The Austin City Council unanimously backed a resolution to expand requirements for onsite automated external defibrillators, or AEDs.

The overview: Currently, Austin code only requires AEDs in buildings taller than 75 feet. The new resolution, initiated by council member Vanessa Fuentes, moves to mandate AED access in places like restaurants, stores, gyms, venues and recreation centers.

Explained: Under the resolution, new rules could also be added to:

• Equip all city public safety vehicles with AEDs

• Require emergency response plans where AEDs are placed

• Expand AED and CPR training for city employees and residents

• Improve AED registration and tracking citywide

Updates on these directives are expected before next summer.

Several months after CapMetro officials announced a potential phased approach to increasing fares for the first time since 2015, the board unanimously voted on an increase effective Jan. 10, 2027 with another increase planned for January 2029.

How we got here: In a July news release, CapMetro officials said the fare increases would create a "more fiscally sustainable source of revenue" for the agency.

What's changing: Fares for a single ride are set to increase by the following:

• Local service and Pickup service: $1.25 (current), $1.50 (January 2027), $2.00 (January 2029)

• Commuter (Express and Rail) service: $3.50 (current), $4.00 (January 2027), $5.00 (January 2029)

• CapMetro Access service: $1.75 (current), $2.25 (January 2027), $3.25 (January 2029)

Reduced Local service fares will increase from $0.60 to $0.75 in January 2027 and $1 in January 2029. Reduced Commuter service fares will increase from $1.75 to $2 in January 2027 and $2.50 in January 2029.

Lammes Candies, the Austin candy maker founded in 1885 on Congress Avenue, is back in business two months after its last store closed.

Fort Worth-based Delightful Development Co. acquired the brand in partnership with the Lamme family, according to a Sept. 29 news release.

In a nutshell: Preorders opened Sept. 29 for a final, limited run of Lammes favorites in the brand's original boxes, according to the release. Orders begin shipping nationwide Nov. 1.

Select Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations will also sell Christmas and Easter Sherbet Mints, per the release.

Looking forward: Lammes closed all of its retail stores this year. The new owners do not have a storefront but may open one in the future, a spokesperson for Lammes and Delightful Development told Community Impact.

The company will sell its candy at select retail locations across Texas and plans to announce them soon, the spokesperson said. A full relaunch with new packaging and branding is planned for spring 2027.

COTALAND, the new theme park located at the Circuit of the Americas, celebrated its grand opening weekend on Sept. 26-27.

Learn more: COTALAND is located track-side between turns 19 and 20 on the race circuit, and offers more than 30 experiences, according to the release. There are both kid-friendly rides and first-of-its-kind roller coasters. Attractions include:

• Circuit Breaker: Texas’ first tilt roller coaster

• Palindrome: The only steel roller coaster to operate over an active roadway

• Hot Lap: An add-on experience that features a ride along the F1 track

The park was designed as a year-round entertainment destination, offering family attractions, rides, motorsports experiences, live entertainment and food. Its opening furthers COTA's mission to expand beyond a professional racetrack into a full-scale entertainment campus, according to a news release.

Additions to Leander High School, a new H-E-B in Buda and an apartment in Austin are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the metro this week.

1. Leander ISD high school modernization ($68 million): This project involves building additions and renovations at Leander High School.

2. H-E-B ($61.2 million): A new H-E-B grocery store is coming to Buda, with construction set to begin next spring.

3. The Ridge Apartments ($11.8 million): This project involves the construction of a four-story multifamily building

4. Residence Inn ($11 million): The hotel brand is coming to Hutto, with construction set to begin in December.

5. Texas State University pitching lab and batting cages ($4 million): This project includes an addition to the existing softball pitching facility and a new pre-engineered metal building to house baseball's pitching and hitting facility.