City officials recognize McCaul

Katy city officials Thursday honored U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Austin, for his service to the city.

McCaul, whose congressional district includes the Waller County and Harris County portions of the city, will lose the Harris County portion due to redistricting.

The Harris County portion has been moved to Congressional District 8, now represented by Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands. Brady is retiring from office this year. Running to succeed Brady are Democrat Laura Jones and Republican Morgan Luttrell.

McCaul will continue to represent the Waller County portion. He is running for re-election against Democrat Linda Nuno.

U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, represents the Fort Bend County portion. He is running for re-election against Democrat Jamie Jordan.

McCaul cited work on the SAFER grant, which enabled the city to hire new firefighters, along with efforts to establish a Texas National Guard in Katy following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, among other accomplishments.

City Administrator Byron Hebert said McCaul was a great friend to the city.

Midway BBQ Restaurant working to reopen

Midway BBQ, 6025 Highway Blvd., is still preparing to reopen, but a company spokesman said Thursday that a gas line remained to be installed and the restaurant still had to undergo some inspections. No official reopening date has been set.

Officials had previously hoped to reopen by Sept. 1, but had cautioned of reconstruction and inspection delays.

Despite the delay, Midway continues to serve meals at its long-established Midway Meat Market location, 5901 Highway Blvd.

Midway also opened Midway BBQ Jr., 6191 Highway Blvd., to accommodate its customers. The “junior” location has been closed as the restaurant prepares to reopen.

The rebuilt restaurant will feature a third smoker in a new smoker room, an expanded service kitchen and food service line. It will also feature a new catering kitchen, new bakery kitchen area, larger dessert case and retail area.

Improvements have also been made to the restaurant’s semi-private dining room and the private banquet room has been redesigned.

The restaurant, long a Katy icon, burned in February 2021. The damage to the interior of the building was a total loss and the rebuilding effort began from scratch.

Investigators ask public for help in identifying a suspect wanted for assault

Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect who entered the Venus Nail Salon at 1103 S. Mason Rd.

At around 5 p.m. Aug. 7, the woman asked the salon employee for multiple specific nail applications.

When the employee was finished, she told the female the bill was $280, but the female refused to pay, saying she had no money. A second request for payment was refused.

The employee locked the business door and called 911 to report the suspect.

The female began knocking over items in the store and then punched the employee with a closed fist several times. She then grabbed the door remote and fled from the store.

The suspect is described as a black female, early 20s in age. She is about 5’10" tall and weighs 130-140 lbs.

Anyone with information on this suspect is urged to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crime unit at 713-274-9100 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers may pay up to $5,000 for information leading to the charging and/or arrest of the suspect in this case. Information may also be reported submitted online at crime-stoppers.org or through the Crime Stoppers mobile app.

Only tips and calls directly to Crime Stoppers are anonymous and eligible for a cash reward.

Katy lifts stage 3 water restrictions

The City of Katy Aug. 29 rescinded the stage 3 (severe) drought conditions and mandatory restrictions on water usage.

After meeting with ARKK Engineers and city officials, Mayor Dusty Thiele determined all criteria have been met to deactivate the drought contingency plan at this time.

Conditions leading to this decision included:

• The city has seen over a 50% reduction in water usage, compared to the days immediately preceding entering stage 3 (severe) drought conditions. (Over the past five-day period water usage has averaged 4.636 million gallons per day, which is 45% of the system’s current water supply capacity.)
• Level of groundwater submergence of the water wells has begun to rebound as water usage has reduced. These trends are expected to continue with the pattern of rainfall predicted to remain in place over the next one-week period.
• Stage 1 (mild) drought conditions—trigger of 75% of water supply capacity and stage 2 (moderate) drought conditions—trigger of 80% of water supply capacity are not met or present at this time.

City officials said city wells are still rebounding from the long, severe drought that has impacted everyone state-wide. Officials asked all city citizens, businesses, and HOAs to continue to use their best efforts to conserve water.

Fort Bend County lifts burn ban

The Fort Bend Commissioners Court Aug. 23 rescinded the burn ban that had been in effect since June 21.

Fort Bend County first responders have been advised to follow Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) guidelines for outdoor burning, which include:

• No fire can be left unattended.
• There must be some form of fire protection on-site—hose, fire extinguisher, shovels/rakes, bulldozer, etc.
• No fire should be within 50 feet of a residence or structure.
• No burning at night.

Officials said some parts of the county have not received much rain, so citizens are encouraged to use extreme caution when burning.

KCM hosting second annual teacher blessing day Sept. 10

Katy Christian Ministries will be hosting its second annual teacher blessing day, which provides teachers the with free classroom supplies and refreshments.

The event is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the KCM, 3506 Porter Road.

Willow Fork Park hosting nature photography walk Sept. 17

The Friends of Willow Fork Park are hosting a free nature photography walk from 8-9 a.m. Sept. 17 at the park.

Christa Denning, a Katy-based photographer, will lead a guided nature walk around the park while sharing insight on photographing wildlife. Come learn why an hour after sunrise is known by photographers as the golden hour.

The walk begins at the Willow Fork Park pavilion at 8 a.m.

Willow Fork Drainage District and Katy ISD developed Willow Fork Park, which sits at the northwest corner of 99/Grand Parkway and Cinco Ranch Boulevard, north of Cinco Ranch High School.

Waller County Fair set for Sept. 22-Oct. 2

Fair organizers are inviting female-only cornhole teams to participate in a tournament at the Waller County Fair.

The fair runs Sept. 23-Oct. 2 at the Waller County Fairgrounds, 21988 FM 359, in Hempstead.

Among other attractions, the fair features an open barrel race on Sept. 23 and a breakaway event tie-down on Sept. 25.

The fair is also inviting ladies-only cornhole tournament teams to compete in a tournament over three consecutive Sundays—Sept. 11, 18, and 25. Registration begins at 12 p.m., with bags flying at 1 p.m. Cost is $40/team.

Cornhole teams participating in all three Sundays have a chance to win buckles, coolers, and chairs. There is a cash payout every Sunday.

For more information, call the fair at 979-826-2825 or visit the website wallercountyfair.com.

Katy ISD announces 2023 high school graduation ceremony dates

Katy ISD announced its graduate ceremony dates for its high schools. Ceremonies for each school begins at 8 p.m. at Legacy Stadium, 5174 Franz Road.

Here are the schools and their scheduled dates:

• Paetow: May 18.
• Katy: May 19.
• Taylor: May 20.
• Mayde Creek: May 21.
• Cinco Ranch: May 22.
• Morton Ranch: May 23.
• Seven Lakes: May 24.
• Tompkins: May 25.
• Jordan: May 26.

Big Z’s Pizza & Brew hosts Hispanic Heritage Festival Sept. 17

Big Z’s Pizza & Brew, 2004 S. Mason Road, is staging a Hispanic Heritage Festival. The festival will feature live music, a loteria, a bouncy house, and other attractions.

The festival will be from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 17 at the restaurant.

Vendors are still being sought. To register, visit the website, the abbreviated URL for which is bit.ly/3Rhw6FY.