1. COVID-19 ‘vaccination hubs’ announced in 18 Texas counties
Large-scale “vaccination hubs” began administering COVID-19 vaccine doses across the state during the week of Jan. 11, according to a news release from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Texas received an additional 200,000 vaccine doses from the federal government and diverted the majority of its allotment to large providers that plan to vaccinate at least 100,000 people in total, according to the Jan. 7 DSHS release.
2. ‘It’s not what’s good for Texas and certainly not what’s good for New Braunfels’: New Braunfels physicians respond to governor lifting mask restrictions
On March 2, Gov. Greg Abbott announced a new executive order that would end the statewide mask mandate and all business capacity limits effective March 10.
Businesses and private entities will continue to have the authority to impose mask and capacity restrictions on their property, and the state’s disaster declaration remains in effect.
3. Comal, Guadalupe counties declare local disasters as winter weather leads to rolling power outages
In much of Central Texas, temperatures plummeted over the weekend and up to 4 inches of snow blanketed the ground in some areas.
On Feb. 14, Comal and Guadalupe counties declared local disasters following Gov. Greg Abbott’s statewide disaster declaration Feb. 12.
4. Expansion of H-E-B on Walnut Ave. in New Braunfels underway, set for late 2021 completion
After being used by the New Braunfels Fire Department for training exercises Jan. 30, the shopping center connected to the H-E-B on Walnut Ave. was reduced to rubble.
Originally opened in 1994, the store is located at 651 S. Walnut Ave., New Braunfels, and is one of three H-E-B locations in the city.
The completion of the store is now set for spring 2022.
5. Starbucks coming to New Braunfels will include a drive-thru
A new Starbucks location is slated to open in New Braunfels, according to a Starbucks spokesperson, and it will be the city’s first drive-thru location of the franchise. The location was originally slated to open in Fall 2021, but has been delayed.
The shop will be located at 2720 Loop 337, New Braunfels, within the New Braunfels Crossing shopping center that is under construction.
6. 10 new businesses in New Braunfels that are now open or coming soon
Lazy J Crawfish, Two Rivers Running, OffRoad Worx and more opened in spring 2021 in New Braunfels.
7. Canyon Lake Water Service Co. issues boil water notice
Amid extreme cold weather resulting in possible low or no water pressure and main breaks, Canyon Lake Water Service Co. issued a precautionary boil water notice for customers experiencing a loss of services.
8. New Braunfels City Council OKs zoning for multifamily development in supermajority vote
During a March 22 City Council meeting, council members approved the rezoning of 19.96 acres of land to be used for a proposed multifamily residential development.
The property, located at the intersection of FM 725 and East Klein Road, was previously zoned for single-family and agricultural development.
9. ‘It’s a very challenging situation’: Prominent New Braunfels doctor seeks to inform community on lack of COVID-19 vaccines
Dr. Judith L. Thompson, a general surgeon and an advocate for the profession of medicine who works in the New Braunfels area, said she understands that just about everyone in the community has urgent questions about how and when to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
How to get vaccinated, when to get it, where to get the first one or the second, who might have them: All are concerns she has been hearing, she said.
10. UPDATE: Creekside Crossing upgrade to finish in New Braunfels in early 2022
A project to expand and improve the portion of FM 306 between Town Center Drive and I-35 is now expected to be completed in February 2022.
Previously, a representative of the Texas Department of Transportation informed Community Impact Newspaper that the work would be completed in March of 2021 before correcting the completion date to early 2022.
