New Website Shows 'Collateral Consequences' of Criminal Convictions

Here is an excerpt from an interesting article on the Blog of Legal Times:

The American Bar Association and a Justice Department unit have launched a new website that allows users to search federal and state laws that hinder people with criminal records from being able to do basic things — like finding work and obtaining housing — to be able to reenter society successfully.

The website, run by the ABA and DOJ's National Institute of Justice, is meant to be a resource that allows users to search the collateral consequences they can face in their own state.

For now, the website includes information on state laws in Vermont, Minnesota, Iowa, Nevada, Texas, Wisconsin, South Carolina and New York. The rest of the states will be entered over the next 18 months, administrators say.

You can read the full article here.

It's a Doubleheader for Good Economic News in Montgomery County Today

According to WoodlandsOnline.com, Nordstrom is set to open a new store in the Woodlands Mall in 2014.  The two-story retail venue will be inhabiting a renovated space now occupied by Sears. 

The full WoodlandsOnline article can be read here.

Great Economic News for Texas

This morning, CNN published an article "Where the Jobs Are" which lists the top 25 counties in the U.S. for job growth.  Texas makes an outstanding showing with 5 Texas counties on the list all within the top 10, and 2 of these counties - Montgomery and Fort Bend - are in the Houston metropolitan area.  Here are all of the Texas counties in the order of appearance:

2.  Fort Bend County;
3.  Williamson County;
4.  Montomgery County;
6.  Collin County; and
7.  Denton County.

Want to read more?  Click here for the full CNN article.