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  • Author: Esther Lum

Halloween Safe Streets

For over 30 years Shenandoah families enjoyed a tradition known as Halloween Safe Streets where certain streets were blocked and the city provided candy to designated homes for distribution. With Covid concerns in 2020, the event was changed to a parade where city officials and staff handed out candy. Citing…

Property Tax, Budget Update

On August 24, the Shenandoah city council formally adopted (by 5-0 vote) the 2022 property tax of $0.1477 per $100 valuation which is the no-new-revenue rate for the city. This will mean an approximate 18% decrease from last year’s rate. The Woodlands Township directors unanimously voted to actually go below…

Judge Orders City to Produce Documents

District Court Judge Kristin Bays has ordered the city of Shenandoah to produce a wide range of documents originally requested by attorney Frank Powell in March 2022. The city argued the documents did not have to be produced because they were related to pending litigation.During a bench trial held August…

What is the Public Information Act?

Citizens have the right to request and obtain government information under the Texas Public Information Act, adopted in 1973. Section 552 of the Texas Government Code says the Act is primarily based on “the principle that government is the servant and not the master of the people.” During January-June of 2022, Shenandoah…

No Widening of Grogan’s Mill – For Now

At a public meeting held August 4 in Magnolia, Commissioner Charlie Riley said the long term plan to widen Grogan’s Mill (north of Research Forest) to four lanes has been removed. This was in response to a question by a Shenandoah resident. The meeting was co-hosted by Riley and the Houston-Galveston…

City Property Tax Update

After four consecutive years of a 0.1799 property tax rate (per $100 valuation), Shenandoah city council voted on August 10 to reverse course and use Montgomery County’s reported No New Revenue rate of .1477 for 2022-23. The formal vote is slated for the August 24, 2022 council meeting. Although this…

CPAC – Sentinel Interview with Riley Gaines

At CPAC today, the Sentinel interviewed Riley Gaines, a recent graduate of the University of Kentucky. Gaines tied transgender Lia Thomas for fifth in the women’s 200-meter NCAA championships last spring, and has been an outspoken critic of Thomas who swam competitively for years as a male. She says young…

Common Sense Prevails in Intersection Improvements

After a decade of intense controversy over how to improve the intersections at Grogan’s Mill and Research Forest, Montgomery County is scheduled to begin construction improvement projects this summer, according to Precinct 2 officials. The first phase includes extending the acceleration lane on Research Forest (see diagram below). The next…

Maui comes to Shenandoah

Maui, a 15 month old Belgian Malinois, will be Shenandoah’s first K9. He was named by Officer Duenas who is currently training with him, and who named him after a character in the movie “Moana.” They were both certified through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association on June 23. City…

Adriatic Cafe breaks ground in Shenandoah

Adriatic cafe, a family owned restaurant which features comfort Italian food in a casual setting, will break ground in August for its newest location on the I-45 service road, adjacent to the Sam Moon shopping center. Grand opening is targeted for April 2023. This will be Adriatic’s fifth restaurant, with…