Available 4 column x 1.5 inch 936-449-NEWS
PRE-SRT POSTAGE PD #80 MONTG. TX
Conroe Fatality Residential Fire Conroe, TX: The City of Conroe Fire Department was notified of a residential structure fire with a possible occupant trapped in the 1700 block of Yates St., near Hudson, at approximately 10:35 A.M. on January 16, 2025. Conroe Firefighters arrived at approximately 10:40 A.M. to find a singlestory residential structure heavily involved in fire. The first arriving engine company immediately initiated an aggressive interior attack on the fire while simultaneously beginning search and rescue operations. The incident was declared under control at approximately 11:40 A.M. See Fire, page 2
MCTXSheriff Makes Arrests for Indecency with a Child MCTXSheriff Arrests Martial Arts Instructor for Indecency with a Child On January 17, 2025, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office executed an arrest warrant for 32year-old Stephen Zarruk, a martial arts instructor at The Woodlands Karate & MMA in The Woodlands, Texas. This action was part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving a juvenile student. Zarruk has been accused of sexually assaulting a young juvenile student during individualized training sessions conducted at the facility. Zarruk has also worked as a substitute teacher and contract physical education instructor for Conroe Independent School District. The safety and wellbeing of children in our community is our top priority. For this reason, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone who has information about this case, or any concerns regarding their children's interactions with Zarruk, to please contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at (936) 760-5800, option 3, and reference case number 25A008737. Zarruk was transported and is currently confined at the Montgomery County Jail on a $100,000 bond.