New Braunfels City Council unanimously awarded a $150,000 contract to Randall Scott Architects for a feasibility study and site assessment for a combined public safety training center June 22.

What you need to know: The feasibility study will identify short- and long-term training facility needs for police and fire. The study will also create a conceptual facility design and provide estimates and potential phasing options for the facility’s build-out. The site assessment will help to identify potential properties for the project, according to agenda documents.

The feasibility study is the first step in the process for a potential May 2027 city bond election, New Braunfels Police Chief Osbaldo Flores said. The study will take between six and nine months, according to the June 22 meeting presentation, which means it's expected to be completed sometime between December and March.

A new shop for tabletop gaming has opened inside the New Braunfels MarketPlace shopping center.

What you need to know: The Dragon's Flagon opened June 20 at 651 N. Business I-35, Ste. 810. The Dragon's Flagon holds tournaments and provides tables for patrons to play a variety of tabletop board games and card games. The business will soon be offering Dungeons & Dragons sessions and Warhammer.

• 651 N. Business I-35, Ste. 810, New Braunfels

In October 2025, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, began accepting applications for transportation projects seeking federal funding. The city of San Marcos was awarded $12.6 million in CAMPO funding for two projects.

What happened: During a Jan. 20 San Marcos City Council meeting, the council approved applications for CAMPO funding for two transportation projects, according to agenda documents: the Cape Street Shared Use Path project and Old Ranch Road 12 Improvements project.

The Cape Street Shared Use Path project was awarded $820,934 to be put toward the approximately $1.03 million design phase. The Old Ranch Road 12 Improvements project was awarded approximately $11.8 million to be put toward the $14.7 million construction phase, according to the release. 

Diving deeper: For the Cape Street Shared Use Path project, the city will construct a 10-foot shared use path along both sides of Cape Street, according to agenda documents.

The Old Ranch Road 12 improvements project will widen the roadway to create a continuous center turn lane, bike lanes and sidewalks.

Texas education officials gave preliminary approval June 23 to the state’s first mandatory reading list, which includes nearly 200 literary works that public school students would begin reading as soon as 2030.

The overview: The proposed list incorporates about a dozen stories from the Bible, including the tale of David and Goliath in second grade and direct biblical excerpts beginning in fourth grade. In total, students would be required to read more than two dozen texts in early elementary grades and about 10 literary works per year from sixth grade through high school.

What's happening: Members of the Republican-led State Board of Education voted 9-5 to cut several titles from the reading list June 23, following nearly eight hours of public testimony a day earlier.

More than half of those who testified June 22 asked the board to shorten the list, include more diverse authors and remove religious references. Others praised the SBOE for creating a list that they said would teach students about “American exceptionalism” and prioritize classical literature.