Lioness Books, a Williamson County-based mobile bookstore, is looking to open a brick-and-mortar in Old Town Leander later this year, said owner Sarah Ambrus.  

The new Leander location was initially set to open by the end of 2025, according to previous Community Impact reporting, but is now expected to serve readers by the end of March, said Ambrus. 

What they offer: The mobile store sells a range of titles, as well as a selection of physical books, audiobooks, rare and collectable books at its online store. 

Why it matters: The mobile bookstore currently operates all over the Austin area, with a mission to promote literacy, support nonprofit organizations, make reading accessible and foster community, according to its website. 

Liberty Hill ISD is weeks away from adopting new attendance boundaries that will reassign some students this fall.

What's happening: The district has released its recommended rezoning proposals as it prepares to open four new campuses in the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. The LHISD board of trustees is expected to vote on the new zones at its Feb. 16 board meeting, according to district information.

The overview: In August, LHISD will open Lariat Trails Elementary, Legacy Ranch Middle School and the official campus for Legacy Ranch High School. The district’s second high school first opened at the Legacy Ranch Middle School campus in 2024 while the new high school was being built.

The district will open Saddleback Elementary, its ninth elementary school, in August 2027.

The rezoning process comes as LHISD works to reassign students to Lariat Trails Elementary, Legacy Ranch Middle School and Saddleback Elementary. The district is recommending using the same US 183 dividing line for Legacy Ranch and Liberty Hill high schools.

Learn more about the candidates running for U.S. House of Representatives ahead of the March 3 primary election.

What you need to know: Three candidates filed for the U.S. House of Representatives District 17 Democratic primary. 

What's next?: Early voting will be open Feb. 17-Feb. 27.

A far-reaching winter storm is expected to bring below-freezing temperatures, wintry precipitation and “dangerous ice” to Texas beginning Jan. 23, according to the National Weather Service. As residents brace for days of potentially hazardous conditions, state leaders said Jan. 22 that the Texas power grid “has never been stronger” and will withstand the storm.

What's happening: Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 134 of Texas’ 254 counties, telling reporters that the northern two-thirds of the state—from San Antonio to the Panhandle—will be impacted by the storm.

Officials said they do not expect a repeat of the widespread power outages that occurred during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, emphasizing that changes have been made in recent years to harden the grid against extreme weather. The governor said some Texans could see “local, isolated” outages due to fallen tree branches or ice on power lines.

"The severity of it is not quite as great... as Winter Storm Uri," Abbott said. "That said, people would be making a mistake if they don't take it serious."