A growing demand for Christian education is leading New Braunfels Christian Academy, or NBCA, officials to expand its campus, NBCA Head of Schools Nick Reeves said.

“I think there is a growing desire for Christian education,” Reeves said. “As more people have become aware of New Braunfels Christian Academy and as we have grown in what we’re able to offer ... more people want to be part of it,” Reeves said.

What you need to know: NBCA board members finalized the academy’s “first-ever” strategic plan at the beginning of 2023, Reeves said. The plan included the addition of various positions, educational spaces and increased teacher pay.

The second rendition of NBCA’s strategic plan includes an elementary building, fine arts complex, relocated softball field and baseball field.
“Currently, our baseball team has to travel and play and practice elsewhere on local community fields. So, it would be really great to get one on campus that our teams could use and that we could rent out to local organizations,” Reeves said.

The Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, is continuing to work on a $1.4 billion project geared toward improving traffic flows on Hwy. 46 in Comal and Guadalupe counties.

The transportation project will improve Hwy. 46, from I-35 to I-10, and I-35, from South Walnut Avenue to FM 306, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

The update: TxDOT officials are making refinements to the draft of the schematic design. TxDOT officials began working with property owners who may be affected by the project in 2022 before holding public meetings in 2023. Officials also plan to hold several additional public meetings for individuals who may be impacted by the project, according to an email from a TxDOT spokesperson.

The project's schematic design will be finalized after those meetings and then environmental studies will take place before potential environmental approval of the project, although a timeline for these next steps has yet to be determined. Final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction will be contingent upon environmental clearance and funding availability, according to the email.

Texas State University received a record-breaking number of applications for the 2026-27 school year, with a total of 83,479. Heading into the fall semester, the university set 11 additional attendance records as it continues to grow year over year.

The gist: Texas State’s preliminary census day count determined the university has 47,513 total students this fall, a 7% increase from the 2025-26 school year, according to a Texas State University news release. The school welcomed 12,715 new undergraduates, including 9,145 freshmen.

The increased enrollment indicates the university’s ability to provide more students with access to higher education and the opportunities Texas State offers, said Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse.

Texas State is one of the fastest-growing universities in the state, increasing access through expanded graduate programs, strengthened partnerships with community colleges, and additional opportunities through online degrees and the Round Rock campus, Damphousse said.

Also of note: The Round Rock campus will serve 4,003 students through a combination of in-person and online programs, a 37% increase, according to the release.

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas General Land Office in the Nov. 3 election.

The overview: Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neill Snider are challenging Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham for the seat.

Buckingham ran uncontested in the March Republican primary, Community Impact reported, while Flores won the Democratic primary. Snider was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The context: The state land commissioner manages 13 million acres of state lands, with duties such as allocating disaster recovery funds, leasing state lands to generate revenue for the Texas Permanent School Fund, preserving state landmarks such as The Alamo and overseeing several veterans programs.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.