The Texas Supreme Court suspended an order that extended election day voting hours at two Williamson County polling locations, according to a county news release.

Provisional ballots cast by approximately 150 to 200 voters who joined the line after 7 p.m. will not be counted unless the Texas Supreme Court ultimately rules otherwise.

What happened: Ahead of the 7 p.m. poll closing time for the primary election March 3, the Texas Civil Rights Project filed a lawsuit against the local party chairs to extend voting at the Georgetown Annex and Northstar Georgetown locations due to long lines.

Despite objections from the Texas Attorney General's Office regarding a lack of legally required notice, District Judge Betsy Lambeth granted the extension, ordering the polls to remain open until 10 p.m. and delaying the publication of early voting results.

In response, the Attorney General's Office filed an emergency appeal, and the Texas Supreme Court intervened to suspend Lambeth's ruling just after 10 p.m.

Na'Cole Thompson was officially sworn in as mayor of Leander on Feb. 27 in the City Council chambers.

Thompson took the oath of office Feb. 17 after votes were canvassed.

Long story short: Thompson was elected mayor in the city's Feb. 7 special election. The position became open after former Mayor Christine DeLisle stepped down in October.

Thompson was previously the Place 4 council member and mayor pro tem. She stepped down from her City Council seat to run for mayor. Annette Sponseller won the special election for the Place 4 seat and was sworn in Feb. 19. Both will serve for the rest of the current terms, which expire in 2027.

Quote of note: "I hope you see through me what is possible," Thompson said in a speech during the ceremony. "Someone else's boundary does not have to be yours. Someone else's ceiling does not have to be where you stop. There is no office beyond your reach. There is no table where you should not have a seat."

Travis County is looking to provide guaranteed child care availability for low-income families and expand child care options for parents working during nontraditional hours.

The big picture: The $75 million Raising Travis County initiative—approved by voters in November 2024—is expected to support several programs aimed at increasing affordable child care for around 9,800 children, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The county has awarded nearly $29 million in annual funding to the Workforce Solutions Capital Area nonprofit, local school districts and other community organizations, according to county documents.

The update: Travis County is planning to pay child care providers to reserve a certain number of slots for children from low-income families, said Cathy McHorse, a consultant for the Raising Travis County initiative, at a Feb. 24 Travis County Commissioners Court meeting. The model, known as contracted slots, is anticipated to increase the supply of child care for infants and toddlers ages up to 3 years old, she said.