The Leander City Council voted June 4 to split its two votes between Elexis Grimes and Carlos St. James, the two candidates running for an open District 2 seat on the Pedernales Electric Cooperative board of directors.

What residents should know: Voting for the PEC board began May 19 and will close at 5 p.m. June 12. Results will be released June 16. Leander is located in District 2, which also includes parts of Cedar Park and Liberty Hill.

PEC is offering voters the chance to win bill credits of $75, $100 and $400 through drawings, according to a May 19 news release. Residents in Districts 2 and 3—where board elections are being held—can vote online, at a PEC office or through a mail-in ballot.

Clean Slate Waxing Lounge closed its doors at its Liberty Hill location at the end of May.

The details: The waxing boutique had its last days of business during the last week of May, a representative from the business said. However, the business’ two locations in Austin and Georgetown will remain open. The business opened in June 2024.

What they offer: Clean Slate Waxing Lounge provides spa treatments such as waxing, facials, brow services and chemical peels. Both the Austin and Georgetown locations are open seven days a week.

• 10 CR 279, Liberty Hill

A new apartment complex in Bee Cave, an EMS station in Bastrop and improvements to the Graham Middle School athletic field are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Twin Oaks Ridge ($29.5 million): Twin Oaks Ridge is a privately funded, $29.5 million mixed-use and leasing development spanning 175,000 square feet.

2. Leah Ave Industrial Building ($18.5 million): This project involves the construction of an 87,306 square-foot ground-up industrial building.

3. New EMS Station for Bastrop County ESD ($2.5 million): The project will consist of an approximately 6,000 square-foot single-story metal building consisting of apparatus bays, day room, kitchen, fitness room, living quarters, restrooms, and associated site amenities.

4. 24 Indoor ($2.3 million): This project is a 20,898 square-foot Interior renovation to create an indoor recreational facility geared towards children.

5. Grisham MS Athletic Field and Field House ($1.98 million): This project involves the conversion of an existing practice field to artificial turf.

The University of Texas at Austin will be the south node of a national workforce development program to connect job seekers with educational opportunities and employers in the semiconductor industry. 

The university announced its selection to lead part of the national effort June 9.

What you need to know: UT's Texas Institute for Electronics will lead the south node of the National Network for Microelectronics Education, which is operated at the national level by the SEMI Foundation. The nonprofit supports workforce growth in the microelectronics industry, which includes semiconductors.

About the program: NNME South will bring together industry employers, K-12 and higher education partners to bridge the gap between available semiconductor industry jobs and the workforce by establishing new pipelines and programs. Not only will these target students, but also veterans and those looking to reskill for a career change. In the program's first year, it will focus on making pathways to careers in the industry more visible, aligning job training with industry needs, expanding training opportunities and connecting to diverse talent pools. 

Three more U.S. cases of the New World screwworm were confirmed June 8, federal officials said. Four animals in Texas and a dog living in New Mexico have been infested with the flesh-eating parasite.

The background: The screwworm was largely eradicated in the U.S. in 1966, and the pest had not been seen in Texas in decades. The number of confirmed cases has slowly increased since the first detection June 3.

The parasite feeds on living animals, posing a particular threat to livestock and wildlife. The Texas economy could take a more than $1.8 billion hit due to a widespread screwworm outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated in 2024.

What they're saying: “These developments obviously represent a serious threat to our livestock and wildlife, but they haven't caught us off guard,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a June 8 news conference in Kerrville. “We have been tracking this pest for a long time. We have fought it before, and we will do so again.”