New Braunfels City Council received an update on the potential expansion of its convention center during a special meeting April 6.

Brandon Dowling, a principal with C.H. Johnson Consulting Inc.—the firm selected by council to conduct a market viability study for the proposed expansion—presented the summary conclusions from the first phase of the convention center’s feasibility study.

In a nutshell: The first part of the study was a supply and demand analysis for the expansion of the existing center. It analyzed economic, demographic, visitor and market conditions impacting the existing facility, along with establishing the potential demand for new space based on trends and growth in the local and regional markets, city officials said in an email to Community Impact.

There are 120 hotel rooms within a 15-minute walk of the city’s convention center now, which is lower than the average for a convention center. Dowling said any future expansion of the convention center is going to need some form of hotel.

A new clothing store named Wild Haus Children's Boutique is now open in New Braunfels.

Check it out: Wild Haus Children's Boutique—owned by Grace Soechting—opened its first brick-and-mortar location on April 4. The boutique previously operated as an online-only business.

The shop is located just behind The ARTitude Cottage at 972 W. San Antonio St.

What they offer: Wild Haus Children's Boutique currently sells apparel and accessories for toddlers and elementary school-aged children. The boutique offers sizes ranging from 0-3 months old up to 6T for both girls and boys, according to its website.

• 972 W. San Antonio St., New Braunfels

Check out the top stories from across the New Braunfels area from the past week of reporting.

1. New Braunfels looks to approve ordinance change to protect endangered species

2. Birria Haus puts a twist on street food in New Braunfels

3. Costco to open New Braunfels location this spring

4. H.D. Gruene Mercantile opens in Gruene's Historic District

5. Comal County sees 27.8% population increase from 2020-25

Texas education officials are currently overhauling the state’s social studies curriculum standards, with policymakers, teachers, parents and historians clashing over how students should be taught about the history of Texas, the U.S. and the world.

The overview: The State Board of Education reviews standards for all curriculum areas every 15-20 years, dictating what Texas' 5.5 million public school students should learn at each grade level.

As written, the plan would reduce the time students spend learning about world history and cultures in favor of more Texas-focused subjects. Critics of the proposal have pushed to include a more diverse set of perspectives to ensure all students feel represented in the curriculum, while those who support it said students’ education should be centered around American exceptionalism, state history and Christianity.

Next steps: The SBOE, which has the final say on the curriculum changes, was taking an initial vote on the plan as of press time and is scheduled to adopt the final standards in June. The new requirements would be rolled out to classrooms in 2030.