Hutto ISD will not seek reimbursement for health and medical services provided to students through a federal program, as the district looks for new ways to reduce expenditures in its budget. 

Why now? The move comes as Chief Financial Officer Caleb Steed highlights how little the district receives in return on the investment of hiring a firm to bill the state for providing services through the School Health and Related Services program. 

What you need to know: The district's board of trustees voted not to execute a contract with a third-party venue in a Feb. 26 board meeting. The district will continue to provide services to students, Steed said, but it will not pursue the expense of hiring a firm to bill for reimbursement. 

What they're saying: "Our budgeted goal was try to get back to $300,000—nowhere near the million that we should be getting to have an effective ROI," Steed said.

I Live Here I Give Here will host its third annual Amplify Wilco Day starting March 4, benefitting over 90 nonprofit organizations in Williamson County. 

Dig deeper: The event will span from March 4 at 6 p.m.-March 5 at 6 p.m, coinciding with the neighboring area’s Amplify Austin Day, which raised $122.4 million for Central Texas nonprofits since 2013, according to a news release.

Lend a hand: Residents are invited to donate any amount, starting at $5, throughout the 24-hour period. Donations will go to local organizations, including ones focused on animal care, veterans, housing, shelters, arts and culture.

Learn more: Several local businesses and foundations have pledged to match donations, according to the news release. Tito’s Handmade Vodka will match donations made to arts and culture organizations with $25 per donation, up to $15,000. 

• March 4, 6 p.m.-March 5, 6 p.m.
• Donations starting at $5

Unofficial results for Democratic and Republican primary elections for the Texas House of Representatives are being released around Central Texas after polls closed at 7 p.m. March 3.

What you need to know: Primary winners will move on to the Nov. 3 general election. Runoff elections will be held May 26 for any primary races in which no single candidate garners at least 50% of the vote.

Candidates are all seeking two-year terms. The following results are for contested races only. 

What else?: A map of all Texas House of Representatives districts is available online. Community Impact will update this article as more election day vote totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
 

In the March 3 Democratic primary for the Travis County Commissioners Court, Precinct 2 incumbent Brigid Shea has been re-elected while George Morales III and Susanna Ledesma-Woody will head to a runoff election in May, unofficial voting results show.

A closer look: For Precinct 2, Shea won with 57.47% of the vote, or 27,643 votes, followed by Amanda Marzullo with 30.72% of the vote, or 14,776 votes. Rick Astray-Caneda III received 6.35% of the vote, or 3,056 votes, and Reese Ricci Armstrong received 5.46% of the vote, or 2,627 votes.

Morales lead by a narrow margin with 36.90% of the vote, or 14,487 votes, followed closely by Ledesma-Woody with 35.70% of the vote, or 14,019 votes. Ofelia Maldonado Zapata received 21.02% of the vote with 8,255 votes and Gavino Fernandez Jr. received 6.37% of the vote with 2,503 votes.

Stay tuned: Morales and Ledesma-Woody will compete for the Precinct 4 seat in a runoff election May 26, according to county and state information.

No Republican candidates filed in the Republican primary for either seat.
 

With 253 of Texas' 254 counties reporting some election results, three statewide Republican primary races are headed to runoffs, while candidates had decisive leads in other races.

The details: The Republican primary contests for U.S. Senate, attorney general and railroad commissioner appear to be heading to May runoffs, unofficial election returns showed.

Incumbent John Cornyn and state attorney general Ken Paxton will face each other in a runoff to determine who will be the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate after neither candidate cleared the 50% threshold required to avoid an additional round. In the attorney general race, state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, will face off in an overtime round.

Incumbent Jim Wright and former Tarrant County GOP chair Bo French will compete in a runoff for railroad commissioner. All primary runoffs will take place on May 26, according to the secretary of state.

From new hangars at the Georgetown Executive Airport to a neighborhood amenity center and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro in the past week.

1. Cottonwood—30-inch Water Transmission Main: Contractors will install 6,366 linear feet of water line and replace 1,396 square yards of sidewalk as part of a city of Hutto project.

2. Triada Amenity Center: The Triada community could soon have a 4,721-square-foot amenity center with homeowners association offices, a lounge, a fitness center, a pump building, restrooms and storage space.

3. Hangars at Georgetown Airport: Four aircraft hangars, totaling 36,444 square feet, will be built at the Georgetown Executive Airport.

4. Valvoline: A 3,447-square-foot Cedar Park location for oil change services is on the way.

5. Taco Bell: Officials with the Irvine-based fast food restaurant plan to construct a 2,565-square-foot Leander location with a drive-thru.

With 249 of Texas' 254 counties reporting some election results early March 4, state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, held a steady lead over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

What to know: Talarico led Crockett by nearly eight percentage points in the early hours of March 4, with the Austin Democrat holding 53.28% of the vote over Crockett's 45.45% in the Democratic primary race for U.S. Senate. Ahmad R. Hassan was in a distant third place with 1.27% of the vote, per unofficial returns.

State legislators also led the Democratic primary races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller, unofficial results showed, although some of those contests had not been called as of press time.

Something to note: Republicans currently hold all statewide offices in Texas and no Democrat or third-party candidate has won a statewide seat since 1994, election records show.