Georgetown ISD’s fifth middle school will bear the name of S.C. Marshall, who expanded educational access to Black students in the district.

The board of trustees unanimously approved the name for the new school, which is being constructed near East View High School, during an April 20 meeting.

The history: In the early 20th century, S.C. Marshall served as principal of The Colored School, the first school for Black students in Georgetown. While the school initially taught first through eighth grades, Marshall’s advocacy convinced the school board to let him expand to include high school classes.

What they’re saying: “We feel like this name is going to serve us proud,” GISD trustee Anthony Blankenship said.

Going forward: S.C. Marshall Middle School is expected to enroll its first students in the 2027-28 school year—one year later than originally planned due to budget concerns amid slower enrollment growth.

So far in April, Georgetown has gained a new European-style steakhouse and a Marshalls, with a HomeGoods opening later this week.

Sovian Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge
The European-style steakhouse serves wood-fired steaks, Mediterranean seafood, cocktails and wines. This is chef and owner Vira Chudasma’s second Georgetown restaurant. She also owns La Riv Wood Fired Italian.

• Opened April 7
• 1500 Rivery Blvd., Ste. 2175, Georgetown

• Opened April 2
• 4610 Williams Drive, Georgetown

• Opened April 23
• 4610 Williams Drive, Ste. 105, Georgetown

From an elementary school replacement in Austin to a Home Depot in San Marcos, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Andrews Elementary School modernization ($52 million): This project involves the complete removal and replacement of an existing elementary school. Construction will start this summer.

2. Willow East leasing office ($25 million): Construction on a leasing office for a new apartment complex in Austin will begin this summer.

3. Home Depot ($13 million): The new store in San Marcos will be 107,797 square feet with a 28,120-square-foot garden center.

4. Discount Tire ($2 million): Construction will begin next month on an 8,000-square-foot Discount Tire location in Georgetown. 

5. Layne's Chicken Fingers ($1.1 million): A new Layne's chicken fingers restaurant will be built in New Braunfels.

The owners of Marisol's Mexican Grill in Georgetown will be opening a second Liberty Hill location, Rodeo Mexican Kitchen & Bar, in early May.

What they offer: At Marisol’s Mexican Grill, about half of the menu items are Mexican dishes, and the other half are Tex-Mex favorites. Popular dishes include handmade tamales, fajitas, menudo, chile Colorado and mole enchiladas. Owner Ismael Sanchez said the new location will be a similar concept.

“The menu is going to be similar to what we have here at Marisol’s Mexican grill,” Sanchez said. “A few of the dishes will be different, but same recipes.”

More details: Sanchez hopes to open Rodeo Mexican Kitchen & Bar in the first or second week of May. Marisol's will celebrate 6 years in July.

• 13750 W. Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill

Austin-Travis County EMS has partnered with We Are Blood to implement a blood distribution plan for mass casualty incidents. The plan strengthens the region’s ability to respond to large-scale emergencies and helps patients receive transfusions quickly.

At a glance: The Mass Casualty Incident Whole Blood Deployment Plan is intended to quicken emergency response in Central Texas by optimizing the deployment of blood units to major incidents, according to an ATCEMS news release.

The plan outlines four distinct steps in the coordination of whole blood deployment to mass casualty incidents in the region:

• Activation: ATCEMS notifies We Are Blood of the mass casualty incident and the estimated amount of blood needed.
• Rapid Staging: We Are Blood prepares units of blood and pre-packed supplies for transfusions.
• Field Deployment: ATCEMS personnel get the units from the blood bank.
• On-Scene Management: A dedicated blood officer oversees blood and equipment distribution at the scene.