UT Health San Antonio's Center for Brain Health will bring together clinician expertise in dozens of disorders. The facility will participate in national research initiatives, focusing on clinical trials to enable earlier detection and treatment of rare diseases, said Dr. Carlayne Jackson, chair of neurology at UT Health San Antonio.

The big picture: Jackson described the $100 million, 103,000-square- foot Center for Brain Health as a one-stop shop for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. As home to the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases, the center employs clinicians who can innovate treatments by leveraging its brain bank, which contains over 2,000 donated brains, including nearly 500 from Texans, said Dr. Sudha Seshadri, the founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

"We can test different treatments, look at different types of models, and, hopefully, bring only the most promising compounds to human studies," Seshadri said.

Zooming in: Jackson said that with 40 neurology residents and eight fellowships, the center offers a unique environment to train the next generation of neurologists.
 

This unique theme park in northeast San Antonio is continuing to expand in the city, this time adding a new ride for guests to enjoy in 2026.

In case you missed it: Morgan’s Wonderland officials announced the installation of a new, accessible tower ride at the theme park during the offseason in a Nov. 18 post explaining the ride.

The new ride is called WingZ, and it is “an innovative, broad demographic, interactive tower ride designed with accessibility at its heart. WingZ allows guests of all abilities to share the exhilarating sensation of soaring together,” the announcement states.

The timeline for the ride’s construction aligns with the park’s spring 2026 opening.

• 5223 David Edwards Drive, San Antonio

During its Dec. 11 meeting, the San Antonio City Council awarded the Comanche Outlook Park project to Belt Built Contracting LLC.

What you need to know: Part of the 2022-27 bond projects, the roughly $649,533 project will expand the existing parking lot on Nacogdoches Road and widen approximately 2,800 linear feet of base trails into a 6-foot-wide concrete trail with signage.

The project includes a paved bicycle trail, a pavilion/gazebo, a playground, and connections from Fox Creek Trail and the Semmes Branch Library parking lot. 

Construction began in spring 2025 and is estimated to be completed in fall 2026.  

As December comes to a close, here are the top Community Impact San Antonio stories for the week of Dec. 22-26. From North East ISD approving a new calendar to new businesses opening across San Antonio, here are five trending stories.

1. North East ISD to implement 175-day school year for 2026-27

2. Shaping Schertz: New retail hub adding national favorites along I-35

3. San Antonio dining news: new Texas Roadhouse, kolache bakery and more

4. 4 trail updates to know in New Braunfels

5. New restaurant to grace the halls of The Faust Hotel in New Braunfels

2026 is a big election year in Texas. Voters will see 18 statewide races, all congressional seats, most state legislative seats and a variety of local positions on the ballot.

The overview: The Republican and Democratic primary elections will be held March 3, and the midterm election is set for Nov. 3.

Texas holds primaries for all partisan elected positions, such as state officials; state and federal lawmakers; and county judges, commissioners and justices of the peace. Third-party candidates, including independents, Libertarian Party candidates and Green Party candidates, have separate election processes will not be listed on the primary ballots in March. Eligible candidates representing various parties will appear on the November ballot.

Looking back: All statewide offices on the ballot are currently held by Republicans, although some are not running for reelection. No Democrat or third-party candidate has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994, election records show.

Check out the full article for more details on election processes and an overview of state-level races.