A device called the Optilume is helping to reduce the risk of recurring scar tissue in patients with urethral strictures, said Dr. Ryan Donahue, a urologist at Resolute Baptist Hospital in New Braunfels.

Donahue said scarring in patients with a urethral stricture is thought to be an overactive, inflammatory response. Some patients might also have scarring because of difficulties urinating.

When doctors cut open the urethra or dilate it again, the chance that scar tissue comes back is about 50%, Donahue said.

Explained: The Optilume device is a drug-coated balloon that is inserted into the urethra and inflated. This allows a chemotherapy agent called paclitaxel to balloon into the tissue, Donahue said.

“The hope is that this is going to inhibit the body’s overactive mechanisms of healing and therefore it should reduce our recurrence of the scar,” Donahue said.

The Optilume also prevents patients from undergoing a much more invasive surgery called urethroplasty.

The Optilume device can also be used for patients who have had complications following prostate cancer treatment, Donahue said. 

The city of New Braunfels is considering forming a charter review commission after officials discovered a conflict between the city charter and the Texas Constitution regarding the New Braunfels mayoral race.

What you need to know: New Braunfels City Manager Robert Camareno said the most common composition of a charter review committee is a council-appointed citizen model, which is composed of seven members.

“An open and transparent process is to recommend to you all an application process where anyone that’s interested can actually apply to be considered for appointment to that commission,” Camareno said.

Each council member would appoint one resident from their district, and the mayor would appoint one at-large member. The commission would appoint a chairperson from the seven members, according to a May 26 City Council meeting presentation.

City staff is also recommending outside legal counsel support for the charter review and amendment election. Outside legal support helps educate the charter commission on election law and charter purposes, along with developing propositions to ensure ballot language compliance.

The Comal ISD board of trustees approved a 3% midpoint salary increase for all district employees for the 2026-27 school year during a May 28 board meeting.

What you need to know: The 3% increase will be calculated using the midpoint method. The midpoint represents the salary equivalent to approximately 15 years of experience, or the middle of the range between pay and maximum pay, according to a district release.

This means each employee with a pay grade receives the same dollar increase regardless of where they fall on the pay scale, the release states.

The Texas Association of School Board conducted a compensation review of CISD in 2024. One of its recommendations was to move to a midpoint salary increase to provide a more equitable distribution of resources within each of the pay groups, according to the release.

Texas’ sweeping immigration enforcement law can take effect for now, a federal appeals court ruled May 29.

The background: Senate Bill 4 gives Texas officials the unprecedented authority to arrest and deport migrants suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally. State lawmakers passed the measure in late 2023, and it has largely been tied up in court since.

The latest: In an unpublished order May 29, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed SB 4 to take effect as the case continues, lifting a lower court order that had blocked portions of the law. 

What they're saying: In a joint statement, a trio of civil rights groups decried the May 29 decision as “disappointing and out of step with the Constitution,” saying that they would continue to fight the law in court.

Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the order as a “major border security victory.” State agencies have not detailed their plans to arrest, detain or deport migrants under SB 4.