Place 6 and 7 on the Lake Travis ISD board of trustees will be on the ballot in May following the board's approval of an order calling for the election during its Jan. 21 meeting. 

The gist: Places 6 and 7 are currently held by trustees Robert Aird and Keely Cano, respectively, who were both first elected in 2023.

District administration has budgeted $75,000 for election costs which will come from the district's general operating fund, Chief Financial Officer Pam Sanchez said. 

Dates to know:

• Feb. 13: deadline to file application for a place on the ballot
• March 6: last day for a candidate to withdraw
• April 20: early voting begins
• April 28: early voting ends
• May 2: election day
• May 20: elected candidates take oath of office 

Shopping center Hill Country Galleria kicked off its Live on the Lawn series Jan. 9, which community members can plan to attend every Friday until March 27.

What to know: The free music series lasts three months and features musicians from a range of genres including country, punk rock and alternative rock. Attendees are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket to be comfortable while enjoying the event. Performances take place every Friday from 5-7 p.m.

• Central Plaza Lawn at Hill Country Galleria, 12700 Hill Country Blvd., Bee Cave

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 seclude 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

A far-reaching winter storm is expected to bring below-freezing temperatures, wintry precipitation and “dangerous ice” to Texas beginning Jan. 23, according to the National Weather Service. As residents brace for days of potentially hazardous conditions, state leaders said Jan. 22 that the Texas power grid “has never been stronger” and will withstand the storm.

What's happening: Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 134 of Texas’ 254 counties, telling reporters that the northern two-thirds of the state—from San Antonio to the Panhandle—will be impacted by the storm.

Officials said they do not expect a repeat of the widespread power outages that occurred during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, emphasizing that changes have been made in recent years to harden the grid against extreme weather. The governor said some Texans could see “local, isolated” outages due to fallen tree branches or ice on power lines.

"The severity of it is not quite as great... as Winter Storm Uri," Abbott said. "That said, people would be making a mistake if they don't take it serious."