Former Congressman Nick Lampson is running for Congress again, this time in the newly redrawn District 14. Lampson will speak at the BAND meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Harris County Courthouse Bay Area Annex. Candidates for other offices will also drop by to introduce themselves.

Happy New Year! Please join Bay Area New Democrats as we kick off the 2012 election season on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Candidates for area Congressional districts will be the guest speakers, and we'll also discuss the latest news on redistricting and the recent city election results. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Harris County Courthouse Bay Area Annex.

The guest speaker at the Dec. 21 meeting of the Galveston Bay Area Sierra Club meeting is a local Clear Lake-grown artist, Stephanie Darling. She has always been sensitive to the environment and, after a residency in the German countryside, she took a good look at the wildlife and nature of her own homeland and designed a mural to raise awareness for Texas wildlife. This will be the club's holiday party too, so come enjoy refreshments and bring a snack to share at 6:30 p.m. Stephanie Darling will speak at 7. The meeting is at the Bay Area Community Center in Clear Lake Park, 5002 NASA Parkway.

The recent BAND Holiday Party replaced the December monthly meeting. BAND will meet again at its regularly scheduled time (7 p.m.) and place (the Harris County Courthouse Bay Area Annex) on Wednesday, Jan.11. In the meantime, enjoy the holidays!

Don't miss this year's BAND holiday party! The festive event on Wednesday, Dec. 7 will again be at La Brisa Mexican Grill at 501 Wesley Drive, League City 77573. Social time begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia will address the group at 6:45 p.m.

You're invited to dress up in your holiday party clothes and come for a dinner of chicken fajitas, cheese enchiladas and all the fixings. Vegetarian plates will be available upon request. A cash bar will be available as well. Tickets are $25 at the door.

In keeping with its tradition to give back to the community, BAND will honor Bay Area Turning Point with a club donation, and party guests are asked to make personal donations as well.