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The Hays County Commissioners Court approved the creation of a new savings fund to help decrease the amount of debt issued to fund major future projects.

The big picture: The Capital Improvement Fund will provide the county with financial resources allocated to large, nonrecurring projects, according to agenda documents. Projects paid for by the fund will create new assets or extend existing ones.

Future projects that could be funded by the Capital Improvement Fund include construction, major renovations, infrastructure and significant equipment and technology purchases.

How it works: The separate savings fund will allow the county to separate the budgets for current and future major capital projects.

The county will be able to rely less on issuing debt for major projects by utilizing the Capital Improvement Fund, according to the documents. Money in the account will come from excess in the general fund.

Commissioners Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe and Walt Smith voiced a desire to utilize the fund to partially pay back debt that has previously been issued as well.

Families in the Turner's Crossing neighborhood may send their students to a different school this fall, after Hays CISD trustees approved a new attendance-zone map Jan. 26 to accommodate expected growth across six schools.

The big picture: The rezoning map proposes changes to the elementary and middle school attendance zone maps to combat current and projected overcrowding at Sunfield Elementary School, Buda Elementary School and McCormick Middle School.

The impact: The district does not anticipate a substantial impact on current students, as a majority of the rezoned areas are undeveloped.

HCISD high schools would not be affected.

What's planned? The zoning changes include:

• Persimmon: rezoned from Buda Elementary School to Carpenter Hill Elementary School
• Cole Springs Road at 1626: rezoned from Buda Elementary School to Elm Grove Elementary School
• Turner's Crossing: rezoned from Sunfield Elementary School to Buda Elementary School; rezoned from McCormick Middle School to Dahlstrom Middle School

Sari Fujimaru is a mindfulness teacher and board-certified coach based in the Texas Hill Country who helps clients navigate stress and life transitions through mindfulness-based coaching, meditation and holistic wellness practices.

Fujimaru offered strategies for easing stress and staying grounded through change.

What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the conscious effort to focus on what is happening in the moment, internally and externally. It is about being fully present here and now. 

What role does it play in physical wellness?
Mindfulness helps reduce stress, leading to better sleep and energy. It lowers tension by calming the nervous system and harmonizes a mind-body connection for overall vitality. Scientifically proven benefits of mindfulness include significant reductions in anxiety and depression, effective pain management, improved focus, lower blood pressure, and healthier eating habits that promote better digestion and weight management.

From residential to retail, check out some of the most expensive permits filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

Donley Mixed Use: Construction of a mixed-use retail and residential development is slated to break ground in North Austin. A seven-story parking structure will be attached to the building.

• Location: 2101-2201 Donley Drive, Austin
• Estimated timeline: March 1-June 1
• Estimated cost: $70 million

• Location: 2300 E Second St., Austin
• Estimated timeline: April 1-Dec. 31, 2027
• Estimated cost: $16.3 million

While some individuals are interested in coping with experiences by enrolling in traditional one-on-one therapy sessions, others may be drawn to healing alongside a community.

Austin-based running club Good Grief has shaped an experience for community members to find solace in staying active while working through their grief with people going through similar situations.

The inspiration: The club was founded by Samantha Hendel, who received news in 2022 of her mother’s lung cancer diagnosis. While trying to make sense of the news, a week later, Hendel was notified that her father received a colon cancer diagnosis.

To cope with the news, Handel started running in addition to going to therapy. She said while running clubs were popular in the city, she wasn’t finding an exact space like the one she was looking for.

The local impact: Today, the group averages 100 people every Monday morning at Noble Joe’s Coffee Co. in South Austin.

• Noble Joe Coffee Co., South Shore Eatery, 1620 E. Riverside Drive, Austin

Eight Republican candidates are running to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate during the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: Republican incumbent John Cornyn is seeking a fifth term as Texas' senior senator. Each state has two U.S. senators—Cornyn currently serves alongside Republican Ted Cruz.

Seven Republican candidates are challenging Cornyn for the Republican nomination: John O. Adefope, Anna Bender, Virgil John Bierschwale, Sara Canady, Wesley Hunt, Gulrez “Gus” Khan and Ken Paxton.

If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the Republican primary, a runoff election will be held between the two top vote-getters on May 26.

Looking ahead: The winning Republican candidate will face the winner of thef Democratic nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2027.

Three Democratic candidates are running to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate during the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The overview: Jasmine Crockett, Ahmad R. Hassan and James Talarico are competing for the Democratic nomination for a six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

The details: Each state has two U.S. senators, with Ted Cruz and John Cornyn currently representing Texas. Cornyn, whose seat is up for election, is running for reelection in an eight-way Republican primary.

The winning Democratic candidate will face the winner of the Republican nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2027.