The Leander ISD board of trustees named Chris Clark as acting superintendent during the Dec. 11 board meeting.

The board approved the appointment in a 6-1 vote with trustee Paul Gauthier casting the dissenting vote. 

The details: Clark is the current deputy superintendent of learning and innovation for LISD. District officials said former superintendent Bruce Gearing will hold a “superintendent emeritus” role for the remainder of the school year in which he will be retired from day-to-day responsibilities but remain in an advisory capacity.

How we got here: Gearing announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2025-26 school year on Dec. 8 after serving the district for six years.

Looking ahead: Per district officials, Clark will hold the position until the board hires a permanent superintendent. A timeline for the superintendent search process has not yet been outlined. 

Hao Lien opened C.R. Surf and Turf in The Railyard on Oct. 23, 2007 serving fresh seafood, steaks cut in-house and house-made sides. The restaurant brings in shrimp from the gulf, and cod, snowcrab, lobsters and clams are flown in from Maine. 

On the menu: Menu items include fresh oysters, homestyle seafood and sausage gumbo, fried catfish, poboys and the bestselling lobster rolls. 

Why it matters: Lien’s favorite part about owning a business is seeing people happy when they have a good meal, which inspires him to make menu items in-house. After owning the restaurant for 18 years, Lien also said he looks forward to seeing long-time customers grow up and revisit the business. 

• 601 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste. 200, Cedar Park

The University of Texas at Austin is receiving a $4.8 million state grant for a new local semiconductor lab, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Dec. 10.

The details: The multimillion-dollar Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund award will support UT Austin's establishment of the QLab, described as a quantum-enhanced semiconductor facility focused on metrology, or measurement science. The QLab metrology facility is meant to support UT’s academic research and serve the semiconductors and quantum industries in Texas. Abbott noted metrology is “critical” to semiconductor manufacturing given the scale of materials measured through the process.

The UT Austin grant is the latest TSIF award that's contributed to regional initiatives, including Samsung's expansive Taylor fabrication plant and other Central Texas facilities. UT has also moved to establish a Taylor campus near the future Samsung plant and launch a new semiconductor master's program.

Texas has grown rapidly in recent years, and data indicates that development is not slowing down. The Lone Star State gained about 168,000 jobs from September 2024-September 2025, leading the nation in job growth, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The overview: Texas is attractive to businesses looking to relocate or expand their operations due to its tax incentives and grants, lack of a personal income tax and roughly 200 higher education institutions, business leaders said during a Dec. 10 summit held in College Station by industry network YTexas.

As businesses of all sizes continue to move to Texas, local governments and associations also need to “support the ones that are already here,” said Dean Browell, the chief behavioral officer for Feedback, a digital ethnographic research firm.

Zooming in: In an October study, Feedback found that long-term Texas residents want to live in growing communities with strong education systems and plentiful job opportunities. That growth, however, can lead to rising property taxes and living expenses before residents begin feeling the benefits, Browell said.

Check out the top trending Community Impact stories Dec. 8-11. 

1. Dozens of Lake Austin properties move to disannex; city to lose nearly $300M value

2. Buffalo Wild Wings closes its doors in Cedar Park

3. New development to bring almost 400 homes to Georgetown

4. Kudos convenience store heads to Adelton in Bastrop

5. Local police coordination concerns arise for EISD following September incidents

6. $210M state library and archives building underway in Pflugerville