WEDNESDAY VOLUME XXX NUMBER 40 Section 1 8 pages
October 8, 2025 Home of the ‘Lone Star Flag’ and James Dinaso
Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper
Established 1995
Montgomery County News Texas Weekly
Montgomery, Texas 77356
50 Weekly PBOX Magnolia, TX 77353
Meals on Wheels Volunteers At Heart of Mission to Provide Meals to Senior Clients
Making A Push
Article by Mark Hooker Photos Courtesy of Jenn Ellis & Debbie Average gasoline prices in Pietsch
Gas Prices Texas have risen 7.7 cents per gallon in the last week, a v e r a g i n g $ 2 . 7 3 / g t o d a y, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 0.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 0.6 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 1.1 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $3.663 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $2.27/g yesterday while the most expens ive w as $3.99/g, a difference of $1.72/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.27/g while the highest was $3.99/g, a difference of $1.72/g. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 0.3 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.08/g today. The national average is down 10.8 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 4.7 cents per gallon lower 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: October 6, 2024: $2.73/g (U.S. Average: $3.13/g) October 6, 2023: $3.22/g (U.S. Average: $3.71/g) October 6, 2022: $3.20/g (U.S. Average: $3.90/g) October 6, 2021: $2.86/g (U.S. Average: $3.22/g) October 6, 2020: $1.86/g (U.S. Average: $2.17/g) October 6, 2019: $2.32/g (U.S. Average: $2.65/g) October 6, 2018: $2.66/g (U.S. Average: $2.91/g) October 6, 2017: $2.36/g (U.S. Average: $2.49/g) October 6, 2016: $2.00/g (U.S. Average: $2.26/g) October 6, 2015: $2.05/g (U.S. Average: $2.29/g) Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Midland Odessa- $2.75/g, up 13.9 cents per gallon from last week's $2.61/g. San Antonio- $2.62/g, down 17.9 cents per gallon from last week's $2.80/g. Austin- $2.65/g, down 16.7 cents per gallon from last week's $2.82/g. “While the national average slipped slightly over the last week, it’s once again been a mixed bag depending on where you fill up,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Gas prices cycled upward in Ohio and Michigan, declined in Indiana and Delaware, and pain is about to return to California and neighboring states following last week’s refinery fire outside Los Angeles. While OPEC again agreed over the weekend to boost oil production for November, the real story for motorists has been regional variation— especially in areas served by California's supply system. Though the damage from the fire appears limited, the West Coast is likely to see prices climb, while most other areas can expect relative stability or slight declines.” SOURCE GasBuddy
Index Community................2, 5, 8 Commentary...................3, 4, 5 Church Directory..............5 Legals.............................6, 7 Business Directory.............8
This past Saturday October 4th, the MISD F i s h i n g Te a m w a s “Making A Push” towards the Texas High School Bass Association Houston Division Title, which would be their eleventh in twelve years of competition. Standing in their way were 19 other High School Fishing Programs looking to make their own marks by foiling this plan and upsetting MISD on its' Home Waters of Lake Conroe. Weather conditions were favorable, as 170 Individual Teams from 20 area High Schools set out on Lake Conroe. However, many of the Anglers would indicate the weather was nice, but not so much the fishing, as it was tough to bring in a 16-inch keeper. As many of you know, this bunch made up of students from both Lake Creek and Montgomery High Schools, are a tough bunch, and they normally find a way to get it done.
by Ruben Borjas, Jr
Leading the way for MISD was the Senior Team of Zane Dixon and Tanner Gatewood. As part of the MISD Elite Fishing Team, where they earned this distinction from their performance and rankings from last year, brought a
major bag of 5 fish weighing in at 21.36 pounds, claiming 2nd place. Their Captain was David Bozarth, a highly regarded local Angler who has volunteered his time and efforts to help the Team this year. Along with their
other Captain Beau Gatewood, Dixon & Gatewood look to have another momentous year. When asked how they caught them, the Team was See MISD , page 2
Santini, Bays: Brief North Shore GOP Ladies on Needed MC Criminal Justice Center
LtoR: Judge Kristin Bays, and Judge Vince Santini, speaking to the North Shore Republican Women on the need for a new Justice Center in Montgomery County by Ruben Borjas, Jr MONTGOMERY, TX — In a very informative address to The North Shore R e p u b l i c a n Wo m e n o n October 1st at the Bentwater
PRE-SRT POSTAGE PD #80 MONTG. TX
Country Club, Judges Vince Santini (457th District Court) and Kristin Bays (284th District Court) spoke to the ladies about the pressing need for new infrastructure amongst
Montgomery County courts, t a x o ff i c e ( a n d m o n e y transfers), courthouse renovations, and for the need for safe and secure transfers of prisoners when entering and leaving courtrooms.
Their primary aim is the need for a new Justice Center in Montgomery County to accommodate the anticipated addition of courts that will be added in the future. Santini gave a brief history of Montgomery County Courthouses from the wooden 1890 courthouse in Conroe, which burned in the February 1911 fire that destroyed downtown. The building was rebuilt and then in 1936 the current stone structure was built, with an addition added in 1966, plus the atrium building addition in 1997, bought from a foreclosed on bank. There were 25,000 residents in Montgomery County in the 1930s, when the Commissioners Court and the 9th District Court occupied the building. Since 1997, Santini noted that Montgomery County’s
See Santini , page 2
As our area continues to grow, so does our aged population, and Meals on Wheels Montgomery County, with its mission, grows even more vital every year. MOWMC’s mission is simple, to give the county’s senior citizens dignity in their lives by allowing them to remain on their own for as long as possible, by providing nutritious meals, ADA compliant transportation, and being that friendly face that drops by weekly to say ‘Hi,’ while providing a meal, or picking up seniors for rides to vital locations. MOWMC is its own little corporation, not tasked in making profits, but with each division providing a sense of independence amongst county seniors, even providing meals for pets, who provide a real comfort to their owners fending off total loneliness in households of one. Meals on Wheels serves clients with an average age of nearly 80 years, with approximately six centenarians in the membership. They serve about 250 Veterans, and most of their clientele live on their own. “ We t y p i c a l l y h a v e around 1000 clients on our home-delivered meal service,” said MOWMC’s President & CEO Carrie Watkins. “We also provide meals for senior centers around our county, which amounts to around 50005200 meals per month.” MOWMC has a central hub in Conroe, but services a number of community centers around the county, and serves on average 55,000 meals per year to clients, who visit with fellow seniors for activities and a meal. That’s on top of the average 200,000 meals delivered to the residences of their route clients every year. Other services include giving rides, not only to medical appointments, but to pharmacies to retrieve medications, and also to get groceries. There are approximately 1500 rides given per month to clients that are requested by their clients on their homedelivery list. The volunteers with MOWMC total nearly 600, and average as a team work nearly 30,000 hours annually, which saves the charity a million dollars per y e a r. T h e f u n d s t h e MOWNC rely on are raised from a different number of sources, with government grants accounting for over half, plus 25% from local fundraising efforts, then area foundations, and individual donations. But it is the dedicated volunteers who donate their time to MOW that keep the organization busy, without them the organization really couldn’t operate. Cooking is the heart of the operation, and the kitchen staff are always on the ball to ensure the food containers that go out are filled with nutritious items that keeps their clients See Meals, page 8