A new indoor gym and playground for children is headed to The Crossover later this year, according to co-owner David Fiori. Strong Sprouts will bring together four key principles: play, pray, gather and grow, the company's website states. 

The context: Strong Sprouts is a family-owned and operated business led by husband-and-wife duo David and Stephanie Fiori, as well as their children Rosie, Mabel and Thoren. 

What they offer: The gym and indoor playground will feature an event space for birthday parties, rooms for homeschooling, age-based gym classes, organized and free play. For the playground, children ages 6 months can use the space and kids ages 4 years and older can utilize the gym area. 

Quote of note: “It’s going to be a lot of balance, stability, coordination, helping with their strength, concentration, control, agility, dexterity, teamwork [and] kindness,” Davis Fiori said. 

• 1717 Scottsdale Drive, Leander

Construction is officially underway on a $132 million road project expected to improve west-to-east mobility from Leander to Georgetown. Williamson County officials broke ground on the first phase of the reconstruction and widening of Hero Way and RM 2243 on Jan. 29.

The overview: The proposed project will transform Hero Way and RM 2243, a state road, into a divided, controlled-access highway from 183A Toll to Southwest Bypass. The existing rural two-lane roadway will be expanded into two main lanes running in each direction alongside two three-lane frontage roads.

For Phase 1A, the county will build the first frontage road from 183A Toll in Leander to Garey Park in Georgetown with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane. The ​​3.5-mile roadway will also include shared-use paths for cyclists and pedestrians.

The first phase of the project is anticipated to be complete by early 2028, according to county information.

The impact: The expansion of the roadway is expected to improve safety, increase traffic and regional mobility for residents, officials said.

Check out some of the top trending news stories from the Austin area Jan. 26-29. 

1. PopStroke eyes spring opening for new Cedar Park venture

2. Layne's Chicken Fingers now open in Leander

3. Juan & Lupe's Kitchen closes in Georgetown

4. Tejas Meat Supply to expand to Round Rock

5. New lakeshore landscape unfolding south of downtown Austin

6. Tumble 22 opens new Pflugerville location  

Austin travelers will soon have access to nonstop flights to the Cayman Islands.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is partnering with Cayman Airways to offer a seasonal summer service.

What you need to know: Flights will depart weekly on Sundays, May 24 through Aug. 9.

• Austin to Grand Cayman: departs at 12:45 p.m. and arrives in Grand Cayman at 3:45 p.m.
• Grand Cayman to Austin: departs at 8:15 a.m. and arrives in Austin at 11:45 a.m.

Following over four hours of public testimony and debate Jan. 28, the Texas State Board of Education is poised to postpone a plan to create a mandatory reading list for K-12 students.

What's happening: Board members said Jan. 28 that they wanted to get more feedback from Texans before moving forward with the policy, which would take effect at the beginning of the 2030-31 school year. The SBOE is required to create the reading list under a 2023 state law, and members said they would likely revisit the proposal during an April meeting.

The Texas Education Agency compiled a list of nearly 300 English and Spanish literary works for the board to consider.The Texas Education Agency compiled a list of nearly 300 literary works for the board to consider. What they're saying: Some speakers expressed concerns Jan. 28 that the TEA’s list was too long and focused too heavily on classical literature that “does not represent the students of Texas," while others said they wanted students to focus on classical literature and historical texts.