Travelers this October, especially those for Formula 1, should prepare for long lines at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The details: Airport officials expect possible record-breaking busy days at the airport Oct. 22 through Oct. 27. The busiest day is anticipated to be Oct. 26, the day after the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on Oct. 25.

Going forward

Airport officials recommend the following tips to travelers:

• Arrive 2.5 hours before departure for domestic flights and 3 hours before departure for international flights

• Allow extra time for checking luggage, returning rental cars or parking before joining the security line

• Use either the upper level for departures or the lower level for arrivals when dropping off passengers

There are four security checkpoints leading to all gates. The first checkpoints open at 3 a.m..

The background: ABIA recorded its busiest month ever for passenger traffic in June, servicing 2,102,853 departing and arriving passengers. The second busiest month was recorded in July, with 2,102,655 departing and arriving passengers, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

East Austin residents and students have a new free place to explore local Black history and learn digital storytelling. Nonprofit E4 Youth opened the WOW Heritage Center at Pathways at Rosewood Courts on Oct. 18.

The details: The WOW, or What Once Was, Heritage Center is E4 Youth’s first permanent home after 18 years of programming, founder and CEO Carl Settles said via email.

The center is in the welcome center at Pathways at Rosewood Courts, and E4 Youth developed it in partnership with the Austin Housing Authority, Settles said.

It is open Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and admission is free, according to Settles. Upcoming public events are listed on the center’s calendar.

What students should know: E4 Youth works with five area high schools through its Get Creative! program, Settles said.

He said the nonprofit will host field trips and digital storytelling workshops at the center for nearby schools, including Kealing Middle School and Blackshear Elementary School.

E4 Youth does not currently receive funding from Austin ISD or Travis County, according to Settles.

An in-depth evaluation of Austin's spending on social services is moving forward, which city leaders say could lead to more compliance monitoring and new rules for relationships with contractors.

The details: The city's comprehensive social services "reset" is designed to evaluate current community needs, city spending levels, and whether funding and agreement structures should be adjusted. It comes as Austin will spend over $100 million on homeless response, public health, housing and other areas in the current fiscal year.

Diving deeper: Several city working groups are currently assessing the city's full social service portfolio, community needs, service gaps, public partnerships and the structure and monitoring of city agreements. This project is expected to be completed by late December and will inform the changes anticipated next year, likely including:

• The re-solicitation of many current nonprofit contracts

• Potential recommendations for funding shifts in the city's fiscal year 2027-28 spending plan

• Adjusted city oversight standards, which could include more performance-based contract structures