East Side Pies commemorated its 20th anniversary in Austin in March. The pizza restaurant offers thin crust, specialty pies, sandwiches and salads.

Owners Noah Polk and Michael Freid established the East-Austin born pizza shop in 2006. The first location opened on Rosewood and the brand later expanded to North central and Northwest Austin. 

On the menu: Pizzas include the brand's signature thin crust as well as a gluten free option. Specialty pies include the Chicago, made with red sauce, Italian sausage, green bell peppers and roasted onions, as well as the Chimi Hendrix, which features chimichurri, chicken, red bells and gorgonzola. 

In their own words: “Austin has changed a lot over the years, but one thing has stayed the same,” the business shared in a post. “The community that continues to show up for us day after day.”

• 13265 US Hwy 183, Austin; 5530 Burnet Road, Austin; 1401 Rosewood Ave., Austin

Austin Energy will add hundreds of megawatts of new power generation and storage capacity under contracts approved May 21, and pursue the more controversial implementation of natural gas "peaker" units intended to stabilize the local grid.

What's happening: After recently approving contracts for new solar installations and battery storage, City Council advanced hundreds of megawatts of new battery and wind power projects in May. One megawatt serves about 250 households, according to AE.

A plan to bring new peakers to the utility's system also advanced, which will add to the hundreds of megawatts now in place in East Austin. That proposal drew some scrutiny and opposition ahead of council's vote, with concerns raised about transparency around the project as well as climate and air quality impacts. Officials defended the process and potential project costs as the utility's best path forward in a competitive market.

The Driskill Grill initially opened in 1930 and after nearly a century of service, MML Hospitality has relaunched the historic spot as an American steakhouse, according to a news release. The new concept is spearheaded by April Bloomfield, MML Hospitality’s executive chef since 2025.

The restaurant opened its doors to customers May 18.

The history: The Driskill Hotel has been a historic Austin staple since 1886, housing political figures, musicians and entrepreneurs, according to the hotel’s website. The space has endured several restoration projects, preservation efforts and partnerships, including one with MML in 2025 to bring 1881 Cafe, The Victorian and The Driskill Grill to the hotel.  

On the menu: Patrons looking to dine in for lunch or dinner can find salads, sandwiches, steaks and a selection of sides, including braised peas with mint and Thai style crab fried rice. 

• 117 E. Seventh St., Austin

A new Carvana, Austin Country Club renovations and a higher education center are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

Carvana ($65 million): Located off SH 130 in Manor, the business will offer automotive sales and services.

Austin Country Club ($38 million): This project involves construction at the country club, including a parking garage, a fitness building and a dining building. Renovations will also be made to an existing youth building.

Ayn Rand Center ($30 million): Located near the University of Texas at Austin, the center will consist of a library, exhibition spaces, offices and higher education classrooms.

One of the Kids Therapy Center ($10 million): The therapy center, which has locations in Cedar Park and South Austin, offers applied behavior analysis, speech, occupational therapy, swim therapy and more.

O'Reilly Auto Parts ($1.4 million): Construction on the automotive store in San Marcos is set to begin this fall.

Early voting results show George Morales III leading the Democratic runoff election for Travis County Precinct 4 commissioner with 4,200, or 57.83% of the vote, according to Travis County. Susanna Ledesma Woody has 3,063, or 42.17% of the vote.

The big picture: Travis County Precinct 4 covers portions of southeast and south central Austin. The seat opened after Commissioner Margaret Gomez announced her retirement following more than five decades in public service. Commissioners serve four-year terms with no state-imposed term limits, alongside a county judge on the Commissioners Court.

Meet the candidates: Morales, a former elected Constable for Precinct 4, has over 20 years of experience with Travis County government. Woody, a project manager and Del Valle ISD trustee, brings more than a decade of experience in public policy and long-range planning.

At the polls: Community Impact will update with results as they come in. For more information about local, state and federal elections, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

Austin-area voters cast their ballots in the May 26 runoff to determine who will appear on the ballot in November for state and national races.

At the polls: Unofficial early voting data was released in the evening of May 26, representing ballots cast May 18-22 during early voting and on election day.

What you need to know: Runoff winners will move on to the Nov. 3 general election. The following results are for contested races only.

For the first time in more than a decade, there is no incumbent in the Texas attorney general's race as Ken Paxton runs for the U.S. Senate. Voters across Texas made their picks for attorney general in the May 26 runoff election, with the winning candidate from each political party moving on to the November election.

The context: The Republican and Democratic attorney general races are among several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

The attorney general serves as Texas' top lawyer and law enforcement officer.

About the candidates: On the right, state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin are each seeking the Republican nomination for the seat.

On the left, state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Keep reading to see the results in the two attorney general races and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

In the May 26 runoff election, Republican voters across Texas cast their votes in a contentious U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The context: The Republican race for U.S. Senate is one of several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

About the candidates: Cornyn, an incumbent senator with nearly 24 years in office, is seeking to hold his seat for another six years while being challenged by Paxton, the once-impeached state attorney general who was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump. Read each candidate's priorities in their own words here.  

The winning Republican candidate will face the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, in November.
 
Keep reading to see the results in the Cornyn-Paxton race and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.