The Pflugerville Parks and Recreation Department reopened Murchison-Mallard Pond Park Dec. 4, after completing an improvement project to bring more amenities to the site.

The overview: The park project, which began in May, includes a new half-mile concrete trail, more picnic stations, benches, drinking fountains, a butterfly garden and additional trees.

A new playground for children 5-12 with a shaded pavilion and picnic tables was also installed at the park.

Hutto City Council delayed a decision Dec. 4 on whether to create a Public Improvement District for the 389-acre Stromberg development after staff and elected officials raised concerns that the proposal was incomplete and failed to meet key city requirements.

What happened: In the agenda materials, city staff questioned whether the proposal met Hutto’s PID policy, noting that the petition did not demonstrate benefits beyond what a standard development would already be required to provide.

During the meeting, the applicant, WayMaker Ventures, outlined roadway, drainage and amenity improvements the developer said exceed city standards.

“We worked extensively with staff to go above and beyond aspects that were required,” said Seth Mearig, Gray Civil’s president and CEO, speaking on behalf of WayMaker Ventures.

How we got here: The proposed PID would finance infrastructure tied to a 389-acre master-planned community, which council approved a zoning amendment for last month under a 90% residential and 10% commercial layout.

Veterans seeking employment will soon have access to an exclusive, virtual career fair with over 50 employers.

What you need to know: Disabled American Veterans and RecruitMilitary are hosting the free job fair to connect veterans, transitioning service members, Guard or Reserve members and military spouses with companies seeking skilled workers.

Employers attending the upcoming career fair include:

• Hearst
• PNC Bank
• The Boeing Company
• United States Postal Service
• John Deere

Check out the top trending Community Impact stories in the Austin metro Dec. 1-4.

1. 11 new, coming soon traffic signals throughout Georgetown

2. Bakery and cafe Paris Baguette planned for Georgetown

3. Here's what's new and coming soon in downtown Georgetown

4. Pizza, pickleball and Port of Subs: 17 new business updates for Leander and Cedar Park

5. Round Rock officials to deliberate on potential Skybox data center Dec. 4

Texas can use its newly redrawn congressional map in the 2026 elections, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Dec. 4.

The background: State lawmakers approved the new congressional boundaries this summer, after President Donald Trump asked them to produce a new map in an attempt to help Republicans maintain a narrow majority in the U.S. House, Community Impact previously reported. Texas Republicans have said they hoped the map would help the GOP secure 30 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats, up from 25 Republican-held seats today.

What's happening: The Supreme Court's ruling overturns a Nov. 18 injunction from an El Paso federal court, which deemed Texas’ redistricting plan "racially gerrymandered” and directed officials to use a 2021 congressional map instead.

“The District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections,” the Supreme Court said in the unsigned Dec. 4 order.