Georgetown
GISD groundbreaking
GISD breaks ground on new East Georgetown schools
Katherine Hamilton
Two new Georgetown ISD schools— an elementary and a middle school — will open on Patriot Way in East Georgetown ahead of the 2026-27 school year.GISD trustees and Superintendent Devin Padavil officially broke ground on the 2024 bond projects Friday, May 9.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Council Member Amanda Parr speaks about Georgetown’s effots to maintaining older buildings during a panel May 6. Panelist Kevin Cummins sits to her right. (Photo by Kaitlyn Wilkes)
Preservation Georgetown highlights conservation
Kaitlyn Wilkes
During Preservation Georgetown’s final lecture for the spring, a May 6 panel discussed the process of renovating and restoring historic buildings to make them cohesive with the historic overlay surrounding the downtown area.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Brennan Eggers, owner of Georgetown Fitness, standing inside his gym. Photo by Abbey Archer
Gym owner finds motivation in training others
Abbey Archer
Warm up, stretch, workout, track progress — this was the usual regimen Brennan Eggers would start his clients off with when he started as a trainer at Georgetown Fitness more than five years ago.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Southwest Aerospace Technologies owners Renee and Kurt Encinias, center, run the company with their sons Damian (left) and Joseph (right). Photo by Abbey Archer
Aviation company expands to Georgetown airport
Abbey Archer
Southwest Aerospace Technologies — a Georgetown-based aviation services company — has expanded into a new hangar at the Georgetown Executive Airport.A family business, CEO Kurt Encinias runs the company with his wife and CFO Renee Encinias. Mr.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Georgetown’s Huntington Learning Center Director Nikki Traub stands inside the tutoring space. Photo by Abbey Archer
Learning center works to fill Covid-related learning deficits
Abbey Archer
Huntington Learning Center opened in Georgetown in December 2019, shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic sent students into remote learning. Since then, the center has helped more than 400 Georgetown students get back on track and excel.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Mario Villarreal, 54, of Round Rock. Photo courtesy of the Williamson County District Attorney's Office.
Professor convicted of having child porn
Nalani Nuylan
A Williamson County jury found Mario Villarreal, 54, of Round Rock, guilty of possession of child pornography in five cases last Thursday, May 1. Following the verdict, Mr. Villarreal was sentenced to serve a total of 12 years in prison and fined $10,000.
Monday, May 12, 2025
More homes, more kids in JISD’s future
Katherine Hamilton
Jarrell ISD will open its second middle school this fall and a fourth elementary in 2026, but the district is still staring down the barrel of fast enrollment growth.
Friday, May 9, 2025
Georgetown continues work to mitigate zebra mussels
Kaitlyn Wilkes
The invasive species zebra mussels have been present in Lake Georgetown since 2017. With warm days and boating season arriving, boat owners should take precaution and thoroughly clean their watercraft to reduce the spread of the mollusk.
Friday, May 9, 2025
Keeping an eye on development, zoning bills
Kaitlyn Wilkes
The final bills of the 2025 Texas Legislature are up for discussion with less than 25 days left in the session. Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said this year the city has had a greater impact on legislative actions than in the past due to city staff ’s work with state representatives.
Friday, May 9, 2025
County Commissioner Terry Cook, left, reads the proclamation to designate May 5 - 9 as Air Quality Awareness Week during the May 6 commissioners court meeting. Photo by Nalani Nuylan.
Air aware: County, state stride to reduce air pollution
Nalani Nuylan
Williamson County commissioners designated May 5-9 as Air Quality Awareness Week. Air quality in the Austin Metropolitan Statistical Area was classified as “moderate or worse” for nearly half of the days in 2024, according to the Air Quality Index.
Thursday, May 8, 2025