WEDNESDAY VOLUME XXX NUMBER 12 Section 1 10 pages
March 25, 2026 Home of the ‘Lone Star Flag’ and David & Dianna Martinez
Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper
Established 1995
Montgomery County News
Montgomery, Texas 77356
50 Weekly PBOX Magnolia, TX 77353
Texas Borjas Honored as the Texas Weekly Gas Prices Average gasoline prices in Texas have risen 22.7 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.61/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 109.6 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 86.9 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 27.0 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $5.227 per gallon, the highest level since November 24, 2022. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $2.59/g yesterday while the most expensive was $5.39/g, a difference of $2.80/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.59/g while the highest was $5.39/g, a difference of $2.80/g. The national average price of gasoline has risen 24.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.92/g today. The national average is up 98.9 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 84.1 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 five years: March 23, 2025: $2.74/g (U.S. Average: $3.08/g) March 23, 2024: $3.15/g (U.S. Average: $3.53/g) March 23, 2023: $3.05/g (U.S. Average: $3.42/g) March 23, 2022: $3.87/g (U.S. Average: $4.23/g) March 23, 2021: $2.64/g (U.S. Average: $2.86/g) Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Midland Odessa- $3.73/g, up 16.2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.57/g. San Antonio- $3.62/g, up 24.7 cents per gallon from last week's $3.37/g. Austin- $3.65/g, up 25.8 cents per gallon from last week's $3.40/g. “Gas prices continued to rise nationwide over the last week as seasonal factors, combined with ongoing supply concerns tied to the continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, pushed both gasoline and diesel prices sharply higher,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “It now appears increasingly likely that the national average price of gasoline will reach the $4-pergallon mark—potentially as early as this week—for the first time since 2022, while diesel prices are surging to multi-year highs, with some markets nearing record territory. There are few signs of stabilization so far, as global oil prices continue to climb and early indications suggest consumers may begin to pull back in response to the rapid pace of increases.” SOURCE GasBuddy
Index Community..............2, 5, 10 Commentary...................3, 4, 5 Church Directory..............5 Legals.........................6, 7, 8 Business Directory...........10
Society Daughters of the American Revolution, Outstanding Veteran Volunteer Awardee
LtoR: Merrilee Gordon, Coushatti Trace DAR Corresponding Secretary; Coushatti Trace Regent Jan Cook; Ruben Borjas; Madame State Regent Susan Johnston, Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution; and Julie Rohling, State Chair, DAR Service for Veterans. By MCN Staff/Texas Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, Coushatti Trace Chapter The Montgomery County News and The Coushatti Trace Chapter of t h e Te x a s S o c i e t y, Daughters of the American Revolution, are pleased to
announce that MCN Reporter/Columnist Ruben Borjas Jr, was named as the Texas Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, Outstanding Veteran Volunteer for 2025. The announcement was made as part of the TSDARs 127th State Conference, National
Defense Banquet, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at the DFW airport on the evening of March 14th. Ruben was nominated by t h e C o u s h a t t i Tr a c e Chapter for his numerous Ve t e r a n v o l u n t e e r i n g efforts in Montgomery County, working with the VFW, as well as with
mentoring Veterans in 359th District Court Judge K a t h l e e n H a m i l t o n ’s Veterans Court in Conroe, as well as Veterans who have committed nonviolent offenses and are capable of following a See Borjas , page 2
No Longer “Second Fiddle” Article by Mark Hooker Team Photo courtesy of Jamie Riley Graphics by Jenn Ellis To a l l y o u M I S D Fishing Team Fans, if you recall, last month at Toledo Bend our combined squad finished in 2nd place at that event, aka “Second Fiddle.” Well, I am here to tell you that these Anglers from both Lake Creek and Montgomery High Schools did not like that one bit and set out to change that bad
taste in their mouths. Being that Spring Break led into this event, many of our Teams were able to put in some extra time on the water preparing for this last Divisional Event of the Season. None more so than the newly crowned 2025-26 Anglers of the year Jacob Riley and Brenner Kirklin. This pair brought in a nice limit of Bass tipping the scales at 17.29 pounds, landing in See MISD , page 2
PRE-SRT POSTAGE PD #80 MONTG. TX
Murder Indictment Returned in January 2026 Porter Shooting A Montgomery County Grand Jury has returned an indictment for Murder against 55-year-old Vernon James Cradier of Magnolia. The indictment stems from a fatal shooting that occurred on January 1, 2026, at a residence on Alexander Lane in Porter. At approximately 1:20 that morning, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office patrol deputies responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting. Upon arrival, deputies located an adult male, identified as Clarence "Tom" Modlin III, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Deputies and medical personnel immediately began lifesaving efforts; however, despite those attempts, Modlin succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Detectives with the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Division, along with Crime Scene Investigators, responded to the scene and began their investigation. Cradier remained at the scene and admitted to firing the rounds that killed Modlin. The investigation revealed that Cradier and Modlin had been involved in an altercation that escalated into both a physical and verbal confrontation. During this encounter, Cradier- who was out on bond for an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge related to a 2025 road rage incident- produced a firearm and shot Modlin. The 2025 road rage incident involving Cradier gained significant public attention when Sheriff Doolittle personally intervened in that road rage incident and arrested Cradier during that disturbance. Due to the complex nature of the January 2026 shooting incident, i n c l u d i n g t h e circumstances leading up to the shooting, the case was presented to a Montgomery County Grand Jury for review. On March 10, 2026, the Grand Jury returned a Murder indictment against Cradier. He was subsequently arrested on the warrant and is currently being held in the Montgomery County Jail with no bond. The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office acknowledges the diligent work of our Major Crimes Detectives, Crime Scene Investigators, and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office in seeking justice for the victim in this case.