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UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle, an affiliate of Universal Music Group, will join the White Rocks Amphitheater development in the Hill Country to spearhead the hospitality and residential components of the project, branded as UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin.

The overview: The White Rocks development is located on a 71-acre plot in unincorporated Travis County near Hwy. 71. The project is expected to include a 10,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, 150 hotel rooms and 600 private residences.

The details: The UMusic Hotel will feature 150 rooms and 60 private residences. The hotel residences will consist of 1,350-square-foot studios to 3,300-square-foot duplexes, ranging from approximately $1,150 to $1,450 per square foot, according to White Rocks spokesperson Michelle Doss.

The issue: The development has received opposition from city officials and residents, citing the project’s environmental impact.

What’s next: Pending approvals, construction of the UMusic Hotel, the Preserve I and the amphitheater is anticipated to begin in early 2027, Doss said.

Newly released data from the Texas Education Agency shows that Eanes ISD students outperformed the state in the 2026 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores, but saw some internal declines year over year. The TEA released statewide and district-specific scores for the high school STAAR end-of-course exams and third through eighth grade STAAR tests in June.

How it works: The TEA uses a four-tiered grading system to score STAAR test performance and determine if students need academic intervention in order to succeed in the next grade. "Approaches grade level" is considered a passing score but could require some intervention.

By the numbers: Data shows that EISD's "approaches grade level" scores outperformed the state in every subject in both 2025 and 2026. Year over year, EISD's "approaches grade level" scores were the same or higher in every subject except for third, fifth and seventh grade math; third, fourth and sixth grade reading; eighth grade social studies; and Algebra I, English I and U.S. History. 

Next steps: TEA will release science STAAR scores July 31. 

Baylor Scott & White Health’s “Help Me Decide” virtual artificial intelligence tool aims to help patients navigate care options and avoid unnecessary emergency room visits.

Guided by clinician oversight, patients describe their symptoms, and AI points them to the most appropriate option, including e-visits, urgent care, a primary care appointment, nurse triage or emergency care.

The overview: Help Me Decide is an AI tool designed to reduce guesswork and confusion during stressful moments when patients may be feeling unwell by asking questions about their symptoms, said Dr. Camille Bradley, a family medicine doctor at Baylor Scott & White.

“[Help Me Decide] can make a really big difference in getting to the right place at the right time, which in medicine, is half the battle,” Bradley said.

The details: The tool asks patients a variety of questions in order to better understand their symptoms and the urgency of their situation. It will then make a recommendation for patients based on the answers.

An apartment complex in Cedar Park and a central kitchen for the Austin State Support Living Center, or ASSLC, are among the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Cedar View ($82 million): Cedar View will include approximately 425 apartment units and approximately 12,000 square feet of indoor amenity space.

2. Austin SSLC Replacement Kitchen Building ($11.1 million): This project involves the new construction of approximately 9,600 square feet of space for a central kitchen facility at the Austin SSLC Campus.

3. Lakeline Boulevard Shared Use Path ($7.4 million): This project includes the construction of approximately 4 miles of 8- to 10-foot shared-use path from New Hope Drive to Little Elm Creek.

4. Connie's Last Stand ($3 million): This project involves the renovation of a 2,244-square-foot historic home with a 1,000-square-foot glass conservatory addition to be used as a restaurant.

5. Old Stagecoach Road from Center Street to Six Creeks Boulevard ($1.7 million): The roadway will be reconstructed to include pedestrian elements.