Willie Nelson’s 14th annual Luck Reunion will be held March 19, featuring over 45 musical performances on his Spicewood-area ranch Luck, Texas.

The details: Organizer Luck Presents announced the lineup Feb. 18, including a range of country, folk, indie rock artists and more.

“Fourteen years in, Luck Reunion continues to be about bringing people together in meaningful ways,” Luck Presents CEO and Founder Matt Bizer said in a news release. “This year’s lineup beautifully represents that spirit, with legendary artists who’ve been part of our story from the beginning, new voices we’re excited to introduce to our community, and more than a few surprise guests that we can’t wait to reveal.”

What else? To kick off the Luck Reunion, an 11th annual potluck event will be held March 17, benefiting Luck Family Foundation and organizations such as Farm Aid. The event includes a family-style dinner at communal tables, followed by a live performance from Willie Nelson & Family.

Attendees can visit the Luck Presents website for more information on tickets. 

The Eanes ISD and Lake Travis ISD board of trustees voted against implementing a Senate Bill 11 resolution which authorizes districts to establish a voluntary period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious texts during the school day. EISD and LTISD voted against the resolution during its Feb. 3 and Feb. 18 meetings, respectively.

Some context: SB11 was passed during the 89th Texas Legislature last year. LTISD officials said that the bill:

• Designates a daily period of prayer and reading of religious texts
• Requires written consent is to participate, including a parent waiver
• Has certain safeguards in place, such as not being broadcasted on the PA system or take place during instructional time, and that nonparticipants cannot be within hearing range

Check out the top six most-read stories from Feb. 16-19.

1. New LCRA reservoir could add 13B gallons to Central Texas water supply

2. Scheels targets an August opening for new Cedar Park location

3. Midway files suit against Hutto officials, seeks $300M in damages

4. San Pedro Limon opens additional location in Georgetown

5. Bastrop OKs $525K land buy for downtown parking

6. Bastrop park closures to begin Feb. 23

Local transportation officials are making progress on the Austin Light Rail project, following the Austin Transit Partnership board's approval of a $60 million design-build contract for the first phase of the project Feb. 18. With this contract now in place, the project is on track to begin construction in 2027. 

The update: Austin Rail Constructors will help shape and build the design and construction of the transitway, tracks, systems, stations, bridges, traffic signals, utilities, drainage structures and streetscape improvements. Funding for the contract is included in ATP's 2025-26 budget. 

About the project: The 10-mile long project is part of Project Connect, which was approved by voters in 2020. The system will feature 15 stations along the alignment and all-electric trains running every 5-10 minutes throughout most of the day.

Looking ahead: While the approved contract is only for the first phase of the project, or 1A, the agency expects to come back to the ATP board later this summer to authorize services for phase 1B to finish the final design. 

During an arctic blast last month, the Texas power grid remained stable throughout the storm and the state came away largely unscathed. The Lone Star State has not seen widespread blackouts since February 2021, when millions of Texans lost power and nearly 250 people died.

The response: In Uri’s wake, state lawmakers and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas made changes to restructure ERCOT’s governing board, mandate earlier public alerts during tight grid conditions and require that energy providers “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

Roughly 40,000 megawatts of power—enough to serve about 10 million residential customers—have been added to the grid since 2021 and the state’s energy supply has become more diverse.

Looking ahead: State leaders have expressed confidence that the grid would hold up during “a storm similar to Uri.” Yet some energy analysts caution that rapidly rising electric demand, driven by the construction of new data centers throughout Texas, means challenges may still lie ahead.