Lockhart

Connie S. Amaya said she saw a need and began distributing the backpacks six years ago. Her annual giveaway is Saturday.

About 70 women at the Coleman Unit in Lockhart graduated with a high school diploma this summer through a program run by the Goodwill Excel Center. Many said it reshaped how they saw themselves and their futures.

The district expected student enrollment to grow by 2.5% this year, but that figure has doubled. School officials are concerned that more students won’t lead to more state money though, because Texas funds schools based on attendance — not enrollment.

Lockhart ISD plans to build a new elementary school and expand its high school if voters approve the 2022 bond. The entire district is at 97% capacity from pre-K through 12th grade.

The Central Texas school district first announced the Drive.Pair.Share initiative in June when gas prices hit record highs in the state. The goal of the program is to ease the financial pressures teachers and other employees are facing.

Iron Ox’s indoor facility in Lockhart removes some of the variables that make traditional agriculture challenging.

Federal regulators are calling for stricter requirements to fly hot air balloons after a crash near Lockhart last year that killed all 16 people…

The hot air balloon was carrying at least 16 people. The county sheriff said "it does not appear there were any survivors of the crash." Investigators are trying to determine the victim's identities.