Students enrolled in after-school programs at four Georgetown ISD elementary schools will receive free meals beginning April 20.

The details: Students at Cooper Elementary, Frost Elementary, Purl Elementary and Williams Elementary will gain access to free meals between 3:30-4:30 p.m. later this month, according to an April 14 news release.

The program is open to all students, regardless of whether they qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Through the sponsorship of the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program, the program expands existing snack offerings at these sites.

“Qualifying and expanding the program to offer full meals is a real win for families while providing additional nutrition to fuel our young learners,” said Mike Thibodeaux, director of nutrition services in Georgetown ISD, in the news release.

The context: Over the past year, Georgetown ISD has announced several new or expanded programs. Last summer, four Georgetown ISD campuses offered free meals during the break.

Earlier this week, Georgetown ISD announced a behavioral health services partnership with Lone Star Circle of Care.

Located on Celebration Church’s 110-acre Georgetown campus, Austin Christian University marked the beginning of construction on its Bringmann Center on March 27.

Learn more: The $50 million facility will house a 750-seat auditorium and be a hub for campus activities and student services, according to a news release.

At about 125,000 square feet, it will also include a central courtyard, a private gym, a wellness center, coffee shop and store, a representative said in an email to Community Impact.

Austin Christian expects to see visible progress on the project this summer, and the courtyard is expected to be complete in fall 2027, followed by the full building completion in fall 2028.

A closer look: Founded by Connor Champion, Austin Christian launched in 2023, and aims to educate “spiritually grounded entrepreneurs and leaders who serve others by building world-class companies and products that promote human flourishing,” the representative said.

A new apparel retailer is coming to the Round Rock Premium Outlets, a new project filing shows. 

About the business: Known for its denim offerings, Buckle stocks clothing for men, women and children across a variety of brands including Birkenstock, Free People, Miss Me and Rock & Revival. 

A project filing registered with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations shows work to renovate the future retail space is set to begin and end this fall. 

Remember this?: Buckle is one of several retailers set to join the outlet mall's offerings, amid a refresh of the property. Lululemon, New Balance and JD Sports opened locations in the mall in recent months, with Sephora expected to open soon. 

From an airport expansion in Austin to a med spa renovation in New Braunfels and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Austin Bergstrom-International Airport ($60 million): Following the closure of the airport's south terminal, construction will start this summer on a six-gate southern terminal called Concourse M.

2. Texas Realtors ($2 million): A full remodel of the existing 23,847-square-foot building’s second floor will begin in late spring, along with the addition of a second-floor terrace.

3. Georgetown Logistics Park ($8.6 million): Construction is underway on a 39,200-square-foot facility.

4. Adoration Med Spa ($704,000): A former residence is being converted into a med spa. Renovations include removing the back deck, replacing windows and updating doors.

5. Kung Fu Tea–Bastrop: The specialty tea shop will fill a 1,500-square-foot space in the Burleson Crossing East shopping center.

Texas retailers can resume selling smokable hemp products after a Travis County judge temporarily blocked some of the state’s sweeping new regulations on the hemp industry.

The background: On March 31, the state health department enacted rules changing how THC content is measured in consumable hemp, which industry experts said effectively outlawed most smokable hemp products.

The Texas Hemp Business Council, a federal hemp industry group, and several local hemp companies sued the state April 8, arguing that the state health department does not have the authority to reclassify legal THC levels. State officials have defended the rules, saying they are in line with a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who at the time called for stricter oversight of the multibillion-dollar hemp industry.

The latest: Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble sided with the hemp industry in an April 10 ruling, directing the state not to enforce the new THC testing requirement and a restriction on the transportation of hemp products between states. An additional hearing is scheduled for April 23.