Round Rock's very own Chihuly glass sculpture will soon be available to view in the City Arts Center. 

Current situation: The installation will open to the public July 15, the city announced via social media July 10. In addition to the permanent 9-foot-tall "Ruby Sunstone Pineapple" statue made up of over 200 individually hand-blown pieces, seven original works from artist Dale Chihuly are included in the exhibit for three months. 

How we got here: The Round Rock City Council approved a $360,000 contract with Chihuly Studio to design and assemble a site-specific artwork in December. 

Grey Orchard Modern American, a new restaurant specializing in modern American cuisine, had a soft opening in Round Rock in July.

Overview: The restaurant, owned by James Sun, took over the former space of Denny’s on I-35 in Round Rock. Cole Fitzgerald, who earned a Michelin Guide mention in 2023, leads the kitchen. Together, the pair opened Fig Italian Kitchen & Bar in Austin.

The restaurant has bar-top seating in addition to the dining room, as well as space for private parties and events.

On the menu: The Grey Orchard dinner menu includes familiar favorites, such as smash burgers, corn dog fried okra, grilled chicken and fried fish sandwiches, as well as fusion dishes including duck banh mi, bao sliders and bang bang shrimp. 

The restaurant's cocktail menu includes house specialty cocktails, such as the Blues & Basil and Smoky Southern Belle, mocktails, wine, bottled beers and cider and local draft beer from the Jester King Brewery. 

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Cedar Park to improve more neighborhood roads: Cedar Park City Council approved a change to the city’s contract with Lone Star Paving on June 25. The change order adds ten new streets to the project, with the existing asphalt removed and replaced with a new 2-inch asphalt surface.

Gattis School Road lane closures in effect through end of July for construction: A section of Gattis School Road between Via Sonoma Trail and High Country Boulevard will be reduced to one lane in each direction until the end of July. The closure will facilitate installation of three waterline crossings.

Roadway plans move forward as Dog's Head site prepped for major industrial project: Preparations for the first major addition to the recently annexed Dog's Head are underway, while local leaders ready to adopt a long-term public financing plan for upgrades across the more than 4-square-mile East Austin megasite. A range of mixed-use development is possible after city officials' initial vote for a long-term deal this spring. 

In Texas, 246 of the state’s 254 counties are designated by the federal government as “mental health professional shortage areas,” meaning local law enforcement are often tasked with responding to mental health crisis calls.

The situation: All Texas peace officers are required to complete crisis intervention and deescalation trainings, according to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

What's happening: Across Community Impact’s coverage areas, some city and county law enforcement agencies are partnering with local mental health professionals to respond to crisis calls. However, law enforcement and criminal justice leaders from smaller communities told state legislators July 7 that they have “limited tools” to effectively respond to mental health calls and help people in crisis.

“We do not have any inpatient mental health facilities in my county—we've never had that, and we've needed them for decades,” Comal County Criminal District Attorney Jennifer Tharp said July 7. “We originally started out sending individuals to the San Antonio area, and right now we are transporting individuals for inpatient treatment to North Austin.”