During times of economic instability, families—or neighbors, as the New Braunfels Food Bank calls them—can take advantage of a client-choice pantry to better cater the assistance they receive to their individual needs.

The Kitchen Table began as a standalone branch of the San Antonio Food Bank in 2010 before transforming into the New Braunfels Food Bank, or NBFB. The 28,000-square-foot facility now serves over 7,000 individuals a month, according to the food bank’s website. Although the NBFB moved into its location at 1620 S. Seguin Ave. in 2017, The Kitchen Table still operates as the food bank's client choice pantry.

Digging deeper: For neighbors who would like to use the client-choice pantry, NBFB requires an in-person application process for first-time users. A table set by the national Emergency Food Assistance Program, or EFAP, is used by the food bank to determine a family’s need, according to the website. 

Dean Yeager said he’s always appreciated the holidays—from running a small rental decoration service to leading a mobile gift-wrapping business—he’s done it all when it comes to Christmas.

That was the case until Yeager said he wanted to open a local store that sold not just decorations but the best possible gift for everyone.

“I wanted to do my own thing,” Yeager said. “And since the excitement of Christmas was building up, it was the perfect time.”

How we got here: Santa’s Sleigh Christmas Shoppe opened in downtown New Braunfels in the summer of 2024, during what Yeager said was the “Christmas in July” busy season.

“It was the perfect spot for a little holiday shop,” Yeager said.

• 339 Main Plaza, New Braunfels

Officials at Northeast Lakeview College celebrated its veteran population with the opening of a new support center, the Nighthawk Legacy Center, on Nov. 11.

The details: The 11,000-square-foot center, located at 1201 Kitty Hawk Road in Universal City, operates as a standalone facility dedicated to serving veteran and military-connected students. The Nighthawk Legacy Center is a direct response to the veteran student population growth the college has seen. Approximately 11% of students enrolled at the college used veteran benefits in the 2024-25 school year, Northeast Lakeview President Dr. Veronica Garcia said in a news release.

“[The center] will allow us to better serve those individuals who selflessly served our country and provide enhanced support for their families who champion for a loved one during their time of service,” Garcia said.

The support center offers military education benefits information and assists with the transition from military life to civilian life. The Nighthawk Legacy Center also offers a veteran mentoring program. 

The city of Cibolo is in the final stages of potentially landing a major economic driver.

Cibolo City Council designated a 126-acre tract of land at 3641 Santa Clara Road as Reinvestment Zone No. 2 for a proposed distribution center project by a Fortune 500 company—dubbed Project Theo.

What we know: The distribution center project would use advanced robotics and other high-tech equipment. Project Theo would also have a minimum capital investment of $450 million and at least 425 full-time equivalent job positions above the median San Antonio-area salary, Rick Vasquez, Cibolo's director of planning and economic development, said.

The establishment of Reinvestment Zone No. 2 allows the city to enter into an incentive agreement with the yet-to-be-named company should Project Theo move forward.

The Fortune 500 company is also requesting a commercial-industrial tax abatement—a local agreement exempting all or part of the increase in the value of new property from taxation for a specific period, according to agenda documents.

Texas is the nation’s largest energy producer, leading other U.S. states in both natural gas production and renewable energy generation, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows. Yet as people, businesses and data centers continue to move to the state, experts say Texas leaders need to harness new strategies to make energy more affordable and ensure the state power grid remains reliable.

The details: Amid high inflation nationwide, energy prices are on the rise in Texas, and residents are feeling the strain, experts said at the Texas Energy Summit, which ran from Nov. 4-6 in Austin.

In a June 2025 report, the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization, found that 65% of low-income Texans recently engaged in “energy-limiting behaviors,” such as turning off their air conditioning to reduce electric bills or underheating their homes in the winter. 

What they're saying: Experts said state lawmakers and officials could invest in energy efficiency and residential demand response programs to tackle affordability and grid reliability issues.