Leander residents wanting to cast their vote for the new Leander City Council Place 3 member will have the opportunity to vote early from Dec. 1-9.

The details: The election will determine the winner of a runoff race between city council hopefuls Natomi Blair and Anna Yelaun. The election will be held on Dec. 13. Runoff election times and voting locations are to be determined, according to Williamson County’s elections website.

The background: Blair, Yelaun and Mohan Marchetty faced off in the Nov. 4 election. Blair ended the night ahead, with 47.52% of the vote between Williamson and Travis counties, but failed to breach the 50% plus one threshold the city requires to name a winner. Blair and Yelaun, who pulled the second-most votes with 40.32%, will compete in a runoff election to see who earns the seat. 

Leander residents looking for a location for a photo shoot can now look locally with The Living Room.

The details: The photography studio offers decorated backdrops for photographers and videographers looking to shoot corporate photos, family portraits and other creative ventures.

Photographers can rent separate rooms for different photography sessions, including the Motherhood Room, the Bay Room, the Family Room and the Office Space. Rooms can be rented for one-to-three hour sessions, or the entire home can be rented at an hourly rate.

Heart Hospital of Austin is aiming to provide preventative health care to a growing number of working professionals in Central Texas.

What happened: Officials with the St. David’s cardiovascular hospital celebrated the opening of an expanded clinic for its Executive Wellness program at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 17.

In their own words: “Our Executive Wellness program is designed for the busy professional who wants to prioritize their health without disrupting their schedules,” said Brett Matens, Heart Hospital of Austin CEO.

How it works: Through the Executive Wellness program, patients may receive a comprehensive health analysis in one day by undergoing a series of tests and examinations. Many patients visit the Executive Wellness clinic as a benefit offered through their employers, Matens said. 

The impact: The $1.6 million expansion has doubled the program’s capacity to serve patients, now seeing up to six patients in a day and up to 120 patients in one month, Heart Hospital of Austin Director Cara Rivas said.

Texas cannot use its newly redrawn congressional map in the 2026 election, an El Paso federal court ruled Nov. 18.

The details: The state must instead use the congressional map that Texas lawmakers drew in 2021, after the 2020 census. 

“The public perception of this case is that it’s about politics,” U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown wrote in the Nov. 18 preliminary injunction. “To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 map. But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 map.”

What they're saying: Texas Republican leaders said they would “swiftly appeal” the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. If the court takes up the case, its justices will be pressed for time ahead of the Dec. 8 deadline for candidates to apply to run in the March primary elections.

Texas Democrats celebrated the Nov. 18 ruling as "very good news for Texans."