Access to specialty care for sports medicine and orthopedic services can be limited outside of major cities, such as Austin, while demand rapidly grows, said Dr. Eric Chapman, orthopedic surgeon.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Buda expanded its offerings to include sports orthopedics for pediatric, adolescent and adult patients by hiring Chapman.

The overview: The need for sports orthopedics is major in areas where specialists are not present, Chapman said. While access to care exists in South Austin and Kyle, the distance patients needed to travel from Buda was too great for injuries that needed to be quickly addressed.

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Buda has the capabilities to conduct a full workup for patients who come in with an injury, including X-rays, MRIs and advanced imaging as needed, Chapman said.

Meet the doctor: Chapman has been in Buda since March. The lack of a sports medicine doctor specializing in pediatrics and adolescent athletes in the area motivated Chapman's decision to work in the city.

Hofmann’s Supply, a welding supply business, was founded in San Marcos in 1937 by Fred Hofmann. His granddaughter will soon transform the original shop location into an art supplies store and personal studio.

The gist: Local artist, graphic designer and creative Lauren Hofmann Larkin will turn her grandfather’s shop into Legacy Arts, a space carrying a variety of art supplies for Texas State University students and local creatives.

Her grandparents lived in the location in the 1930s before Hofmann opened his business in what was their garage, Larkin said. Larkin’s father then built the current building sometime between the 1970s and 1980s.

While Hofmann’s Supply is now under new management, Larkin will carry on the family torch of operating within the original space.

About the owner: Larkin opened an art aisle in her father’s shop in 2022, selling supplies that were necessary for Texas State art students. Larkin makes artwork in a variety of mediums.

Another thing: The Legacy Arts building may require repairs due to its old age, possibly impacting an expected opening date.

• Southwest corner of S. LBJ Drive and Cheatham St.

Check out the latest transportation projects across the Austin metro. 

Upcoming projects
Bee Cave Road AI traffic signals
Project: West Lake Hills will install nine artificial intelligence traffic signals along Bee Cave Road to try and improve traffic efficiency along the corridor.
Update: City Council moved forward with funding the traffic signals April 22.

• Timeline: TBD
• Cost: $360,000
• Funding source: city tax revenue proceeds, general fund

• Timeline: August 2024-summer 2027
• Cost: $52.4 million
• Funding source: Williamson County 2019 road bond

The Texas Supreme Court on May 15 denied Gov. Greg Abbott’s request to remove state Rep. Gene Wu from office after the Houston Democrat led his colleagues in a walkout to protest congressional redistricting last summer.

The details: In the court’s majority opinion, Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock ruled that because Wu and other House Democrats “voluntarily returned” to the Capitol two weeks after their August departure, it was not necessary for the court to get involved.

The court also rejected a petition by Attorney General Ken Paxton to expel Wu and 12 other Democrats over the walkout, consolidating the two requests in one ruling.

What they're saying: Wu celebrated the ruling in a May 15 statement, saying that "the Constitution does not let a governor erase voters’ choices when their choices are inconvenient to him."

Abbott's office argued the governor's August lawsuit helped end the walkout and said the state was prepared to fight future quorum breaks: "If Democrats abandon their offices again, the governor will bring them right back to the Texas Supreme Court."