Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is moving forward with a $5 billion expansion aimed at easing congestion and improving the passenger experience. The project will add 32 new gates, including 26 tied to a new Concourse B, while Southwest Airlines plans to nearly double its presence at the airport with 18 additional gates and about 200 daily flights.

A closer look: As part of the expansion, Southwest will relocate its command center and open a pilot and flight attendant base, bringing roughly 2,000 new jobs by 2027. The airport is also building a six-gate Concourse M to provide flexibility during construction, schedule changes, delays and diverted flights.

Looking ahead: Additional projects include expanded parking, centralized TSA checkpoints and improvements to baggage handling, as well as ongoing efforts to extend Austin’s light rail to the airport. Officials say these projects will help ABIA handle growth while enhancing convenience for travelers.

Coca-Cola’s Sips & Sounds Music Festival is returning to Austin on March 13-14 with a range of featured artists including Christina Aguilera and Calvin Harris. The two-day event will showcase performances from 16 different artists, as stated in a news release.

The details: Community members can find two-day and one-day general admission tickets in addition to two-day and one-day general admission plus tickets. Event-goers can look forward to immersive activations throughout the festival and local food vendors.

Performing artists include Flipturn, GROUPLOVE, The Two Lips, Foster The People, Jade LeMac, Aidan Bissett, Mallrat, Skateland, Caroline Hale, The Runarounds, Between Friends, Stephen Sanchez, Ravyn Lenae and Major Lazer Soundsystem. 

Auditorium Shores, 900 W. Riverside Drive, Austin

Five months after historic flooding deluged parts of northwest Travis and southwest Williamson counties, recovery in the Sandy Creek community remains slow and complex. For residents, rebuilding has meant navigating permits, aid applications and long-term housing decisions alongside repairing physical damage.

Some context: The flooding, described by meteorologists as a rare 1,000-year event, renewed concerns about warning systems, infrastructure vulnerabilities and one-way-in, one-way-out neighborhoods. Travis County approved a temporary tax increase to cover recovery and mitigation costs, while shifting focus to long-term recovery groups which are helping distribute millions in aid through partnerships with nonprofits.

The outlook: Residents say navigating multiple systems remains overwhelming and slow, arguing recovery efforts need to move faster to meet the scale of the disaster. As county-led mitigation and funding efforts are handed off to ongoing support networks, many residents say true recovery will require faster systems, clearer communication and long-term state support.

A new U.S. Postal Service rule could impact when time-sensitive mail, such as tax forms and mail-in ballots, is considered officially sent.

The overview: Effective Dec. 24, mailed items are postmarked when the USPS processes them, rather than the date items are dropped in a mailbox. A postmark refers to the date and location stamped or printed on most mailed items, indicating when and where the USPS “accepted custody” of a mailpiece, per the federal agency.

Zooming in: According to the Texas comptroller’s office, the updated USPS guidance means items could be postmarked “several days” after they are dropped in a mailbox. This includes date-sensitive items sent by Texas residents and businesses, such as property tax payments, federal tax returns, mail-in ballots and required business reports.

To ensure that mail is postmarked on the day it is sent, customers can take mail into their local post office and request that the item be hand-stamped for free, according to the USPS. Texans can also pay property taxes and submit ballots in-person at county offices.