Schertz

Schertz Parks and Rec wins top state award

Schertz Parks, Recreation and Community Services received the Texas Recreation and Park Society's Gold Medal Award, the top departmental honor the group gives statewide.

John B

13 Mar 2026 — 1 min read

Image credit: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

SCHERTZ — Schertz Parks, Recreation and Community Services has received the Gold Medal Award from the Texas Recreation and Park Society, which department leaders described as the highest honor the organization gives to a parks department.

Director Lauren Shrum presented the award to council on March 3 and said the recognition reflects three years of performance across attendance, revenue generation, policies, procedures and community engagement.

Shrum said the award had been a long-term goal for the department. The statewide honor was presented at the society's February institute in Corpus Christi.

Shrum also highlighted additional recognition for Schertz staff at the event, including placements in state equipment and skills competitions, educational presentations for other professionals and volunteer service during the conference.

Schertz now has the top departmental award the state parks and recreation society gives, and city staff framed it as the result of years of steady work rather than one good season.

Universal City band teacher arrested on child sex charges

UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas — A band and yearbook teacher at First Baptist Academy was arrested last week on felony charges of indecency with a child and child grooming. He has since bonded out. Stephen Strawn, 50, was booked into the Bexar County jail on March 27. A judge set bond at

Cibolo Police Launch HEAT Unit to Combat Vehicle Theft, Catalytic Converter Crime

Cibolo police have a new three-person unit dedicated to vehicle theft and catalytic converter crime. The High Enforcement Activity Team, or HEAT Unit, consists of two officers and a crime analyst who monitors trends and uses data to concentrate patrols where vehicle crimes are most common. "We've

Flock cameras helped Universal City police catch murder suspect. Now comes the surveillance debate.

Universal City police say Flock cameras helped catch a murder suspect. The harder question is what residents give up when the government builds a searchable record of where vehicles were and when.

Universal City maps its most dangerous roads and sets a Vision Zero goal

Universal City's new safety plan identifies the city's highest-risk roads and intersections and sets a long-term goal of eliminating fatal and serious crashes.

Read more

Universal City band teacher arrested on child sex charges

Cibolo Police Launch HEAT Unit to Combat Vehicle Theft, Catalytic Converter Crime

Flock cameras helped Universal City police catch murder suspect. Now comes the surveillance debate.

Universal City maps its most dangerous roads and sets a Vision Zero goal