Final phase of Retama Parkway reconstruction underway
The reconstruction of Retama Parkway is nearly complete in Selma.
What you need to know: On Sept. 2, the third phase of the Retama Parkway Reconstruction Project began between I-35 and Lookout Road. This will be the final phase of the project that began in October 2024. The contract for the project for approximately $5.31 million was awarded to Harper Brothers Construction, a contract that also included right-of-way improvements to portions of Alton Boulevard, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Next steps: The project is anticipated to be completed by early October, City Administrator Johnny Casias said in an email to Community Impact.
Universal City Walmart to undergo $1.8M renovation
Universal City’s Walmart is anticipated to undergo a multimillion-dollar renovation.
What you need to know: Walmart, located at 510 Kitty Hawk Road, will undergo a $1.8 million renovation project beginning in 2026, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. However, there is no completion timeline available as of press time, the store's management team told Community Impact.
The details: Work will include a remodel of over 20,000 square feet of the store’s interior, with the addition of 7,000 square feet of new retail space. The store’s renovation is one of 67 across Walmarts in Texas in 2025, according to a news release from the retailer.
“These updates also highlight a broader focus on enhancing the associate experience and deepening engagement within the local community,” Walmart representatives said in the release.
San Antonio-based nonprofit launches new program supporting military vets
A new national program for military veterans has officially launched, led by a nonprofit headquartered in San Antonio.
Learn more: Endeavors, a social and wellness services nonprofit, and K9s for Warriors, a nationwide military veteran support organization, have partnered to create a new mental health service.
The new national program, called Strength In Step, launched in July, Munji Nfor, the Strategic Engagement and Impact Specialist for Endeavors, said in an email to Community Impact.
Nfor said it will address “a critical and often invisible gap: the mental health struggles Veterans face while waiting to be paired with a service dog and through their lifelong Veteran journey.”
The new service will help to provide more intensive support to veterans during the difficult process of transitioning to civilian life after serving, Nfor said.
Thus, making the process of receiving important therapeutic benefits from service dogs easier is critical, particularly in the first 12 months after service, Endeavors said on an Instagram post.
Endeavors Headquarters, 6363 De Zavala Road, San Antonio
What to know: Most Texas school districts required to display donated Ten Commandments posters under state law
Most Texas public schools are required to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms under Senate Bill 10, a state law that took effect Sept. 1.
The details: On Aug. 20, a Texas federal judge temporarily blocked the following 11 school districts from displaying the Ten Commandments:
Alamo Heights ISD
Austin ISD
Cy-Fair ISD
Dripping Springs ISD
Fort Bend ISD
Houston ISD
Lackland ISD
Lake Travis ISD
North East ISD
Northside ISD
Plano ISD
Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the ruling and directed other school districts to begin displaying donated copies of the Ten Commandments.
The debate: Proponents of SB 10, including Paxton and Republican state lawmakers, have argued that seeing the Ten Commandments on a daily basis will help Texas students better understand U.S. history and learn about morality.
Some religious scholars have stressed the importance of teaching students about religion in an “appropriate educational context.” Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns that non-Christian students will feel left out or be bullied by their peers for not following the Ten Commandments.
