A recent Austin Community Court pilot program helped hundreds of people address outstanding cases or warrants at city courts.

Austin's "problem-solving" community court largely handles cases involving homeless clients, and also offers several related services from case management to personal storage. The recent pilot—labeled the Court Navigation Training mini-grant program—stemmed from past City Council direction seeking to build on the court's expanded reach by partnering with local organizations on services and outreach.

The program was aimed at training more case managers and staff from those groups to help individuals connect with court services, according to the city. Over a dozen $2,500 grants were distributed to participants in the court's navigation training. After taking applications last summer, the city offered training in mid-September that led to hundreds of clients having their cases surfaced late last year.

Travis County officials have lifted a burn ban for unincorporated areas of Travis County that began in February.

Recent rainfall over the weekend of April 3-5 along with additional rain forecasted in the coming days is expected to improve moisture levels and reduce the threat of wildfires, according to county information.

What you need to know: While outdoor burning is now allowed in unincorporated areas, residents should use caution and be aware of fire conditions, according to county information. County officials suggest keeping a fire extinguisher or water nearby while burning.

Before conducting outdoor burning, residents are expected to contact their local fire department and receive any necessary permits. Residents should call 911 if a fire becomes uncontrolled.

What they're saying: “Recent rainfall has significantly improved conditions across Travis County, and with more rain in the forecast, I am cautiously optimistic conditions will continue to improve,” Travis County Fire Marshal Gary Howell said in a news release.

Stay tuned: Residents can receive burn ban status updates by texting TCBURNBAN to 888777.

From high school sports amenities to more parks and stores, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Titan NorthPark IX in Georgetown ($18 million): A 281,213-square-foot warehouse shell building will be built.

2. West Bastrop Village Pond Park ($2.6 million): The 106,000-square-foot park will offer sidewalks, athletic courts, playgrounds and open green space.

3. Gattis Retail Center Bldg 2 and 3 in Round Rock ($2.4 million): Developers will build two shell buildings on a roughly nine-acre tract of land as part of a future retail center.

4. Hendrickson HS Turf Field & Pond Design in Pflugerville ($2 million): Hendrickson High School will replace its existing baseball and softball fields with artificial turf fields. The project will feature a new drainage system and modification of the existing detention pond.

5. Eldorado Expansion in Austin ($1.5 million): Eldorado Cafe will add 4,402 square feet in restaurant space after becoming the tenant of an adjacent suite.

Funding for Texas’ education savings account program is expected to dry up before it reaches all low-income applicants, the state comptroller’s office announced April 2.

The overview: More than a quarter of a million students applied for the first year of Texas Education Freedom Accounts, which will give participating families access to state funds to send their children to private school or homeschool them.

The details: Most eligible students will be placed on a waitlist for the 2026-27 school year, as the $1 billion program is expected to serve between 90,000 and 100,000 students. State officials said all funds are expected to go to students with disabilities, their siblings and children from low-income families.

The state will use a four-tier, randomized lottery system to determine who is accepted. Once funding runs out, the remaining students will be placed on a waitlist.

How it works: Students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000 each in ESA funding, depending on their individual needs. Other accepted students will receive $10,474 for private education or $2,000 for homeschooling.