Austin ISD will soon begin reassigning thousands of students and staff to different campuses next school year.

At a Dec. 18 board meeting, AISD officials shared the district’s transition plan for 10 campuses that are slated to close this summer. In January, the district will begin surveying families and staff about which schools they would like to attend or work at next fall.

The details: AISD will complete the following enrollment process for students next school year:

• Jan. 12-23: The district will ask families to rank which schools they would like to attend through a survey.
• Jan. 23-Feb. 6: District staff will process survey responses and conduct lotteries to assign transfer students to campuses.
• Feb. 9-13: Families will be notified of their informal school assignment by email.

A city of Austin pilot program aimed at making left turns safer is showing strong early results, according to a new report from the city’s Vision Zero program. The study found a 46% drop in left-turn crashes involving pedestrians and an 82% reduction in related crash costs.

Explained: The pilot tested low-cost, “quick-build” safety changes at 16 signalized intersections in 2024. These improvements were designed to slow turning vehicles, improve turning angles and make driver behavior more predictable. City staff tracked turning speeds, angles and crash outcomes throughout the pilot.

Between 2020 and 2024, Austin recorded 204 crashes involving left-turning vehicles and pedestrians at signalized intersections, accounting for about 13% of all pedestrian crashes. The new treatments reduced injury crashes involving pedestrians by 46% and cut crashes involving other vulnerable road users by 32%.

Of note: The city estimates the community is saving about $3 million annually in emergency response, medical and related costs. Officials will continue monitoring the intersections and may expand the program citywide if results hold.

Hotel Van Zandt, a boutique hotel located in downtown Austin’s Rainey Street District, celebrated its 10th anniversary in November.

The details: Opened in 2015, the hotel has become a mainstay in the evolving Rainey Street area, offering lodging, dining and live music experiences. Over the past decade, the surrounding district has transformed into a dense mix of residential towers, restaurants and nightlife venues.

Hotel Van Zandt features a rooftop pool, 24-hour fitness center, live music programming and event spaces, and is known for incorporating music-inspired design elements throughout the property.

The hotel is situated within walking distance of Lady Bird Lake, the Austin Convention Center and downtown entertainment venues.

The hotel also boasts an on-site restaurant and bar Geraldine’s, featuring modern Mexican cuisine with a southern influence, serving up dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• 605 Davis St., Austin

Austin’s attempt to keep in place a local ordinance limiting low-level marijuana enforcement has likely ended more than three years after city voters adopted it.

Residents passed the “Austin Freedom Act,” or Proposition A, in May 2022. The two-part ballot measure prevented local enforcement of some drug-related misdemeanors including marijuana possession, and also banned Austin police from executing “no-knock” search warrants.

Attorney General Ken Paxton sued several cities including Austin over similar marijuana enforcement policies last year, claiming they conflicted with Texas drug laws, and an appeals court eventually sided with the state's push to block Austin's policy. The city sought further review of its case from the Texas Supreme Court, which was denied in December.

Check out the top trending stories from the Austin Metro Dec. 15-18.

1. 11,985-square-foot retail center to be built in Bastrop’s Adelton community

2. Austin Community College enrollment increases by nearly 10%

3. Melina neighborhood to bring 840 homes near Georgetown

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

5. 320-unit multifamily development coming to Steiner Ranch area

6. Check out these trails and road projects in Round Rock

Community Impact compiled important holiday travel-related information, including what to know about traffic and airport activity, gas price data, and driver safety tips ahead of the year-end travel season, which runs Dec. 20-Jan. 1.

The overview: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations the weekend before Christmas, with many travelers expected to hit the road Dec. 21-22. Congestion is also expected as some Texans return home Dec. 26, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1, although AAA warned in a Dec. 10 news release that unexpected delays could arise from severe weather or crashes.

For the first time, more than 8 million people nationwide are expected to take domestic flights during the year-end holidays.

More information: Texas drivers will likely pay less for gas this holiday season than in recent years, AAA fuel data shows. On average, one gallon of unleaded gas costs about $2.51 in Texas as of Dec. 18, down from $2.65 one year prior.