A portion of East Cesar Chavez Street downtown will be closed Jan. 15-19 due to the decommissioning of a construction crane on the mixed-use Waterline tower.

What residents should know: One block of the east-west roadway will shut down between Red River and Trinity streets through the start of next week. The closure will take place early Jan. 15 and end the evening of Jan. 19, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works.

During the closure, the city recommends eastbound travelers take other roadways north to Fifth Street to cross I-35. Those traveling westbound are advised to take I-35 to Sixth Street.

The street closure is needed as public safety measure while the tower crane is dismantled, according to the city. Waterline's first phase, a 252-room hotel, will open later this year.

Texas Children’s Hospital in North Austin has become the first pediatric hospital to have its own helicopter based in Austin.

The helicopter will allow Texas Children’s Hospital to provide faster critical care to more patients across Central Texas.

In their own words: “[The helicopter] represents Texas Children's long-term investment in this region and a commitment to bringing world-class pediatric, neonatal, and maternal care closer to home,” said Jeff Shilt, Texas Children's president of Austin and Central Texas, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 12.

How it works: Through the new helicopter, Texas Children’s may pick up patients from community hospitals who need specialized pediatric care and transport them to the North Austin hospital.

The mobile intensive care unit is operated by Texas Children’s Kangaroo Crew of registered nurses and respiratory therapists who can begin providing ICU therapies to stabilize patients at their bedside before arriving at the hospital.

The impact: The Austin-based helicopter can travel within a 120-nautical-mile service area, including Waco, San Antonio, Houston and College Station.

While some individuals are interested in working on personal goals and mental health in a traditional talk therapy environment, there are additional options for those looking for a different way to work on intrapersonal goals. This list is not comprehensive.

Community Art Therapy

• Type of therapies offered: Art therapy, trauma-informed therapy, somatic and expressive arts approaches, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, play-based interventions and art therapy process groups
• 11402 Joy St., Austin; 12741 Research Blvd., Ste. 402, Austin; 8700 Menchaca Road, Ste. 202, Austin

• Type of therapy offered: adaptive horseback riding, horse powered reading, H.A.P.Y. (“Hug A Pony”) mobile program, bringing mini horses to autism, memory care and hospice centers
• 5300 CR 279, Leander

• Type of therapy offered: sound healing experiences
• Classes vary in locations across Round Rock and Austin

Each school year, Austin-area school districts are tasked with meeting federal and state nutrition guidelines while serving meals that are appetizing to students.

These regulations, ranging from limits on sodium, sugar and fat, are intended to help prevent disease in the United States but can present challenges for districts who must attract students to generate funding, said Susan D'Amico, President of the Texas Association for School Nutrition.

“We don't get money for a meal unless a child takes it ... so we have to make the food appealing to students also," D'Amico said.

Something to note: Nationwide, Austin ISD has set a gold-standard for school nutrition through its scratch cooking and sourcing products from local farmers, said Stacie Sanchez Hare, director of No Kid Hungry Texas—a national nonprofit that advocates to end childhood hunger.

Dig deeper: Although federal and state funding covers the cost of meals for some students, No Kid Hungry and local nonprofits like Hungry Souls are partnering with school districts to address food insecurity experienced by families in Central Texas.

Texas health officials are proposing sweeping new regulations on the state’s hemp industry, including raising the fees required to sell and manufacture consumable hemp products by roughly 10,000%.

The overview: In late December, the Texas Department of State Health Services published a slate of proposed rules regulating consumable hemp products. The proposals include:

• A prohibition on sales to customers under 21 years old
• Stricter testing and labeling requirements
• Guidelines for product recalls
• Tens of thousands of dollars in annual fees