Three candidates will be on the ballot for the Leander ISD board of trustees Place 2 seat. Meg Dean, Perla Muñoz Hopkins and Chitra Nedun are running for Place 2. Incumbent Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia did not seek reelection.

What you need to know: Candidates were asked to answer the questions provided, limit their answers to 50 words and not attack other opponents.

The voter registration deadline is Oct. 5. Early voting will be held Oct. 19-30, and election day is Nov. 3. LISD trustees are elected at-large, meaning all registered voters living within LISD boundaries can vote for each place.

Urban Bird Hot Chicken is coming to Cedar Park along Whitestone Boulevard, according to the company's website.

The details: The restaurant specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken, including tenders, sandwiches, loaded fries and chicken-and-waffles dishes. Customers can choose from multiple spice levels.

The Cedar Park location will occupy a former ice cream shop, Jeremiah's Italian Ice, with renovations expected to begin Oct. 15 and be completed by March 1, 2027, according to a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing.

• 700 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste. 100, Cedar Park

Travis County is putting more money and more seats behind afterschool care this fall.

By the numbers: Only 23% of the county's priority-population students have access to a seat, and just 17% can get into a program running all five days, according to a new landscape analysis from the Andy Roddick Foundation. 

Transportation is families' top barrier, and 72% of sites close by 6 p.m., a mismatch for parents working later shifts. Most programs are built for younger kids, so only 14-15% of seats serve middle and high schoolers, and 1 in 4 sites could close due to funding, space or school closures.

Learn more: Raising Travis County has put $51.7 million into child care and afterschool to date, and Judge Andy Brown says that total has since climbed to $52 million. 

Families earning up to 85% of the state median income may qualify for child care scholarships, with a different threshold for afterschool and summer programs. Providers include the Greater Austin YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs and Foundation Communities.

Check out six trending Austin-area stories from Aug. 24-27. 

1. Bad Habits Card Company now open in Georgetown

2. Tejas Meat Supply closes Round Rock restaurant, butcher shop

3. COTALAND Theme Park to host grand opening event in late September

4. Scheels holds ribbon cutting ahead of Aug. 29 opening

5. Amazon picks East Austin for multi-billion dollar robotics facility

6. Hutto, Williamson County poised for $674M Blue Origin facility

The Texas Department of Transportation manages over 200,000 miles of state highways. Roughly 72% of all vehicle travel in the state occurs on TxDOT-maintained highways, TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said.

As Texas’ population continues to grow, so does “demand on our transportation systems, from busy urban corridors to rural communities,” Williams told lawmakers during an Aug. 17 hearing held by the Texas House Transportation Committee.

What's happening: More than 11,000 TxDOT projects are currently in the works, according to the agency’s website.

To keep motorists informed about road construction, TxDOT collects public input during the project planning process, then conducts outreach on social media, on project websites and through email notifications before and during closures, according to Eric Lykins, TxDOT’s senior director of district operations. The agency also places electronic message signs on roadways ahead of closures or detours, he said.

Some state lawmakers are encouraging transportation officials to improve outreach to motorists when roads, lanes and exits are closed or adjusted.