St. David's HealthCare acquired ownership of six Austin Emergency Center locations Feb. 1.

Zooming out: The following Austin Emergency Centers across Austin and Pflugerville are now St. David's Emergency Centers:

• Anderson Mill: 13435 Hwy. 183 N., Ste. 311, Austin
• Arboretum: 10407 Jollyville Road, Austin
• Wells Branch: 15100 FM 1825, Pflugerville
• East Riverside: 2020 E. Riverside Drive, Austin
• South Lamar: 4015 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin
• Mueller: 1801 E. 51st St., Bldg. H, Austin

Merit Coffee will open its fourth Austin coffee shop at Mueller in mid February.

The Valentine's Day opening event Feb. 14 will include giveaways, pop-ups and samples, according to the company's Instagram page.

On the menu: The San Antonio-based business serves coffee and cold brew alongside hot and iced espresso and tea beverages like lattes, cappuccinos and matcha lattes.

Current specialty drinks include the bourbon cream cold foam, strawberry cheesecake cold foam and cereal milk cold brew.

Stay tuned: Merit Coffee is planning to open two new coffee shops in Houston in 2026, Ritchie said.

Integral Care is preparing to launch its third mobile van to bring behavioral health care services closer to Travis County residents.

The update: At a Feb. 3 meeting, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved $337,497 in funding to cover startup costs for the new van, which is expected to begin operating in June.

The big picture: Integral Care’s mobile behavioral health vans allow the Travis County mental health authority to improve access to care for people who may be least likely to reach traditional clinics, an Integral Care spokesperson said. This includes people experiencing homelessness or those recently discharged from jail, shelters, hospitals or crisis facilities.

Patients may be referred to the program through first responders, emergency departments, Travis County jail personnel and The Sobering Center—a safe space for people to recover from intoxication instead of going to jail or the emergency room. Additionally, the new mobile clinic will help Integral Care respond to disaster situations.

Staff working in the van will go directly to people who cannot access Integral Care clinics.

Check out six upcoming or ongoing transportation projects across the Austin metro. 

Upcoming projects
Crystal Falls Parkway rail bridge
Project: Leander city officials are considering building a railroad bridge over Crystal Falls Parkway at US 183, removing the current ground-level rail crossing and allowing traffic to flow uninterrupted by passing trains.
Update: The city is actively seeking a $40 million grant from TxDOT. The design phase is expected to take around two and a half years, followed by roughly three years of construction.

• Timeline: 2029-32
• Cost: $103 million
• Funding source: TBD

• Timeline: total project completion expected in 2029
• Cost: $4.5 billion
• Funding source: TxDOT and CAMPO