Carlos St. James joined the Pedernales Electric Cooperative board of directors after winning the District 2 election with 55.1% of the votes, defeating opponent Elexis Grimes.

District 2 includes Leander, parts of Cedar Park and portions of Liberty Hill while District 3 includes the southwestern region of Cedar Park, Jonestown, Lago Vista and Volente.

The details: PEC held its District 2 and 3 board elections from May 19 through June 12, with approximately 7.3% of eligible residents casting their votes.

In District 3, incumbent Mark Ekrut was reelected to his third term on the board with 53% of the vote, defeating challenger Matthew Weldon. Ekrut was elected to serve as president during the board’s June meeting.

Emily Pataki, former District 2 governor and board president, had reached her term limit after serving on the board for 12 years.

Diving in deeper: Since PEC is a member-owned electric utility cooperative, customers can vote for the board of directors, which approves decisions about rates, services and other aspects of the cooperative.

Officials with the city, Williamson County and state discussed current economic development trends and the shift toward advanced manufacturing at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Cornerstone Luncheon on June 25. 

The discussion: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Williamson County and the city of Georgetown have experienced a market shift from office jobs to advanced manufacturing positions amid an extended period of population growth, Williamson County Economic Development Coordinator Dave Porter said.

“There's not a market more on fire right now in terms of economic development than Georgetown and Williamson County,” he said.

This change is largely driven by corporations such as Samsung Electronics and Tesla, which have made Williamson County a home base for their manufacturing operations. Other large projects, including Pegatron and Compal, are in the works, as well.

Something to note: In addition to bringing new companies to the area, officials highlighted the career paths that already exist locally.

Porter said there are over 15,000 businesses in Williamson County, and 75%-80% of job opportunities come from existing businesses.

Affordable housing programs tied to mixed-use construction citywide and taller towers downtown are now in effect.

The details: City Council approved the new measures both in response to tensions over another mixed-use building program, and a 2025 state law that's impacted how Austin can incentivize affordable housing with new development. Certain building entitlements that the city had previously traded for public benefits, like low-income housing, were automatically permitted under Senate Bill 840. That change prompted a local response to ensure continued affordable housing additions.

A citywide density bonus program called DBC is now in place, succeeding a similar previous program—density bonus 90, or DB90—that's been used in dozens of zoning cases since its creation more than two years ago. One week after DBC's passage, council members separately approved an update to Austin's Downtown Density Bonus Program. The longtime incentive has required affordable housing units or funding to be contributed as new high-rises were built downtown.

Check out some top trending stories from the Austin area June 22-25. 

1. Last Austin-area Hooters location closes

2. Developer of The Domain partners with legacy family on 1,200-acres

3. Universal Music partner joins White Rocks project to build hotel and private residences

4. Hays County denies agreement with 340-acre development over Edwards Aquifer recharge zone

5. Liberty Hill ISD students outperform state average on majority of 2026 STAAR exams

6. Georgetown veterans to have VA health care closer to home

The State Board of Education is nearing the finish line in its massive rewrite of what Texas public school students will learn about world and state history.

The details: The curriculum overhaul would shift the focus in social studies classes to a Texas-centered approach, deemphasizing lessons about world cultures and injecting more content about Christianity’s role in the founding of the United States.

Some educators and students have expressed concerns that the proposal lacks significant teachings about civil rights history, Japanese internment in the 1940s and people of color’s contributions to the nation. Meanwhile, Republican board members have pushed back, saying that the rewrite is necessary to teach students about American exceptionalism and Texas heritage in an attempt to undo what they called “a watering-down of American history.”

What's happening: The board has spent the bulk of its meetings this week making amendments to a 143-page social studies proposal, which includes hundreds of standards that students would be expected to learn each year. If adopted June 26, the new requirements would take effect in 2030.