Austin is replacing the orange cones and barrels on its Living Streets with planters, curb blocks and flexible posts, and it's using the program to test designs for permanent street redesigns, said Matt Macioge, Capital Improvement Program manager for Austin Transportation and Public Works' Community Services Division.

More than 32 streets covering about 24 miles are now in the program, Macioge said.

"We used to literally chase the barrels and cones all over the street," Macioge said.

What's changing: In March, the city began testing four equipment designs on four streets, Macioge said. The most effective were simple layouts that narrow the road, shift traffic from side to side and keep neighborhood entrances open, he said.

Looking ahead: Living Streets now feeds into the city's Shared Streets program, which permanently redesigns streets without sidewalks so people walking, biking and driving can share the road at slow speeds, Macioge said.

The first street to make the transition is in South Austin near South Fifth and West Oltorf streets, according to the city's project page.

Emancipet, a nonprofit that provides low-cost veterinary care, celebrated the opening of the Amy Mills Emancipet Clinic at Levander Loop with a ribbon cutting Sept. 29, according to a media advisory from the organization.

The roughly 4,000-square-foot clinic began seeing patients in early August, an Emancipet staff member said.

It sits in the space that housed Emancipet's first brick-and-mortar clinic, CEO Cheryl Katon said at the event.

The details: The clinic offers spay and neuter surgeries, heartworm testing and treatment, vaccines, microchips and other preventive care, according to its website. Dental care and soft tissue surgeries are offered at Emancipet's Austin Dental and Surgical Center.

Prices are the same for every client, with no income requirements, Katon said. Clients who can't afford them can get help paying, she said.

Zooming out: The nonprofit has raised about $5 million to launch three new mobile clinics over the next few years, including one in Austin, Katon said. The expansion is expected to add 50,000 animals and 15,000 spay and neuter surgeries a year, she said.

Central Texas is hosting several local fall events across multiple cities, including Austin, Bastrop, Bee Cave, Buda, Elgin, Cedar Park and Georgetown. These seasonal activities feature pumpkin patches, festivals and Halloween celebrations.

Key events scheduled for the holiday season include:

• Pumpkin Nights in Austin, an immersive half-mile exhibition running from Sept. 17-Oct. 31.

• The 43rd annual Viva la Vida Festival & Parade celebrating Día de los Muertos in downtown Austin on Oct. 24.

• Boo Bash, a free Halloween celebration in downtown Bastrop on Oct. 31.

• A free Haunted Trail in Bee Cave from Oct. 22-23, recommended for ages 13 and up.

• The city of Buda's annual Booda Halloween on Oct. 24, featuring trick-or-treating and a kids costume contest.

• The Evergreen Farms Pumpkin Hunt in Elgin from Sept. 26-Oct. 31.

• The Sweet Eats Adventure Farm & Petting Zoo fall festival in Georgetown, running from Sept. 19-Nov. 8.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Austin leaders look to local preparations as air taxis take off in Texas: New mobility options like electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles are now being evaluated for uses from passenger and cargo transportation to emergency response. Local officials are now moving ahead with extensive planning and outreach before the aircraft arrive.

Georgetown to reduce rideGTX operation hours, increase base cost: RideGTX, the city of Georgetown's ride voucher service, will soon eliminate overnight hours and increase its base price to combat rising costs. Once the changes go into effect, rideGTX will operate from 6 a.m. to midnight and cost a base fee of $5.

TxDOT, Mobility Authority seek public input on 290 Toll extension into Bastrop County: The two agencies are accepting comments on proposed improvements to about 15 miles of Hwy. 290 until Oct. 30. The entities are evaluating the feasibility of extending tolled main lanes alongside existing nontolled lanes, adding signalized intersections, and enhancing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.