New Braunfels City Council approved an expenditure of up to $90,000 for the acquisition of right of way for the Oak Run Intersection Improvements Project on Nov. 10.

What you need to know: The project—which is designed to improve traffic flow and overall safety—looks to improve traffic signals and turn lanes at the Oak Run Parkway and Hwy. 46 intersection, according to agenda documents.

Roadway striping will also be updated, along with sidewalk widening. The intersection will be realigned and there will also be upgrades to drainage—all of which will increase the efficiency of the intersection and help accommodate current and future traffic demands, according to an email from Kristina Perry, marketing director at ASA Properties.

ASA Properties is a Texas-based real estate firm that specializes in master-planned residential land development. Veramendi, a master-planned community west of New Braunfels, is the boutique firm's signature project. The improvements are required under the development agreement between Veramendi and the city.  

Learn more about these senior living communities in and around the New Braunfels area.

The Oscar at Veramendi
Type: independent and assisted living, memory care
Opening: spring 2026
Total units: 231
Amenities: three onsite restaurants, indoor heated pool, outpatient rehab, weekly housekeeping, primary care clinic

• 352 Borchers Blvd., New Braunfels

• 2140 Independence Drive, New Braunfels

• 2457 Loop 337, New Braunfels

• 1500 Island View, Canyon Lake

Texas cannot use its newly redrawn congressional map in the 2026 election, an El Paso federal court ruled Nov. 18.

The details: The state must instead use the congressional map that Texas lawmakers drew in 2021, after the 2020 census. 

“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown wrote in the Nov. 18 preliminary injunction. “To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map.”

What they're saying: Texas Republican leaders said they would “swiftly appeal” the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the court takes up the case, its justices will be pressed for time ahead of the Dec. 8 deadline for candidates to apply to run in the March primary elections.

Texas Democrats celebrated the Nov. 18 ruling as "very good news for Texans."

Since 1945, the Alamo Colleges District has provided post-secondary education opportunities in the San Antonio area. The district began with two campuses and, by the end of 2025, had five campuses educating more than 80,000 students each year.

Put into perspective: Chancellor Mike Flores said the district began with the union of San Antonio College and St. Phillips College, originally named the San Antonio Union Junior College District.

Over time, three additional campuses were developed, serving communities on the Northeast, Northwest and South sides of the San Antonio region, which includes Bexar County and seven surrounding counties.

Flores said the district's primary goal is to serve the community with education and resources at an approachable cost. Alamo Promise was launched in 2019 to help provide no-cost education to students in need. Academic programs have also expanded over the years, with the district now offering four bachelor's degree programs, including operations management, nursing, cybersecurity and cloud computing.

• 2222 North Alamo St., San Antonio

Texans began receiving full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 14, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced. The renewed SNAP payments came after two weeks of delays due to the 43-day federal government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12.

The overview: SNAP is a federally funded program that provides low-income individuals and families with monthly stipends to spend on groceries. The food assistance program ran out of funding Nov. 1, one month after the government shut down amid disagreements over federal health insurance subsidies.

The details: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks. Payments are issued on a rolling basis throughout each month.

“For SNAP clients who receive benefits on or after the 14th of the month, full benefits will be issued on their normal issuance date,” the HHSC website states. “SNAP clients who already received partial benefits will receive the rest of their monthly amount on or after Nov. 14.”