A $49 million expansion to the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex is on the way, after city officials approved a contract with SpawGlass Contractors in November. 

What you need to know: The contract approved by council Nov. 6 covers the expansion of the multisport facility as part of the Old Settlers Park renovations approved by voters in the 2023 bond. Construction is set to begin by mid-November and conclude by April 2027, city documents show. 

A new branch of Frost Bank is on its way in Round Rock, close to the intersection of E. Palm Valley Boulevard and A.W. Grimes Boulevard. 

What you need to know: Round Rock city staff confirmed the bank is engaged in the permitting process for a future location at the corner of the intersection in November, with a site development permit initiated earlier this year.

About the business: The San Antonio-based bank offers a variety of financial services, such as checking and savings accounts; investments; and insurance.

With major projects underway in the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing sectors in Central Texas, industry leaders are facing a limited pool of talent to draw from.

Two-minute impact: For roughly a third of high-demand jobs, the region’s supply of workers is at or below the national average, according to the latest Central Texas Semiconductor and Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Report. Many workers are also nearing retirement.

Large companies, such as Samsung Semiconductor Austin in Taylor, require a large workforce, and the area has seen an influx of third-party businesses open.

Samsung’s Taylor plant will have about 1,000 employees within the first two quarters of 2026, Michele Glaze, senior director of communications at Samsung Electronics, said at a Hutto Chamber of Commerce luncheon in October. For every one job, she said two to three additional jobs are generated.

In response, institutions such as Texas State Technical College and Austin Community College, public schools like Pflugerville and Hutto ISDs, and other organizations are combining efforts to educate and train the workforce.

Every day for the past 25 years, at least one person has died in crashes on Texas roads. Texas officials and the families of some fatal crash victims commemorated the grim anniversary with a candlelight ceremony at the Texas Capitol on Nov. 7.

The impact: Jamie White said her 2-year-old daughter, Allie, was hit and killed by a distracted driver at Round Rock’s Old Settlers Park in September 2019.

“It only takes [a few] seconds… to kill somebody,” White said Nov. 7. “Can you imagine doing this, taking somebody's child from them, and living the rest of your life knowing that you caused that?”

Following Allie’s death, her parents launched Allie’s Way, a nonprofit aimed at ending distracted driving.

More details: TxDOT data shows that speed and impaired driving are involved in the majority of deadly crashes on Texas roads.

“These are not random events,” Texas Highway Patrol Chief Bryan Rippee said Nov. 7. “These are the results of making the wrong choices on our Texas highways."