SATX-NBF: Impact 10/29/2025

The New Braunfels ISD, or NBISD, board of trustees voted unanimously to lift the suspension of library services in its middle and high schools during a special board meeting Oct. 23.

Two-minute impact: Effective Monday, Oct. 27, libraries at secondary schools across NBISD will reopen. The decision came after two separate executive sessions held by trustees, bookending nearly an hour of public comment from parents and students.

Secondary school libraries were closed after a regular board meeting Oct. 13, as previously reported by Community Impact, pending a full review of over 50,000 titles that were available at some schools.

The review of the titles was prompted to ensure alignment with Senate Bill 13, which requires schools across the state to maintain transparent library catalogs, allowing parents to submit a list of books that their child is not allowed to access, according to the bill.

Pookie Jane's Boutique—located at 1633 Hunter Road, Ste. D, in New Braunfels' Gruene Historic District—changed ownership Sept. 1. 

Some details: The boutique was previously owned by Kelly Grieve and is now owned by husband and wife duo Kyle and Dani Cameron.

Pookie Jane's Boutique sells clothing, home goods, accessories and more. 

• 1633 Hunter Road, Ste. D, New Braunfels

The construction of a new fire station is set to begin in Schertz.

On Oct. 21, Schertz City Council unanimously approved a guaranteed maximum price of $9.72 million for the construction of Fire Station No. 4 at 17355 Wiederstein Road.

The guaranteed maximum price agreed upon by Marksmen General Contractors represents all costs associated with facility construction, according to agenda documents.

The specifics: The 15,984-square-foot facility will have four double stack bays for vehicles and seven dorm rooms, according to a presentation by Project Management Consultant Ryan Rosborough.

Rosborough said the interior will have a living space, kitchen, fitness room, space for washing and drying clothes, and showers. There will be dedicated entrances for the public, staff and vehicles to minimize traffic issues, according to the presentation.

Cost breakdown: The final guaranteed maximum price proposal came in approximately $3.46 million less than first estimated in May 2024, according to the presentation.

Judson ISD's board of trustees approved the submission of four campus turnaround plans to the Texas Education Agency on Oct. 16.

How we got here: According to board documents, a turnaround plan is a comprehensive improvement plan required by the state for campuses that receive multiple unacceptable TEA ratings. Texas schools are rated on an A-F scale based on the criteria of student achievement, student progress and closing opportunity gaps, according to Community Impact reporting.

Kirby Middle School, Henry Metzger Middle School and Park Village Elementary School were given unacceptable, or "F" ratings from the TEA for the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. This requires the district to implement a turnaround plan with the purpose of earning a "C" rating by the TEA within two years, according to board documents.

Masters Elementary School received "F" ratings for 2023-24 and 2024-25, requiring the district to develop a turnaround plan for the campus.

For a group that rescues over 10,000 animals each year, this San Antonio-based organization had to start somewhere.

How we got here: Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, or WRR, started from “literally nothing” back in 1977, Founder and President Lynn Cuny said.

“The whole concept of rehabilitation and rescue wasn’t really in existence in Texas, back then,” Cuny said. “Nothing like what we do now.”

The breakdown: WRR’s sanctuary in Kendall County is home to hundreds of displaced animals rescued from not just the San Antonio area, but across the entire country.

The sanctuary’s Executive Director, Ashton Kuhn, said the primary goal of operations is to limit exposure to human contact and give them the best possible chance to thrive and survive.

The big picture: Overall, Cuny said that while the efforts of WRR are relatively small compared to the dangers that native animals face as a whole, doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

• Serving Boerne, San Antonio and surrounding areas