CNNMoney.com reports, Dude, we got Dell! With the computer manufacturer as the county’s largest employer, Williamson County has a tech-savvy workforce that helps draw other businesses to the area.

Recently, the county helped Sears Teleserve, the customer service call center for retail giant Sears and a major employer in the area, secure local and state incentives to expand its workforce and its current facilities.

And Wilco is looking to help entrepreneurs. For laid-off workers interested in starting their own business, there are training programs “to become CEOs,” said Charlie Ayres, vice president of Round Rock’s Chamber of Commerce business retention and expansion program.

Thanks to a growing young population, the public school systems in Round Rock and Cedar Park are also a significant source of jobs.

You may know Diana Maldonado as your local lawmaker. Maybe she served on the Round Rock ISD school board when your kids were in school. But this mom is just like the rest of us — working daily to strike a balance at home.

Katherine Kisiel sat down with the state representative to talk about balancing work and life.

WATCH STORY

About 150 women have served in the Texas Legislature, compared to approximately 6,000 men. However, a group called Annie’s List has been working since 2003 to change the face of the male-dominated state government.

The group works to recruit, train and support Democratic women candidates. One of those women is State Representative Diana Maldonado.

By a slim margin in 2008, Maldonado became the first Democrat to represent District 52 in 16 years. She previously worked as a school board president and state government worker.

“They came knocking on my door, we had a conversation and from that point on it has been history,” Maldonado said.

Genevieve Van Cleve is the deputy political director for Annie’s List.

“We are responsible for two-thirds of net gains in the House since 2006,” she said.

Van Cleve said the group has given $1.5 million to candidates since its inception. Annie’s List also provides training camps across the state and gathers seasoned staffers to help lead candidates’ campaigns.

The nonprofit organization started after a 2002 election cycle where the House lost five Democratic women and stayed stagnant in the Senate due to Republican-led redistricting.

“Getting rid of women in the Texas Legislature is not good policy, not good for Texas families,” Van Cleve said.

Aside from Maldonado, Annie’s List has helped elect Texas Sen. Wendy Davis and Rep. Valinda Bolton.

The politicians say their presence on the floor helps better protect families, education policies and the environment.

“It’s about the presence of authority,” Maldonado said. “To say ‘hey it’s a different perspective and we need to have a voice.’”

It is a voice that Annie’s List organizers are confident will continue to grow.

“Ultimately we are not looking just to put women in the legislature, but to build a pipeline of women leaders to move up the chain. We want another Ann Richards. We want statewide leaders who are women,” Van Cleve said.

Annie’s List also played a role in helping Houston Mayor Annise Parker get elected.

Victoria McCallie is one of the many seniors in Taylor that have found a home away from home at the Switzer Senior Center.

“I lost my daughter in 2008, so I wanted to be at home; I didn’t want to go anywhere,” McCallie said. “My husband got me to come here, he said ‘Let’s go, babe, you need to get out of the house.’ I’m even dancing now!”

The Senior Center is located inside the Taylor Resource Center at West Ninth and Hackberry in the old Taylor Middle School building. They share the space with the Meals-on-Wheels program, Taylor ISD’s clothing bank and the Shepherd’s Heart Food Pantry and thrift shop. (more…)

What are the most important issues facing district 52?
Growth. District 52—Williamson County—is the ninth fastest growing county in nation, and Round Rock is the No. 2 fastest growing city in the nation. We are definitely tackling growth issues. Overall it’s the budget deficit as a state that we will be tackling for this upcoming session.

What are your major successes?
Being able to work with people, bringing people to the table and bringing common-sense solutions to everyday problems when it comes to your pocketbook issues, driving issues and education. These issues are what keep people awake at night. I want to make sure those areas are well taken care of and well represented. (more…)

Originally published on March 17, 2005 In the 1990s, Texas grew at a rate that was approximately equal to adding another Houston, plus another Dallas, plus another San Antonio, plus another Corpus Christi. The growth spurt continues today, booming most along the Texas-Mexico border, the central corridor from Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio, and in the Houston-Galveston area. (more…)

Hutto residents are next in line in Williamson County to have their electricity meters changed over to the new smart meters and officials say the change will be an easy one with little disruption. (more…)

Operation Team Hutto members show their continued support for the U.S. military, including a group of Fort Hood soldiers currently in or soon to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. (more…)

Lawmakers passed a tax swap four years ago that has turned out to be a tax swamp.

The Legislature’s top budget-writing staff member told a panel Wednesday that the built-in fiscal gap the state faces is nearly $5 billion a year. While they knew that a reworked business tax meant to make up for a large chunk of property tax cuts has sputtered, legislators hadn’t been told in such precise – and stark – terms how big the problem was. (more…)

Texas Rep. Diana Maldonado (D-Round Rock) Thursday called for homeowners’ insurance reform following huge rate hikes by the state’s largest insurer. (more…)