Austin ISD revised its plan to close 13 schools and rezone most campuses next school year.

What's happening: While the updated school consolidation plan, shared Oct. 31, still involves closing the planned campuses, it adjusts some attendance boundaries and updates the district's policies related to transferring between campuses, transportation and dual-language programming.

This comes after the district received feedback from thousands of community members on an initial draft shared Oct. 3. 

Therapy Pet Pals of Texas was founded in Austin in 1984 by Kathryn Lashmit, and has been offering pet visitations to the elderly and infirm in Texas ever since.

The overview: Therapy Pet Pals of Texas is a private nonprofit created with the goal of assisting the elderly, terminally ill and mentally or physically challenged through pet visitations at nursing homes, medical hospitals, rehabilitation centers and other special needs facilities.

The benefits: Pet visitations offered by volunteers and their therapy dogs can provide a positive bonding experience for those confined to institutional living facilities, according to the nonprofit’s website.

“The residents just know when you're coming. They remember the dog's name, not always yours. It's all about the dogs for us,” Executive Director Nancy Gray said. “And [the residents] just smile. Sometimes they've told us that they were in pain, but once the dog comes, they feel they don't think about their pain for that few minutes they can hug on the dog, or sometimes they just want to talk to you.”

Austin and Travis County leaders are promoting area resources and urging community assistance as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits are potentially expiring for November due to the federal government shutdown.

Over 87,000 people in Travis County could be impacted by SNAP losses. Local leaders estimate those benefits now total more than $16 million every month. 

Sari Vitske, CEO of the Central Texas Food Bank, said the nonprofit has already been contending with a "food crisis" and now anticipates greater need if SNAP recipients are affected. Austin also reported "record" food distributions and long pantry wait times for the nonprofit this year, as well as a 75% funding cut to its home delivery program.

SNAP funding was expected to halt in November. However, a federal judge on Oct. 31 granted a temporary restraining order to maintain the supplemental food program's funding. If benefits end up being affected, Vitske said total community-wide impacts are still uncertain.

Approximately 460,000 Texans have Alzheimer's disease, a progressive brain disorder that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Advocates are encouraging Texas voters to approve State Proposition 14, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the state to spend $3 billion to launch the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

The overview: Proposition 14 would allocate $3 billion in state dollars to fund the institute for the next 10 years. The institute would work with researchers and doctors to study the prevention and treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

All funding for the institute would come from existing state revenue, donations and potential federal grants, meaning no new state taxes or fees would be created.

What they're saying: "If Proposition 14 passes, it really will establish Texas as an incredible leader in our country," neurological researcher Joshua Shulman said. 

At the polls: Early voting runs through Oct. 31, and Election Day is Nov. 4. For more information about the propositions and candidates on your local ballot, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.