Bastrop City Council approved an interlocal agreement with the Capital Area Rural Transportation System for shuttle transportation services for city-sponsored, hotel occupancy tax-eligible events. 

The details: Michaela Joyce, Discover Bastrop director and Main Street manager, told Bastrop City Council that the interlocal agreement will help bolster local tourism. 

“This partnership aligns with the city’s strategic goals to enhance accessibility, reduce congestion during major events and support tourism growth consistently with allowable HOT fund uses under Texas Tax Code Chapter 351,” she said in a Nov. 4 staff report. 

The city of Bastrop will schedule the shuttle transportation services, which will be provided at a rate of $100 per hour, on an event-by-event basis, according to city documents. 

“CARTS will invoice the city following the completion of each event,” Joyce said.

The Toasted Yolk Cafe will open a new location in Bastrop, marking the latest expansion for the Texas-based breakfast, brunch and lunch chain.

The details: The location will be built within Sendero—a 75-acre mixed-use development under construction along Hwy. 71—and will open as part of the project's first retail phase, said Melanie Chin, a spokesperson for developers Pearl River Companies.

What they offer: The Toasted Yolk Cafe offers items including brisket tacos, strawberry-banana pancakes, a cowboy scramble and more.  

• Sendero, 900 block Hwy. 71 W., Bastrop

Texas is the nation’s largest energy producer, leading other U.S. states in both natural gas production and renewable energy generation, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows. Yet as people, businesses and data centers continue to move to the state, experts say Texas leaders need to harness new strategies to make energy more affordable and ensure the state power grid remains reliable.

The details: Amid high inflation nationwide, energy prices are on the rise in Texas, and residents are feeling the strain, experts said at the Texas Energy Summit, which ran from Nov. 4-6 in Austin.

In a June 2025 report, the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization, found that 65% of low-income Texans recently engaged in “energy-limiting behaviors,” such as turning off their air conditioning to reduce electric bills or underheating their homes in the winter. 

What they're saying: Experts said state lawmakers and officials could invest in energy efficiency and residential demand response programs to tackle affordability and grid reliability issues.