Another special election will be happening in Schertz to fill an opening on the City Council.

What's happening: At the Jan. 6 Schertz City Council meeting, City Secretary Sheila Edmondson said she will be bringing a resolution to council Jan. 20, calling for an election for the vacant Place 6 council seat.

The seat became vacant after Place 6 council member Allison Heyward filed to run for Guadalupe County Precinct 3 commissioner in the March 3 primary.

Although the position is open, Texas Constitution Article 16, Section 17 gives Heyward the right to stay on council until a “duly qualified replacement” is elected, City Attorney Daniel Santee said.

“This is not a dual office holding situation. This is filing to be a candidate for office while holding another office ... she hasn’t been elected,” Santee said.

What’s next: The filing period for the Place 6 election will take place Jan. 21-Feb. 2, Edmondson said. Early voting is slated to take place March 18-31, and election day is currently scheduled for April 4.

A new early learning academy is set to make its debut in Northeast San Antonio for the 2026-27 school year.

What parents should know: The new school is called Cairn & Compass Academy and will be led by Brittany Alice. Cairn & Compass Academy will serve neurodivergent students ages 5 to 8 in the Schertz, Cibolo and Marion area, according to the academy's Facebook page.

What else? The learning academy will cater to younger children who do well in smaller, calmer and hands-on classroom settings. Pedagogical methods will include a focus on autonomy, interactive learning, emotional regulation and a gentle class structure, according to a flyer from the school.

Alice told Community Impact that she is still working on finding a "home-like" environment to host the learning pod. It will most likely be located somewhere in Schertz or Cibolo, in time for the upcoming school year, Alice said.

Cairn & Compass Academy is accepting applications and is anticipated to open next fall.

On Jan. 6, the San Antonio International Airport began its pavement rehabilitation construction project on Runway 13R-31L.

The details: According to a news release, while the repairs are ongoing, the runway will be closed Jan. 12-March 6, allowing construction crews uninterrupted access to the runway.

The project timeline has been coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration, the traffic control tower, air carriers, tenants and nearby airfield facilities to mitigate any conflicting air traffic. According to the news release, SA Airport will maintain winter air traffic patterns over the northeast and southwest portions of the city throughout the project, with landings and takeoffs being exclusively from Runway 4/22.

“These improvements are essential to maintaining a safe and reliable airfield for our airlines, our partners and our region,” said Tim O’Krongley, deputy aviation director. “We appreciate the community’s patience as the airport completes these essential updates, supporting safer and more efficient airfield operations for years to come.”

A new U.S. Postal Service rule could impact when time-sensitive mail, such as tax forms and mail-in ballots, is considered officially sent.

The overview: Effective Dec. 24, mailed items are postmarked when the USPS processes them, rather than the date items are dropped in a mailbox. A postmark refers to the date and location stamped or printed on most mailed items, indicating when and where the USPS “accepted custody” of a mailpiece, per the federal agency.

Zooming in: According to the Texas comptroller’s office, the updated USPS guidance means items could be postmarked “several days” after they are dropped in a mailbox. This includes date-sensitive items sent by Texas residents and businesses, such as property tax payments, federal tax returns, mail-in ballots and required business reports.

To ensure that mail is postmarked on the day it is sent, customers can take mail into their local post office and request that the item be hand-stamped for free, according to the USPS. Texans can also pay property taxes and submit ballots in-person at county offices.