The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter’s Finder to Foster program, which allows those who find lost pets to care for them, served a record-breaking 163 pets this fiscal year.

The number is 45% higher than the program's previous fiscal year, and more than double the pets helped two years ago, according to a WCRAS news release.

About the program: The F2F program places lost pets with the community member who finds them by allowing them to be a temporary foster. Rather than the pet staying in the WCRAS shelter, these pets can stay in the comfort of a nearby home.

Participants in the F2F program receive a free T-shirt from WCRAS.

The impact: Keeping lost pets near where they are found increases the likelihood of reuniting the pet with their family, according to the release. Most lost animals are located just miles from their home, and staying in the neighborhood increases their visibility, the release states.

Little Caesars, a global pizza franchise, reopened its Georgetown location in September.

What we know: The grand reopening event came almost three years after a fire closed the store, according to communications representative Patrick Blake. 

Owned by franchisee Rishad Rajabali, the Georgetown Little Caesars offers pick-up and delivery services for pizza, wings and sides, such as Italian cheese bread. 

• 101 E. University Ave., Georgetown

Houston-based developers Johnson Development recently closed on the purchase of 764 acres, which will be used to construct a new community in Liberty Hill.

The details: The new development, located at the former Chapman Ranch at 680 E. CR 202, will be converted into a master-planned community with more than 1,900 homes. The new development has yet to be officially named, but the company aims to begin selling homes in fall 2027, according to a news release.

Plans for the community include homesites ranging from 45 to 70 feet wide, according to the release. The developers plan to have 5 acres for commercial use, 15 acres for an on-site school, 70 acres of open space and 5 acres for an amenity center. The developers also plan to incorporate extensive trails and parks into the overall community design.

Every day for the past 25 years, at least one person has died in crashes on Texas roads. Texas officials and the families of some fatal crash victims commemorated the grim anniversary with a candlelight ceremony at the Texas Capitol on Nov. 7.

The impact: Jamie White said her 2-year-old daughter, Allie, was hit and killed by a distracted driver at Round Rock’s Old Settlers Park in September 2019.

“It only takes [a few] seconds… to kill somebody,” White said Nov. 7. “Can you imagine doing this, taking somebody's child from them, and living the rest of your life knowing that you caused that?”

Following Allie’s death, her parents launched Allie’s Way, a nonprofit aimed at ending distracted driving.

More details: TxDOT data shows that speed and impaired driving are involved in the majority of deadly crashes on Texas roads.

“These are not random events,” Texas Highway Patrol Chief Bryan Rippee said Nov. 7. “These are the results of making the wrong choices on our Texas highways."