The 2026-27 school calendar for Boerne ISD has been approved, following board of trustee consideration Jan. 20. Ultimately, the calendar is similar to the 2025-26 school calendar, with a few minor changes to student days off.

What you need to know: The calendar has students beginning the school year Aug. 11 and ending the year May 27, 2027.

One of the key differences in the upcoming calendar is the inclusion of three “blue star days,” dedicated to parent-teacher conferences. These days are Sept. 18, Oct. 13 and Feb. 12, 2027.

Additional notable days are a four-day Easter weekend, additional workdays at the beginning of the school year and buffer days to be used to make up for bad weather days.

A new co-branded dessert concept has opened off of I-10, just south of Boerne in a growing development.

Read all about it: Dual-branded Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery officially opened on Jan. 20 at 10049 Lemon Creek Blvd., Ste. 105, FAT Brands Communications Manager Sophie Smith told Community Impact.

It's located within the Lemon Creek Ranch shopping strip, next to the Lemon Creek Smiles Dentistry clinic that opened in December. Construction at the site began over the summer and was originally slated to be completed last August, according to previous reporting from Community Impact.

What’s special about it? Marble Slab Creamery offers a selection of handcrafted, specialty ice cream by the cone or by the quart, according to their menu.   

On the other hand, Great American Cookies has a selection of customizable, gourmet cookies as well as custom cookie cakes and more.

• 10049 Lemon Creek Blvd., Ste. 105, Boerne

As this nationwide gaming retailer continues to close stores across the United States, San Antonio is beginning to see some local impacts.

In case you missed it: GameStop has closed at least five stores across San Antonio, with three of those in North San Antonio.

The stores at 7117 Blanco Road, Ste. 1, and 11745 W. I-10, Ste. 120, closed as of Jan. 7, and a store located at 1742 N. Loop 1604 E., Ste. 119 closed as of Jan. 14.

Two other retail points on the city’s West side near Leon Valley also shut down in early January.

The context: GameStop offers a selection of new and used video games, plus a variety of new and used handheld gaming systems and consoles, according to its website.

• Locations throughout San Antonio

A set of permanent regulations for thousands of Texas businesses selling consumable hemp products took effect Jan. 21, after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission adopted them one day earlier.

The overview: The latest hemp rules do not bring significant changes to the roughly 60,000 businesses under TABC oversight. They replace similar emergency rules adopted Sept. 23, prohibiting Texas alcohol retailers from selling hemp-derived THC products to customers under 21 years old.

“The key you heard today… is the effect of THC on younger folks' development—much like alcohol, the same reasons we regulate alcohol for those 21 years old [and up],” TABC chair Robert Eckels said.

Zooming in: The TABC has limited jurisdiction over the consumable hemp industry and can only require age limits and ID checks, agency leaders said. State health officials are considering more comprehensive regulations on the industry.

“The Department of State Health Services’ rules are going to be much more robust,” TABC general counsel James Person said Jan. 20. “They actually cover the products themselves: the [THC] content, the testing and whatnot."