Confections eatery Cranky Granny’s Sweet Rolls opened to customers last month. The bakery, located near Lakeline Mall, serves sweet rolls with an assortment of flavors.

On the menu: Customers can order sweet rolls, which are similar to cinnamon rolls, with toppings including caramel apple, banana pudding, Oreo crumbles and more. Owner Sianni Dean previously told Community Impact the bakery would offer rotating seasonal flavors and additionally serve ice cream.

• 10900 Lakeline Mall Drive, Ste. 300, Austin

Months after a historic flood hit Central Texas, Travis County has been awarded a $1 million state grant to install flood warning sirens.

The Travis County Commissioners Court approved an award agreement for at least $1 million in funding from the Texas Water Development Board at a March 24 meeting. The grant is a part of the state’s $50 million effort to fund the installation of flood warning siren systems in counties impacted by the July 4-5 flooding.

The details: The $1 million grant is expected to cover the installation of outdoor warning siren systems, including flood gauges, in Travis County. The sirens must be located in areas that the TWDB has identified as being prone to flash flooding.

The backstory: Central Texas was impacted by catastrophic flooding on the weekend of July 4, resulting in more than 130 fatalities. 

Senate Bill 3 requires cities or counties impacted by the July 4-5 floods to install and operate outdoor warning sirens. Under Senate Bill 5, the state will award $50 million across 30 counties.

Check out the latest upcoming, ongoing or completed transportation projects around the Austin metro.

Ongoing projects
Oak Knoll Flood Risk Reduction
Project: The project will improve the storm drain system in part of the Oak Knoll neighborhood to reduce the risk of flooding. 
Update: According to Austin Capital Delivery Services, crews will next install storm drains along Woodcrest Drive and Columbia Oaks Court, during which time a 24-hour flagger station on Columbia Oaks Drive and J. Gregg Cove will be set up to control traffic.

• Timeline: 2025-27

• Cost: $9 million

• Funding source: city of Austin 2018 bond

Completed projects 
CARTS boosts metro-bound Bastrop County routes to cut traffic, emissions
Bastrop County commuters gained new transit options March 2 with the launch of two regional bus routes culminating in downtown Austin: one connecting Bastrop and Smithville, and the other connecting Georgetown and Round Rock. Riders can park at CARTS Park & Ride locations and take coach buses into Austin, offering an alternative to driving and downtown parking.

Texas education officials are currently overhauling the state’s social studies curriculum standards, with policymakers, teachers, parents and historians clashing over how students should be taught about the history of Texas, the U.S. and the world.

The overview: The State Board of Education reviews standards for all curriculum areas every 15-20 years, dictating what Texas' 5.5 million public school students should learn at each grade level.

As written, the plan would reduce how much time students spend learning about world history and cultures in favor of more Texas-focused subjects. Critics of the proposal have pushed to include a more diverse set of perspectives to ensure all students feel represented in the curriculum, while those who support it said students’ education should be centered around American exceptionalism, state history and Christianity.

Next steps: The SBOE, which has the final say on the curriculum changes, was taking an initial vote on the plan as of press time and is scheduled to adopt the final standards in June. The new requirements would be rolled out to classrooms in 2030.