Established in 1986, the non-profit, no-kill rescue organization had provided four decades of animal aid in Hays County.

With locations in Kyle and Dripping Springs, PAWS Shelter of Central Texas is dedicated to saving vulnerable pets in Hays County, according to the website.

How to help: PAWS organizers have a wishlist of always-needed items on the home page of the website.

Those looking to get involved can also:

• Adopt a pet
• Foster a pet
• Donate items such as food, litter or toys
• Schedule a monthly monetary donation
• Volunteer

• Kyle Campus, 500 E FM 150, Kyle; Dripping Springs Campus, 2965 FM 165, Dripping Springs

Austin leaders are working to lay out an economic roadmap to continue developing the local economy, draw major projects to the area and expand the city's global presence amid a recalibration of local market conditions.

The setup: Changes are in the works a population and economic boom through the 2010s and COVID-19 pandemic, referred to by city leaders as a "hyper-growth" period. Although the city maintains a diverse economy that's drawing people and investment, planners are now looking farther ahead as that growth slows. Assistant City Manager Eric Johnson said Austin's ongoing infrastructure makeover, or "reurbanization," and stiff competition from surrounding Central Texas communities are among the reasons for current shifts.

What's new? A new economic development roadmap is now aimed at spurring growth and job creation, promoting the city as a destination for both large and local business, improving city permitting and regulations, and launching innovative economic programs to test new strategies. The plan is now coming together over a three-year timeline, with a final update on the initiative coming later this spring.

The world's largest semiconductor plant could be coming to Austin after billionaire Elon Musk announced the project at a March 21 livestreamed event in downtown Austin.

Terafab—a joint venture between Tesla, SpaceX and xAI—would be "the largest chip manufacturing facility ever," producing a combined compute capacity of 1 terawatt annually, according to a post by Tesla on X.

The big picture: The advanced technology fab would enable Musk's companies to escalate their production efforts, he said. Musk said current global semiconductor production meets only a fraction of the energy and compute demands his companies anticipate.

The facility would generate 100-200 gigawatts of chips for Optimus humanoid robots along with terawatts of chips for solar-powered AI satellites, according to Tesla information.

A closer look: In a post on X, Musk said Terafab could be 100 million square feet. Several potential sites are under consideration for the facility, he said.

Tesla opened its new 10 million-square-foot headquarters—Giga Texas—in southeast Travis County in 2021.

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

Ongoing projects

Chisholm Trail South improvements
Project: The city of Round Rock is reconstructing Chisholm Trail Road from Sam Bass Road to RM 620, with drainage, pedestrian, and lighting improvements.
Update: Construction recently resumed. Pedestrian improvements are under design. In February, traffic was temporarily rerouted to address utility issues.

• Timeline: roadway completion expected in summer 2026
• Cost: $4.26 million for construction
• Funding source: type B sales tax revenue

• Timeline: July 2024-February 2026
• Cost: $25.9 million
• Funding source: 2020 Mobility Bond

Preservation Austin held a grand opening ceremony on March 10 to commemorate a new headquarters at the corner of Red River Street and 38th ½ Street, “offering a true home for preservation in the community,” a news release from the Austin-based historic nonprofit states.

The celebration: Members, donors and elected officials visited the historic landmark to celebrate Preservation Austin’s newly-declared headquarters. Among the attendees were U.S. congressman Lloyd Doggett and Austin city council member Zo Qadri, who spoke at the event. 

Dig deeper: Preservation Austin has been rehabilitating the 1947 Streamline Moderne home for years now, according to the news release. Preservation Austin became involved with the property in 2014 in an attempt to save it from demolition. 

• 3805 Red River St., Austin