The Texas Education Agency has issued a corrective action plan and directed North East ISD to update its cellphone policy to a bell-to-bell ban by Jan. 31.

During the Jan. 12 board of trustees meeting, NEISD’s attorney Ricardo Lopez explained to the board of trustees the steps the state will take if the district maintains its current cellphone ban, which limits cellphone usage during class time but not the rest of the school day.

What happened: Lopez said that if the district does not comply with the TEA, then it could face negative TEA reports, loss of local control via sanctions, potential state-appointed governance and expensive, long-term litigation.

The outlook: Lopez said TEA is enforcing the bell-to-bell definition of a school day due to pressure from the legislators who worked on House Bill 1481.

Stay tuned: The board directed Lopez to request more time to enact any required change and to seek a clearer written explanation of why NEISD is out of compliance.

A new eatery fusing American and French cuisine has opened recently on San Antonio’s North Side.

What’s new: Max’s Sister debuted at the Alon Town Center shopping area in North San Antonio on Nov. 7, according to an Instagram post from the eatery.

The exact address of the new restaurant is 10003 NW Military Highway, Ste. 2125.

Owned by chef Andrew Weissman, it’s the entrepreneur's 14th overall restaurant, according to his Instagram page.

Weissman also owns the San Antonio favorite, Mr. Juicy, with its flagship location in the Olmos Park area.

Also of note: On the menu is a mix of American and French-inspired cuisine, from chicken-fried steak to pan-roasted Branzino.

There’s also a full cocktail bar, espresso bar and bread service available at the high-end restaurant.

• 10003 NW Military Highway, Ste. 2125, San Antonio

A new Mexican restaurant is opening a third location in the San Antonio area, this time on the city's Northeast side.

What we know: Frank's Pollo Asado Los Norteños is planning to open in Universal City at 121 Pat Booker Road inside the former Rapid Fire Pizza restaurant, according to a Jan. 6 Facebook post from the restaurant. However, there is no opening timeframe available as of press time.

The eatery's roots can be traced back to the city of Nueva Rosita in Coahuila, Mexico. The restaurant began as a fundraiser for a local church in the town in 2006, according to its website.

What else? The restaurant has two other locations at 4822 Walzem Road and 15511 Applewhite Road, Ste. 121 in San Antonio.

Frank's Pollo Asado Los Norteños offers specialty pollo asado dishes and classic Tex-Mex staples. The menu features fajitas, hamburgers and Mexican desserts like tres leches.

• 121 Pat Booker Road, Universal City

From the opening of new stores in Selma to the closing of a New Braunfels gift shop, check out these top stories for the week of Jan. 12-16.

• 2 retailers coming soon to The Forum at Olympia Parkway in Selma: Sierra and HomeGoods have plans to open in Selma this year.
• New coffee and taco spot set to open in New Braunfels: Lulu's Coffee y Tacos is anticipated to open this spring.
• New Braunfels City Council moves rezoning request forward for proposed boutique hotel near Gruene: New Braunfels City Council approved the first reading of a zoning change for nearly 6 acres.
• Boerne ISD hosts drone demonstration to respond to campus intruders: Boerne ISD is exploring improvements to school security and hosted a live demonstration Jan. 9 of a drone system.
• Local gift shop set to close soon near downtown New Braunfels: A locally owned antique and gift shop is shutting down after being open in New Braunfels for over 10 years.

Five Republican candidates are running for a six-year term on the Texas Railroad Commission in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: Katherine Culbert, Hawk Dunlap, Bo French, James "Jim" Matlock and Jim Wright are vying for the Republican nomination for a seat on the railroad commission. The winning Republican candidate will face Jon Rosenthal in November, and the winner of that election will begin serving on the commission in January 2027.

Rosenthal, a state representative and oilfield mechanical engineer, is running uncontested in the Democratic primary. Community Impact runs candidate Q&As for contested races only.

The context: The railroad commission regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry, according to its website, while the state's railroads are under the control of the Texas Department of Transportation and the federal government.