Almost two dozen candidates have filed to run in Austin's five City Council races this fall, four of which may include incumbents seeking reelection.

The big picture: Half of Austin's council seats are on the November general election ballot, with candidates in districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9 seeking four-year terms starting in January. Residents can look up their council district online.

District 1 is the only open seat race as two-term council member Natasha Harper-Madison reached her term limit and will leave office at the end of the year. Incumbent District 3 council member José Velásquez, District 5 council member Ryan Alter, District 8 council member Paige Ellis and District 9 council member Zo Qadri are all seeking to hold their seats.

All Austin voters will also be considering two bond propositions and multiple charter amendments on the Nov. 3 election ballot.

South Lamar has a new spot to grab a coffee, a cocktail, or both.

The details: Cuvée Coffee, an Austin-based company roasting beans in Texas since 1998, has been open inside The Code hotel since Aug. 3, per a representative for the business. The café runs all day, per a release from the company, opening with espresso and cold brew before shifting to wine, beer and cocktails by evening. The local chain celebrates with a free open house Aug. 15-16, with drinks and giveaways for the neighborhood.

The Texas Education Agency released 2026 A-F accountability ratings Aug. 14, giving Austin ISD a 'B' districtwide, with a score of 81—the district's highest mark in four years. Burnet and Webb Middle Schools each earned a fifth consecutive 'F', triggering state action, while Dobie Middle School, which had four consecutive 'F' ratings, scored a 'D', per TEA data.

The details: Austin ISD is the only district that may be subject to state intervention based on the 2026 ratings, according to Community Impact reporting.
Under state law, a fifth consecutive failing rating at a single campus requires the education commissioner to either close that campus or replace the district's elected board of trustees with a state-appointed board of managers.

Asmbly Makerspace, a local Austin creative community, is celebrating five years of operations. The space serves as Austin’s largest nonprofit makerspace, according to Asmbly’s website, offering access to woodshop, metal shop, a ceramics studio and more. 

“It's a little bit mind-boggling to me that it's only been five years because so much has just completely changed about the space,” Wilmont said. “We've gone from 8,000-square-feet to 13,333-square-feet. We were at 250 members, now we're at 575.”

What they offer: The makerspace is a membership-based organization with access to the woodshop, metal shop, lasers, textiles, 3D printing and electronics lab. Asmbly Makerspace also hosts classes and events for the community, including markets, demonstrations and showcases. 

What’s new: In mid-July Asmbly Makerspace announced that the nonprofit hired its first paid Executive Director, Galen Wixson. Prior to Wixson joining the organization, Wilmot served as the inaugural volunteer Executive Director since 2021. 

• 9701 Dessau Road, Ste. 304, Austin

Many Texas students began returning to the classroom for the 2026-27 school year in mid-August.

Here are five things Texans should know as the 2026-27 school year kicks off.

The details:

• 2026 school accountability ratings issued
• New rule impacts accountability-related school closures
• 100K students using new Texas Education Freedom Accounts
• Public school closures deepen across Texas
• Check out recent public education laws

A Logistics Park in Georgetown, a hotel in Austin and a Scooter’s Coffee in Cedar Park are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Northland Project ($60 million): This project involves the interior finish-out of an existing shell building.

2. Green Point Building 3 ($42 million): This project is part of the 231-acre GTX Logistics Park in Georgetown, and involves the construction of a 753,481 square foot concrete tiltwall warehouse shell.

3. East Austin 7th Street Hotel ($34 million): This project includes the construction of a new, 5-story commercial hotel.

4. Scooter's Coffee ($400,000): A new Scooter’s Coffee location is coming to Cedar Park, with construction set to wrap up in the spring.

5. Starbucks ($400,000): A new Starbucks location is coming to Bastrop, with construction set to wrap up in April.