The Judson ISD board of trustees unanimously approved the district’s 2026-27 academic calendar Dec. 18.

What you need to know: According to the approved calendar, the first semester of the 2026-27 school year will be Aug. 12 through Dec. 18.

The first semester of the 2026-27 year will have the following staff and student holidays:

• Sept. 7
• Oct. 9, 12
• Nov. 11; 23-27
• Dec. 21-Jan. 1

• Jan. 18
• March 8-12
• March 26, 29
• April 23

A $72.78 million roadway expansion project geared toward increasing mobility and safety along the FM 1518 corridor is seeing progress in Bexar County.

The project—dubbed FM 1518 Expansion—is being led by the Texas Department of Transportation and consists of reconstructing 5.6 miles of FM 1518 by widening the existing roadway and making two 11-foot lanes in each direction, according to TxDOT.

A 34-foot-wide raised center median, a 10-foot-wide shared-use path on the east side of the roadway and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk along the west side of the roadway are also being constructed as part of the project.

Latest update: Construction of the eastern half of the Trainer Hale Road intersection in Schertz, new northbound lanes and shared-use path south of Trainer Hale were completed in 2025, according to TxDOT. In partnership with CPS Energy and the city of Schertz, TxDOT also completed utility upgrades and continued underground storm sewer and drainage work.

A locally-owned bridal store and boutique has relocated and opened a new store in North San Antonio.

More details: Brides by Elizabeth opened in November for appointments only, staff at the shop told Community Impact.

The boutique’s new location is at 17595 Blanco Road, Ste. 100. They're planning a soft opening for walk-ins in early January, followed by an official grand opening celebration in February.

The business has taken residence inside the recently closed Agave Ranch Furniture, according to previous reporting from Community Impact. Originally, the shop was located at 1120 West Blanco Road.

Check it out: Brides by Elizabeth offers a complete range of services, from dress consultations to alterations and cleanings.

Dresses available in-store include wedding gowns, mother of the bride or groom dresses and bridesmaids’ dresses, according to their website. Additionally, both informal and formal styles are available to customers.

• 17595 Blanco Road, Ste. 100, San Antonio

Approximately three dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, impacting how artificial intelligence is used in state government, when local officials can raise taxes after natural disasters and how much of businesses' inventory is taxed.

The background: The changes come after Texas’s biennial legislative session ended in early June. Gov. Greg Abbott signed over 1,100 laws passed by state lawmakers, many of which took effect in June or September.

The details: Some of the bills becoming law in the new year are:

• House Bill 9, which will expand a tax exemption for business owners
• House Bill 30, which will tighten regulations on counties' and cities' abilities to raise tax rates after natural disasters
• House Bill 149, which will regulate the fast-growing AI industry
• House Bill 247, which will exempt certain border security infrastructure from property tax increases
• House Bill 1399, which will create a property tax exemption for stores selling animal feed
• House Bill 2508, which will establish a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of certain military members