Throughout 2025, the city of Fair Oaks Ranch completed multiple projects and approved contracts for upcoming infrastructure projects that move the city one step closer to full build-out. On Jan. 29, Mayor Greg Maxton, City Manager Scott Huizenga, city staff and city officials highlighted the accomplishments of the city in the past year and what is to come in 2026 and beyond.

The details: Maxton told attendees that City Council and staff focus on the following five priorities:

• Public health and safety
• Reliable and sustainable infrastructure
• Responsible growth management
• Operational excellence
• Financial responsibility

This San Antonio-based chain of CBD stores has expanded northward into the Hill Country with its newest location.

In case you missed it: Alamo Botanicals opened its 5th overall location in Boerne on Jan. 16, Owners Nancy and David Burrow told Community Impact.

It’s located at 228 W. Bandera Road, Ste. 228, next to the Smoothie King and south of downtown.

The pair first began the Alamo Botanicals venture back in 2017 when they opened the original location in the Stone Oak area of North San Antonio, Burrow said.

Now, the chain has locations from Alamo Ranch to the Medical Center area of San Antonio.

What’s special about it? Alamo Botanicals offers customers a variety of CBD and THCA products, including proprietary flower, gummies, topical lotions, prerolls, accessories and more.

• 228 W. Bandera Road, Ste. 228, Boerne

Gizelle Whelan said she always had a passion for Pokémon while her husband had been a fan of Magic: The Gathering for most of his life.

Putting two and two together, Whelan said she wanted to take a leap of faith and open a card shop of her own.

Respecting the craft: The store offers several brands of trading card games, or TCG, for customers.

Whelan said the store is “mainly focused” on Magic: The Gathering packs and standalone cards, plus buying and selling services. Additionally, the shop has new and graded Pokémon cards, plus a smaller selection of Yu-Gi-Oh! options as well.

What is there to do? Every week, The Goblin’s Den hosts a variety of events, according to Whelan. Every Thursday, the store hosts Dungeons & Dragons, while Pokémon games are held each Tuesday.

Looking ahead: In the future, Whelan said her main focus is to expand her business beyond its original brick-and-mortar location.

• 14415 Blanco Road, San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio, or UTSA, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening of the Institute of Texan Cultures, or ITC, at its new location in the Frost Tower Jan. 28.

The details: The ITC was established in 1965 to highlight the rich tapestry of Texan cultures during Hemisfair in 1968. Afterwards, the ITC became a permanent center dedicated to researching the history of the people of Texas. In 1973, ITC became a part of the newly formed University of Texas at San Antonio, according to the ITC website.

The new location will showcase the variety of Texan cultures and host rotating exhibits that focus on different aspects of Texas’ unique heritage.

• 111 W. Houston St., San Antonio

Following over four hours of public testimony and debate Jan. 28, the Texas State Board of Education is poised to postpone a plan to create a mandatory reading list for K-12 students.

What's happening: Board members said Jan. 28 that they wanted to get more feedback from Texans before moving forward with the policy, which would take effect at the beginning of the 2030-31 school year. The SBOE is required to create the reading list under a 2023 state law, and members said they would likely revisit the proposal during an April meeting.

The Texas Education Agency compiled a list of nearly 300 literary works for the board to consider.

What they're saying: Some speakers expressed concerns Jan. 28 that the TEA’s list was too long and focused too heavily on classical literature that “does not represent the students of Texas," while others said they wanted students to focus on classical literature and historical texts.