New trading card, collectibles shop planned for Pflugerville
The Card Gurus Comics & Collectibles, a new shop dedicated to trading cards and collectibles, plans to open in Pflugerville.
The gist: Owned by Blake Perkins, Justin Johnson and Vo Nguyen, the business will provide space for not only The Card Guru’s merchandise, but also other vendors specializing in trading cards, comics, games, action figures, memorabilia and more.
Texas Baptist Children’s Home celebrates 75 years of service
Texas Baptist Children’s Home offers four core programs to help support children, young adults, mothers and Williamson County residents.
TBCH is a Christian organization that provides all community members in need of assistance with counseling, housing support and more, regardless of religion.
The background: In 2025, the nonprofit is celebrating 75 years of service, which began in 1950 when Louis and Billie Sue Henna donated 112 acres of land and five buildings to establish TBCH in Round Rock.
“The vision they had back in the late 40s [was] to do something where children would just feel so safe and protected,” Debbie Rippstein, president of TBCH, said.
TBCH has since grown to four key programs and last year they served 58 moms, 93 children and 27 young adults. Throughout the years of growth, Rippstein said that TBCH keeps children at the heart of what they do.
Property tax hike to boost health care services across Travis County
Travis County homeowners will see about $64 more on their property tax bills after commissioners approved a 9.3% rate increase for Central Health, the county’s taxpayer-funded hospital district. For the average home valued at $515,213, that amounts to roughly $608 in total Central Health taxes.
Funding priorities: Dubbed the “year of access,” the new budget directs additional funding toward expanding primary care, behavioral health, specialty services and diagnostics. Primary care funding will rise from $74 million to more than $103 million, largely supporting CommUnityCare Health Centers. Behavioral health services will also grow significantly, with funding for Integral Care increasing from $25.7 million to over $40 million.
The outlook: Central Health leaders say the investments aim to reduce wait times, improve access to specialists, curb avoidable ER visits, and expand insurance coverage for low-income residents.
Austin-based Harbor Health grows Texas footprint with VillageMD acquisition
Harbor Health is expanding its presence in the Austin area, following acquisition of 10 Austin-area Village Medical clinics.
What happened: In a Sept. 18 news release, Harbor Health announced that through an acquisition of 32 total clinics from VillageMD, growing its local presence and entering the Dallas, El Paso and San Antonio markets.
