SATX-NSA: Impact 10/27/2025

On Oct. 21, Hollywood Park formally appointed interim Fire Chief Eric Burnside as the city’s permanent fire chief.

The details: Burnside was first appointed as interim fire chief in 2024 after former Fire Chief Todd Morgan resigned from his role. During his tenure as interim chief, the city council worked on establishing hiring procedures for department heads.

Mayor Pro Tem and Place 4 council member Wendy Gonzalez said Burnside’s tenure has increased morale within the department and forged stronger bonds between city council and the fire department.

“[The city council] really [does] appreciate him, and we've seen the change in morale. Obviously he has outstanding support from within his department, which speaks volumes, and from within this community,” Gonzalez said. “We are just very grateful for you. I could go on and on about your accomplishments, and we're just darn proud to have you.”

A school focused on those with learning differences is celebrating a big milestone this year in conjunction with Learning Disability Awareness Month.

The framework: The Winston School San Antonio officially turned 40 years old on Aug. 24, recognizing four decades of supporting students with conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and ADHD.

Gina Garza, the community engagement manager for The Winston, said the school is hosting events throughout October to further celebrate the impact of the anniversary and recognize the importance of Learning Disability Awareness Month.

Quote of note: “We’re excited to open our campus and our expertise to the community this October to help more people understand that with the right support, learning differences can become a superpower,” Head of School Michelle Spoonemore said in a news release.

New businesses in Boerne and New Braunfels, including a new automotive headquarters, headline Community Impact coverage of the San Antonio metro the week of Oct. 20-24.

• A new primary care doctor and a new country store open in Boerne
• Vaughan Automotive opens up a Boerne headquarters
• Local officials hold summit to discuss I-35 growth
• 20 business updates in New Braunfels
• Comal County transitional housing project sees progress
• Early voting begins in North San Antonio

Travis County officials approved a $124,953 feasibility study Oct. 21 to explore a potential commuter rail line between Austin and San Antonio.

The big picture: Championed by Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the study will examine passenger rail options along state-managed land near highways, potentially connecting the Amtrak station in San Antonio to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Brown said the goal is to use existing corridors like SH 130 and I-10 to avoid major land acquisition and speed up development.

Why it matters: Brown said a rail line could remove up to 25% of I-35 traffic between the two cities as the corridor’s population—projected to reach 8 million by 2050—continues to grow. The study will run 175 days and include engineering, ridership and cost analyses.

Zooming out: The project complements a separate TxDOT study reviewing 11 alternatives along I-35, including commuter rail and multimodal lanes. Rail ranked as the top community preference in 2024 public feedback sessions.

Two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot would impact the operation and oversight of Texas’ judicial system if approved by voters.

The details: State Proposition 3 seeks to require judges to deny bail for certain felony offenses, keeping more defendants in jail as they await trial. Proponents of the measure, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, said in June that it would improve public safety by keeping violent offenders behind bars.

Proposition 12 would rework the 13-member State Commission on Judicial Conduct, allowing the governor to appoint a majority of the commissioners and requiring most sanctions for judges accused of misconduct to be issued publicly. The bipartisan proposition faced pushback from some House Democrats who expressed concerns that allowing the governor to appoint a majority of commissioners would politicize the nonpartisan judicial conduct commission and give Abbott more power to remove from office judges whom he does not agree with.

Zooming out: The measures are among 17 state propositions being considered by Texas voters in the Nov. 4 election.