The field is set for the May 8 Conroe municipal elections, with candidates vying for three council positions as well as municipal judge. Eleven candidates have filed for three seats on the Lone Star College System board. Conroe awarded a $2.3 million contract Monday to build Fire Station 4 on FM 1488 after negotiating a lower price with the firm selected by a review committee. Montgomery County plans to commit about $31.5 million in bonds to build a secure mental health facility for criminal defendants.

Montgomery County’s largest new development is sprouting up in the center of the county, with hopes of growing into the next upscale hometown for the area. The Lone Star College System Board of Trustees authorized the sale of $120 million in bonds and approved new facilities for its Tomball, Kingwood and Montgomery campuses as well as new satellite center in Atascocita and Aldine. Jury selection gets under way next week in the capital murder trial of Blaine Keith Milam, who faces the death penalty for his alleged involvement in the beating death of his fiancee’s 13-month-old child. Houston Run for the Fallen is slated for March 20 at College Park High School.

Republican incumbents for Montgomery County seats head to the November election with no Democratic opponents, while candidates for two county courts will face a runoff in April. Candidates have until March 8 to file for three council seats and the municipal judge’s chair in the May city elections.

Smoking will be banned in public spaces, private businesses and city parks in Conroe beginning Monday, and violators will face a $500 fine. The Conroe City Council voted Wednesday to send a revised contract to the San Jacinto River Authority and 200 large water providers in the county for consideration. Students from around the Conroe Independent School District showcased their knack for science during the Education for Tomorrow Alliance's SCI://TECH 2010 Elementary School Science exhibit booths at the Lone Star College-Montgomery campus on Saturday. The Montgomery County Heart Association held its annual gala Saturday at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott.