ATX-LTW: Impact 9/30/2025

A diabetes and endocrine care practice has relocated to a new facility in Lakeway.

The overview: Bluebonnet Diabetes & Endocrinology, led by Dr. Neha Lalani, was previously based out of an office on Bee Caves Road, near West Lake Hills, which originally opened in March 2024. 

The practice offers personalized treatment for a variety of conditions, including osteoporosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, low testosterone, and adrenal and thyroid diseases, according to its website.

What else: Appointments within 24-48 hours are available, with no referrals needed. 

Residents arrested in Austin-Travis County will now have stronger legal protections with the full rollout of the Counsel at First Appearance, or CAFA, initiative.

The program ensures individuals who cannot afford an attorney are provided legal representation during their first court appearance, a change phased in after a 2024 lawsuit argued arrestees were being left to defend themselves.

The update: To support CAFA, Travis County approved more than $15 million in funding, hiring 86 new employees including defense attorneys, clerks, and translators. The city of Austin recently approved contracts Sept. 25, committing over $16 million to county magistration services, with $6 million specifically tied to CAFA.

The outlook: While officials say the program strengthens due process rights and improves booking operations, some concerns remain over city-level misdemeanor cases, where people may still face overnight holds.

County leaders also view central booking as a step toward establishing a permanent mental health diversion center, offering law enforcement one streamlined site for intake and services.

A new information partnership between Opportunity Austin and both Workforce Solutions Capital and Rural Capital Area will provide data insights into a variety of growing industries in the Austin metro area. 

What you need to know: Called the Workforce Industry Insights partnership, the initiative will provide employers with timely workforce data, per a news release shared Sept. 17. 

About the program: Using white papers, which are formal data-driven reports, case studies and other opportunities to analyze local data, the partnership will help employers in several industries with insights on hiring trends, workforce needs and strategies, as well as showcasing the connections between community organizations, educational institutions and economic development in fostering regional growth.

Many Texas retailers can no longer sell consumable THC products to customers under 21 years old after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved two emergency rules Sept. 23.

The overview: The new rules, which were drafted after Gov. Greg Abbott issued a Sept. 10 executive order requesting tighter THC regulations, apply only to retailers that sell alcohol. The rules state that businesses may not sell, serve or deliver consumable hemp products to minors and must check all customers' IDs before selling them THC products.

Zooming in: About 60,000 Texas businesses hold TABC licenses and will be prohibited from selling THC products to minors. Those businesses include bars, restaurants, liquor stores, grocery stores and some convenience stores.

However, the rule does not apply to THC retailers that do not sell alcohol or have a TABC license, such as smoke shops, gas stations or online sellers. The TABC and the Texas Department of State Health Services are working to determine how to best enforce age restrictions for THC retailers that do not sell alcohol, agency spokespeople said.