ATX-GEO: Impact 10/30/2025

The city of Georgetown plans to spend about $10 million to develop Blue Hole Park, including updated restrooms, a picnic area, nature play features and other enhancements.

About the plan: The final development plan includes:

• Two new parking areas accommodating 82 vehicles
• Emergency parking with 15 spots
• A sidewalk and pedestrian bridge
• San Gabriel Trail extension
• Nature preservation areas
• Paved terraces and maintained lawns
• A canoe/kayak launch point on the river
• Riverbank stabilization
• Intersection and crosswalk improvements

Huntington Bancshares announced it would acquire Cadence Bank, which has several locations throughout Austin, Dallas and Houston. 

What you need to know: Huntington Bancshares shared an Oct. 27 news release stating it would acquire Cadence Bank, which has 390 locations throughout the southern U.S. 

The release states that with the acquisition, Huntington will not close any existing Cadence Bank branches. 

Therapy Pet Pals of Texas was founded in Austin in 1984 by Kathryn Lashmit, and has been offering pet visitations to the elderly and infirm in Texas ever since.

The overview: Therapy Pet Pals of Texas is a private nonprofit created with the goal of assisting the elderly, terminally ill, and mentally or physically challenged through pet visitations at nursing homes, medical hospitals, rehabilitation centers and other special needs facilities.

The benefits: Pet visitations offered by volunteers and their therapy dogs can provide a positive bonding experience for those confined to institutional living facilities, according to the nonprofit’s website.

“The residents just know when you're coming. They remember the dog's name, not always yours. It's all about the dogs for us,” Executive Director Nancy Gray said. “And [the residents] just smile. Sometimes they've told us that they were in pain, but once the dog comes, they don't think about their pain for that few minutes they can hug on the dog, or sometimes they just want to talk to you.”

Since Nov. 7, 2000, at least one person has died on Texas roads every day, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. As the Lone Star State nears 25 years of daily traffic deaths, officials at all levels of government are investing in new roadway safety projects and encouraging Texas drivers to do their part to curb deadly crashes.

The big picture: In the past 25 years, over 91,000 people have died on Texas roads. That is enough people to fill Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, according to TxDOT.

On average, 11 people died daily on Texas roads last year. In 2025, an average of 10 people had died per day as of Sept. 24.

Zooming in: State and local leaders found that the top factors in severe crashes include:

• Impaired driving
• High speeds
• Distracted driving
• Pedestrian and cyclist safety
• Lack of seatbelt use
• Roadway or lane departures
• Wrong-way driving

The overview: As Community Impact enters its third decade, it’s returning to its roots of growth and deeper reader connections. The “Patron” program, which began in 2020 by reader demand, has relaunched as the InCIder.

“This relaunch represents our renewed commitment to readers who support our local news,” CEO John Garrett said. “Beyond funding great journalism, we also want to reward our InCIders and build deeper connections with them, creating a true sense of community around the work we do.”

Event details: As part of the relaunch, Community Impact will host its first-ever InCIder Hour, a new event aimed at celebrating and engaging the company’s supporters.

The event, open to InCIders only, will take place Nov. 12 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Community Impact Headquarters, 16225 Impact Way, Pflugerville.

Guests will have the opportunity to network with fellow InCIders, meet Community Impact staff and attend a featured conversation with legislative reporter Hannah Norton, moderated by Garrett.

“Our first event needed to start where all the hard work is put together,” Garrett said. “People are blown away when they see our operation. To be able to sit and chat with the best legislative reporter in Texas, Hannah Norton, makes it an event our InCIder friends deserve and hopefully will enjoy.”