Round Rock property owners now have up to 15 days to remove graffiti, potentially at no cost, under an updated city policy.

The gist: Round Rock City Council approved the update Oct. 8.

It extends the time period for graffiti removal from 72 hours to 15 days and allows the city's neighborhood services department to respond to instances of graffiti, rather than placing the responsibility on the city's chief of police.

The details: In the first 7 days after a property is defaced, residents and business owners can receive free abatement. Neighborhood Services Director Joe Brehm said this could involve power washing, using solvents that remove paint or painting over the graffiti. He said his staff does its best to avoid the last option, as it can be difficult to truly match paint.

Why now? Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said the update comes as the city is seeing increasing instances of graffiti.

Round Rock-based business Posterity Books launched its online service in October.

Using an AI-powered writing companion tool called Pocketful Books, customers can turn spoken experiences into written stories.

About the business: Owner Nate Bensimon said he created the app-based service after using an AI tool to develop a memoir based on conversations with his father.

"People were asking him to write down his stories," Bensimon said. "He said, 'Yeah, I would love to write those down, but it's difficult.'"

How it works: Customers can share around 30 conversations through the Pocketful Books app. Those stories are then compiled by the app into a pocket-sized book.

Books are printed on-demand, Bensimon said.

East WilCo Highway now connects SH 130 in Pflugerville to Chandler Road in Taylor.

The details: Williamson County held a ribbon-cutting Oct. 8 to mark the completion of East Wilco Highway Segment 2, which stretches from CR 137 in Hutto to CR 404 in Taylor.

The road consists of one travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane.

Construction on the project began in fall 2024 and was completed months ahead of schedule, according to a county news release. 

The project cost $53.1 million and was funded through the county's 2023 voter-approved road bond. 

The impact: Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles said this segment is the second-largest project in the history of county road bonds.

“It's truly a great day to open this roadway for our residents, school buses and first responders to use and safely travel across our county,” Boles said.

What's next: At full buildout, East WilCo Highway will connect SH 130 in the far south of the county to I-35 in Jarrell.

Read six trending Austin-area stories from Oct. 5-9.

1. Scrambles now open in Pflugerville

2. Gringo's Mexican Kitchen coming to Northline

3. COTA sets sights on water park, resort

4. Project LeanNation now open in Georgetown

5. Ascension Seton acquires 3 Family Health System facilities

6. Austin leaders look to local preparations as air taxis take off in Texas

The Texas comptroller's office is reviewing the finances and spending decisions of four public school districts: Austin, El Paso, Prosper and Barbers Hill ISDs.

The overview: The review was requested by Gov. Greg Abbott in August and will identify whether schools are directing taxpayer dollars toward students, teachers and classrooms over administrative costs, according to information from the two state agencies.

Zooming in: For the 2024-25 school year, the Texas Education Agency gave the selected districts the following financial ratings:

• Austin ISD: B rating; score of 88 (about 69,000 students)

• El Paso ISD: A rating; score of 92 (about 46,000 students)

• Prosper ISD: A rating; score of 94 (about 33,000 students)

• Barbers Hill ISD: A rating; score of 100 (about 8,000 students)

More details: Austin and Prosper ISDs are in Community Impact's coverage areas. According to previous reporting, Austin ISD passed an $887 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2026-27 after making $205 million in gross cuts this summer. Prosper ISD adopted a budget with an expected $42.2 million shortfall.