Comal ISD's new Life Bridges building has a name.

During a regular meeting on Oct. 22, the board of trustees unanimously voted to name the replacement campus the Dan Krueger Building after former CISD Board President Dan Krueger.

Career history: Krueger served as a CISD trustee from 1994 to 2009, serving as board president for eight of those years.

In 2001, Krueger founded the Comal Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money to support district students and teachers. Krueger also serves as an Opa at Wurstfest. Opas help organize, plan, manage and run the festival, according to The Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce website.

About the program: Life Bridges is an educational program that helps young adults with disabilities ages 18-22 transition out of school into adult life. The replacement campus is part of Proposition A within the district's 2023 voter-approved bond, which allocated $560.56 million for new schools, security and facility maintenance.

New Braunfels ISD received an 'A' rating on the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST, which rates the financial management practices of schools in Texas, according to a presentation at the NBISD board meeting on Oct. 19.

The details: The rating system is a Texas Education Agency, or TEA, initiative that rates school districts out of 100 on how well they manage their finances. The ratings are similar to school grading systems, with districts receiving an A-F letter grade and a point score.

The school district received 94 points out of 100 for the 2025-26 school year, said Director of Financial Services Jose Betancourt. A passing score is 70 out of 100, Betancourt said.

"We remain committed to maintaining strong financial practices, addressing areas for improvement, and ensuring that taxpayer resources are managed responsibly to support the students, staff, and families of New Braunfels ISD," Betancourt said in an email to Community Impact.

Methodist Hospital Northeast officials placed the last beam, completing the structural portion of the hospital's $146 million patient tower on Oct. 23.

The overview

Officials with Methodist Hospital Northeast broke ground on the three-story tower, which will support the hospital system’s future growth and expand inpatient capacity, in January. Once complete, the tower will add 100,000 square feet to the Live Oak campus and feature:

• 14 additional critical care beds

• 64 new medical-surgical beds

• A new kitchen

• A larger eating area

The expansion will also allow the hospital to fully privatize its rooms, Methodist Hospital Northeast CEO Jerrica George said. The project was designed by Austin-based HKS Architects. The contractor on the project is San Antonio-based Brasfield & Gorrie.

During the ceremonial topping out celebration, George said the expansion is more than a building.

"It's a fulfillment of a promise to continue caring for our community and providing quality care close to home," George said.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which regulates the state's air quality, water quality and waste management, has shut down its electronic filing portal for certain environmental permit applications, an agency spokesperson confirmed Oct. 22. The shutdown comes after watchdog groups said the agency violated an order from Gov. Greg Abbott by processing nearly three dozen permit applications for data center projects.

What's happening: The agency disabled its automated electronic filing system and suspended initial stormwater and wastewater permits, known as "notices of intent," for 17 data center construction projects.

"To ensure all applications are thoroughly reviewed by agency staff to determine if they are related to data centers, applications must be physically provided to TCEQ," agency spokesperson Victoria Cann said in an Oct. 22 statement.

Zooming in: The permits suspended as part of TCEQ's review include a permit for EdgeConneX’s second data center campus in Bastrop County and one for a Google data center facility in Tarrant County, both of which are in Community Impact's coverage areas.