New Braunfels has moved back to Stage 2 drought restrictions.

New Braunfels Utilities announced the move to Stage 2 drought restrictions on Aug. 10 due to continued drought conditions in the region, according to a news release.

What it means: NBU customers may continue to water with a handheld hose that has an automatic shutoff nozzle, bucket, drip irrigation system or non-spraying soaker hose on any day before 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Automatic irrigation systems and sprinklers will be limited to once per week based on the last digit of the service address, according to a news release from the utility company. The schedule for the use of a sprinkler or irrigation system is as follows:

0 or 1: Monday
2 or 3: Tuesday
4 or 5: Wednesday
6 or 7: Thursday
8 or 9: Friday

A new auto insurance agency has opened in New Braunfels.

The overview: ALPA Insurance, located at 263 Loop 337, Ste. 700, opened its doors July 6. The insurance agency is located in the space previously home to A-MAX Auto Insurance.

ALPA Insurance offers vehicle insurance for cars and motorcycles. The insurance agency also offers property insurance for homeowners and renters.

• 263 Loop 337, Ste. 700, New Braunfels

A mixed-use development named The Gärten at Gruene is in the works in New Braunfels.

What you need to know: The Gärten at Gruene is being developed by New Braunfels residents Kyle and Meredith Brant. The mixed-use project will be on a 3-acre property located at 1563 Gruene Road, Kyle Brant said.

The development will have eight buildings with two restaurants, a wine bar and a coffee shop. The Gärten at Gruene will also have retail and office space.

Kyle Brant said they want The Gärten at Gruene to be walkable and are trying to attract more local businesses versus large chains.

“Growth is inevitable here in New Braunfels, but we’re trying to be thoughtful with how we do it,” Kyle Brant told Community Impact.

Stay tuned: Kyle Brant said they are hoping to break ground within the next six months.

Five-year-old Avry Jo Schapansky rang the bell at Dell Children's Blood and Cancer Center on Aug. 7, celebrating the end of her cancer treatment and marking her as the first patient in Central Texas to complete a stem cell transplant through the hospital's new program.

Why it matters: Before Dell Children's launched the program in August 2025, families needing this level of care had to travel outside Central Texas, often for a month or longer, to hospitals in Houston, Dallas or San Antonio.
Schapansky, diagnosed with high-risk Stage 4 neuroblastoma, underwent a roughly year-and-a-half treatment plan that included chemotherapy, surgery, tandem stem cell transplants and radiation.

Dr. Shannon Cohn, her pediatric oncologist, said the family's decision to stay reflected trust in a brand-new transplant team.

The program was made possible in part through a gift from the Shivers Cancer Foundation, which helped recruit Dr. Amir Mian to lead it, along with a partnership with nonprofit blood center We Are Blood. Dell Children's is now working toward offering CAR T-cell therapy and gene therapy in 2026.