The New Braunfels ISD board of trustees' District 5 seat will be vacant from Jan. 1 until the next school board election in May 2027 after voters elected Steve Minus to serve as Comal County Commissioner for Precinct 2.

The vacancy was formally recognized during a regular school board meeting on Sept. 14.

The overview: Minus secured the most votes in the March 3 Republican Primaries against opponents Steve Rollins and John Stratemann. Since Minus faces no Democratic opposition for the seat, he will be sworn into office in January, according to Texas state law.

Stay tuned: The District 5 seat will be filled following the May 2027 school board election.

GBMC Communities is developing a 6.5-acre bay/office warehouse project called Latitude at 710 N. Walnut Ave. in New Braunfels.

What you need to know: Latitude will feature 45 for-sale bay/office spaces across 12 buildings. The 65,000-square-foot project aims to give business owners the opportunity to own their space or expand their business, said GBMC Communities Sales Manager Liam Caruana.

GBMC Communities is a New Braunfels-based developer behind The Mercer, Dovetail, Yaupon by Agave, Agave Lofts and The Village at Basel.

Looking ahead: Developers expect to break ground on the project in Q2 of 2027. The project is expected to be completed in Q1 of 2028, said Max Caruana, co-founder and managing partner of GBMC Communities.

To strengthen consumer protections, the Texas Department of Insurance is asking state lawmakers to consider adjusting when new home and auto insurance rates are implemented.

What's happening: Texas currently operates under a "file-and-use" system, allowing insurance companies to begin using new rates immediately after they are filed, regardless of whether the TDI has reviewed them.

In a Sept. 14 letter detailing actions the department is taking to address Texas' high home insurance costs, Insurance Commissioner Amanda Crawford suggested that the legislature look into "adding a delay between a rate filing and its use in the market." Under the current system, if the TDI finds an issue with a new insurance rate, there is "limited" redress for affected policyholders if that rate is already in effect.

The background: Crawford's letter comes after Gov. Greg Abbott directed the TDI to take affordability-focused actions in an Aug. 24 letter.

Texans paid the nation's fourth-highest home insurance premiums at the end of 2025, according to previous Community Impact reporting.