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Liberty Hill ISD students posted strong results on the 2026 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, known as STAAR test, with the district scoring at or higher than the state averages on all but one exam.

Learn more: Out of the 18 STAAR exams reported on by Community Impact, LHISD students only scored below the state average on the seventh grade math exam, according to newly released data from the Texas Education Agency.

What they're saying: “It's just very exciting for our students and our staff that we continue to perform above the region and the state,” LHISD Superintendent Travis Motal said. “There's some areas that you always want to continue to do better and refine things, but the fact that we've continued to stay at a high level is something that I'm very proud of, our board is very proud of, and our community is very proud of. It really just goes back to the classroom. Our teachers put the magic every day they do with their kids.”

H-E-B plans to upgrade two grocery stores in Georgetown and Leander, as part of its Fresh Initiative, which will renovate stores across Central Texas, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Learn more: The upgrades to the locations on Ronald Reagan Boulevard and University Avenue will cost approximately $800,000 combined and will begin in August, according to the filing. Construction is expected to last about a month.

Other Texas H-E-B stores receiving upgrades include locations in San Antonio, New Braunfels, Houston and Austin.

• 19344 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Leander; 1010 W. University Ave., Georgetown

An apartment complex in Cedar Park and a central kitchen for the Austin State Support Living Center, or ASSLC, are among the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Cedar View ($82 million): Cedar View will include approximately 425 apartment units and approximately 12,000 square feet of indoor amenity space.

2. Austin SSLC Replacement Kitchen Building ($11.1 million): This project involves the new construction of approximately 9,600 square feet of space for a central kitchen facility at the Austin SSLC Campus.

3. Lakeline Boulevard Shared Use Path ($7.4 million): This project includes the construction of approximately 4 miles of 8- to 10-foot shared-use path from New Hope Drive to Little Elm Creek.

4. Connie's Last Stand ($3 million): This project involves the renovation of a 2,244-square-foot historic home with a 1,000-square-foot glass conservatory addition to be used as a restaurant.

5. Old Stagecoach Road from Center Street to Six Creeks Boulevard ($1.7 million): The roadway will be reconstructed to include pedestrian elements.

Texas education officials gave preliminary approval June 23 to the state’s first mandatory reading list, which includes nearly 200 literary works that public school students would begin reading as soon as 2030.

The overview: The proposed list incorporates about a dozen stories from the Bible, including the tale of David and Goliath in second grade and direct biblical excerpts beginning in fourth grade. In total, students would be required to read more than two dozen texts in early elementary grades and about 10 literary works per year from sixth grade through high school.

What's happening: Members of the Republican-led State Board of Education voted 9-5 to cut several titles from the reading list June 23, following nearly eight hours of public testimony a day earlier.

More than half of those who testified June 22 asked the board to shorten the list, include more diverse authors and remove religious references. Others praised the SBOE for creating a list that they said would teach students about “American exceptionalism” and prioritize classical literature.