Upcoming events in the Cedar Park area include options all-ages. Community members can enjoy an adults-only Lego build night at the library, a student production of “Nice Work If You Can Get It” at Vista Ridge High School or a kids night out at Capital Gymnastics.

Texas Wine Flyer
Vintage train and wine lovers are invited to board the Texas Wine Flyer for a 66 mile round trip ride with a two hour layover in Burnet. The 21 and older train ride will include a wine tasting from Wedding Oak Winery. 

• Jan. 25, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• $105 
• 401 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste. 100, Cedar Park

Williamson County commissioners discussed next steps for the planned Justice Center complex, including selecting a site, at their meeting Dec. 16.

The details: Cameron Glass, a representative with project manager Kitchell, presented an overview of Phase 1 and discussed next steps at the meeting.

After evaluating current conditions and assessing long-term Justice Center needs, Kitchell confirmed the county will need to construct a new facility.

“We found that in a lot of cases, you are out of space,” Glass said. “The facility's been kept up, … but it does start to show its age inside.”

What’s next: The planning firm looked at 37 potential sites for the complex in Phase 1 and narrowed down a “short list” for further consideration in Phase 2, Glass said.

Phase 2 will also include programming concepts and will wrap up in mid-2026, Glass said. The county hopes to open the new Justice Center complex by 2030, according to a tentative project schedule.

Check out the top trending stories from the Austin Metro Dec. 15-18.

1. 11,985-square-foot retail center to be built in Bastrop’s Adelton community

2. Austin Community College enrollment increases by nearly 10%

3. Melina neighborhood to bring 840 homes near Georgetown

4. Dozens of Lake Austin properties move to disannex; city to lose nearly $300M value

5. 320-unit multifamily development coming to Steiner Ranch area

6. Check out these trails and road projects in Round Rock

From new design plans and major contract bidding to legal hurdles and progress toward billions in federal funding, these six updates track how Austin’s light rail endeavor, Project Connect, advanced throughout 2025.

1. Light Rail preliminary design plans released
The agency tasked with building the city’s light rail, Austin Transit Partnership, released a draft of its environmental impact study Jan. 10, kicking off the first in a series of major milestones slated for the upcoming year.

The document outlines several proposed adaptations from the last plans released for the rail system, which date back to 2023, when transit officials reduced plans for the rail by roughly half.

2. ATP recognized for community focus
Project Connect was honored March 26 by local nonprofit Community Advancement Network for the initiative's work toward collaboratively addressing community needs.

3. ATP opens bidding for $3B Austin light rail contract
Austin Transit Partnership officially launched the agency’s official solicitation process for a design and construction contract worth an estimated $3 billion.

Community Impact compiled important holiday travel-related information, including what to know about traffic and airport activity, gas price data, and driver safety tips ahead of the year-end travel season, which runs Dec. 20-Jan. 1.

The overview: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations the weekend before Christmas, with many travelers expected to hit the road Dec. 21-22. Congestion is also expected as some Texans return home Dec. 26, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1, although AAA warned in a Dec. 10 news release that unexpected delays could arise from severe weather or crashes.

For the first time, more than 8 million people nationwide are expected to take domestic flights during the year-end holidays.

More information: Texas drivers will likely pay less for gas this holiday season than in recent years, AAA fuel data shows. On average, one gallon of unleaded gas costs about $2.51 in Texas as of Dec. 18, down from $2.65 one year prior.