Bastrop County will no longer be under a burn ban Dec. 23. 

The details: James Altgelt, the Bastrop County emergency management coordinator, told Bastrop County Commissioners Court during a Dec. 22 meeting that a majority of the fire chiefs in Bastrop County were in favor of letting the burn ban expire. 

“[Five of the six] said that if the burn ban was to expire [Dec. 23] at midnight, they would not have an issue with that,” he said during the meeting. 

Some background: Bastrop County issued a disaster declaration Sept. 18, while an emergency order prohibiting outdoor burning—which Bastrop County Judge Gregory Klaus signed in an effort to mitigate public safety hazards posed by wildfires during dry conditions—had been in effect since Sept. 22.

Dive into a scavenger hunt, hit the ground running in local races, and discover more ways to get out and explore with this list of upcoming Bastrop County events.

Fa La La Through The Forest Scavenger Hunt: The self-guided scavenger hunt invites participants to follow ornaments with clues throughout Bastrop State Park. The first ornament can be found outside and near the headquarters building. 

• Through Jan. 12
• Bastrop State Park, 100 Park Road 1A, Bastrop 

• Jan. 19, 10 a.m.
• Elgin Depot Museum, 14 Depot St., Elgin

• Jan. 25, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Hampton Inn & Suites, 240 S. Hasler Road, Bastrop

From major construction milestones and airline expansion deals to staffing challenges and behind-the-scenes upgrades, these nine Austin-Bergstrom International Airport updates shaped how travelers moved through the ABIA in 2025.

1. Airport ground breaking on 'Texas-sized’ garage: Airport and city officials gathered just north of the economy parking lot to break ground on a new parking garage at ABIA on Feb. 28. Marking another milestone in the parade of projects coming online for the airport's sweeping multimillion-dollar expansion, the new 2.5-million-square-foot parking garage will add an estimated 7,000 spaces.

2. Airport patio reopens to public: For travelers passing through the Austin airport, the little-known outdoor patio is once again open to the public. The outdoor patio, located near Gate 2, offers front-row views of planes taking off and landing on the airport’s two runways.

3. Airport breaks ground on latest 12,000-square-foot expansion: Focused on the Arrivals and Departures Hall within the Barbara Jordan Terminal, the project is expected to increase capacity for Transportation Security Administration queuing and airline ticketing counter lines, which have in the past extended outside the terminal during busy travel days.

Texans now have a new database to track the results of local bond propositions and tax rate elections, or TREs, in their communities and across the state.

The details: Texas’ Local Government Bond, Tax, and Project Transparency Database was unveiled after state lawmakers passed House Bill 103 this spring. The new law requires the comptroller to compile information about all bonds, tax rate elections and maintenance tax rate changes proposed by local governments in an election, including:

• Ballot language for all tax-related proposals
• How each tax measure would impact the local tax rate or debt service
• The difference between the adopted tax rate and the voter-approved tax rate, if applicable
• The entity’s tax rate for the prior year and the tax rate following the election
• A list of projects funded by each tax measure
• The results of each election, including votes for and against a measure