A $3.2 million project to stabilize the riverbank along the Colorado River in Bastrop is moving forward after city officials amended the scope of work.

The details: The project—which is aimed at reducing the long-term risk of floods through work on 1,200 feet of the east bank of the Colorado River—will largely be funded through a nearly $2.4 million grant the city of Bastrop secured from the Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation Program through the Texas General Land Office, according to city documents. 

What else? The city of Bastrop will also contribute $686,900 for design costs and $113,100 for project management services that will be paid for with series 2023 certificates of obligation, according to city documents.

The Cybertex Institute of Technology, an Austin-based vocational and training school, will begin serving Bastrop County residents when it opens its third campus in Smithville through a partnership with Career Tracks. 

The details: Cybertex will be housed in Career Tracks’ new Training Center, a facility that was completed in late 2025. 

“We are honored to join the Smithville community and to be a part of the growing momentum in Bastrop County,” Mudassir Shaikh, school director of Cybertex’s Austin campus, said in a news release. “Our mission is to equip students with practical, hands-on training that leads directly to employment in high-demand fields.”

• 404-B Fawcett St., Smithville

St. Edward’s University and H-E-B have collaborated to create the first Tiny Forest in Austin and Central Texas to help improve canopy cover in communities throughout Austin.

How it works: On Jan. 17, H-E-B team members, community volunteers, university students, faculty and staff joined together to plant 54 square meters with 164 trees and shrubs.

The project uses the Miyawaki Method, an approach that enables trees to grow 10 times faster and sequester 10 times more carbon than traditional tree planting methods. Through this method, the trees planted at the event are expected to reach full maturity within the community’s lifetime, as stated in a news release.

Get involved: Community members can directly help the Tiny Forest project by participating in a fringe mantel planting in the fall or reaching out to [email protected] for information about how to plant a tiny forest in their community.

• St. Edward's University, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin

Three Democrats are running to be Texas' next chief financial officer in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The overview: Sarah Eckhardt, Michael Lange and Savant Moore are seeking the Democratic nomination for Texas comptroller. The winning Democratic candidate will face the Republican nominee in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

The context: The comptroller's office is open after former state comptroller Glenn Hegar stepped down in July to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Former state Sen. Kelly Hancock currently serves as acting state comptroller and is running in the Republican primary, although he is not considered the incumbent in the race.

The comptroller is tasked with overseeing government spending, projecting Texas' biennial budget for state legislators, reporting on statewide economic issues, and managing the state treasury and unclaimed property programs. Hancock's office also recently launched the state’s new education savings account program, as mandated by the Texas Legislature.

Four Republican candidates are running for Texas comptroller in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: Michael Berlanga, Christi Craddick, Kelly Hancock and Don Huffines are seeking the Republican nomination to be Texas' next chief financial officer. The Republican nominee will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

The background: The comptroller's office is open after former state comptroller Glenn Hegar stepped down in July to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Former state Sen. Kelly Hancock currently serves as acting state comptroller and is running in the Republican primary, although he is not considered the incumbent in the race.

The comptroller is tasked with overseeing government spending, projecting Texas' biennial budget for state legislators, reporting on statewide economic issues, and managing the state treasury and unclaimed property programs. Hancock's office also recently launched the state’s new education savings account program, as mandated by the Texas Legislature.