The backstory: Susan Davis, who has eaten a vegan diet for nearly 25 years, founded Counter Culture to expand plant-based dining options in Austin. She launched an Austin-based food truck in 2009, opened an East Austin brick-and-mortar location in 2012, and took a temporary hiatus in 2023 to purchase property for a permanent location.

The update: Counter Culture officially reopened on Sept. 8 in the Windsor Park neighborhood. Davis worked with architect Richard Weiss to design the space inside a mid-1960s building to feel like a late-60s diner.

On the menu: The restaurant serves plant-based plates, including:

• Asian BBQ seitan skewers

• Baked cashew mac’n’cheeze

• Jalapeno artichoke dip

• A jackfruit quesadilla

• A buttermilk pie with strawberry sauce

The drink menu: The establishment features a full bar where customers can order drinks as mocktails, with the option to add an alcoholic spirit.

Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) is preparing for its city-wide takeover on Sept. 22, bringing over 700 local musicians and DJs to stages across Central Texas. This year marks HAAM’s largest event in over two decades, according to a news release.

At a glance: The annual music festival is organized by HAAM to support affordable healthcare and essential services for local musicians, DJs and music teachers in the community.

The local impact: HAAM Day Music Festival is the world’s largest one-day, all local music festival, according to a news release. This year, listeners can expect over 700 local musicians to play a cumulative 241 hours, or 10 days, of live music.

There are over 230 participating venues and businesses across the region, hosting more than 328 free, family-friendly concerts.

• 2400 S. Congress Ave., Austin (festival headquarters)

The Bins, a Houston-area thrift store, is headed to Austin on Sept. 25. The pay-by-the-pound place will join other second-hand retail destinations along Guadalupe Street, including Leopard Lounge, Pavement and Buffalo Exchange.

What they offer: The Bins is slated to stock women's and men’s apparel. The thrift store’s second location will open on Sept. 25 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
The context: The Bins is moving into the former Flamingos Vintage Pound location, another store selling second-hand items by the pound. Flamingos relocated to a new storefront at 2820 Guadalupe St. in Austin last September, according to the store’s social media.

• 2915 Guadalupe St., Austin

Read all about it: We Are Blood will host its inaugural Legacy of Life Benefit on Sept. 24 from 4-7 p.m. at Distribution Hall in downtown Austin. The event, which coincides with the organization's 75th anniversary, will celebrate Central Texas blood donors, volunteers, healthcare professionals and partners.

The benefit will feature:

• An awards ceremony highlighting honorees

• Time to network with civic and business leaders

• A silent auction and wine pull fundraiser

Guest tickets are available for $250, and community sponsorships range from $2,500 to $25,000. All proceeds will support the organization's mission and expand its capacity to serve Central Texans.

Why it matters: We Are Blood is the sole blood supplier to more than 50 hospitals and medical facilities across ten Central Texas counties. The non-profit requires 200 donations per day to meet local demand and help save lives.

FVF Law relocated to a new Austin office in mid-July, according to chief of staff Caitlyn Macaluso. The law firm is commemorating the move with an open house on Sept. 22, collaborating with HAAM Day Music Festival to host a local performance.

The overview: Josh Fogelman and Aaron Von Flatern founded FVF Law in 2014 to educate injured Texans, allowing people to understand their options, according to the firm’s website. FVF Law specializes in injury and wrongful death; practice areas include car and motorcycle accidents, construction accidents and brain injuries.

Something to note : The open house will give locals an insight into the firm’s new Rosedale location. The event is slated to feature tours, light bites and a local performance by Jo James at 7 p.m. FVF Law will host live music in celebration of HAAM Day Music Festival, which supports more accessible healthcare for local musicians.

• 4902 Burnet Road, Austin

Some Texas Republican leaders have vowed to get rid of the property taxes that homeowners pay to their local public school districts, and lawmakers are analyzing how much it would cost to do so.

The big picture: Texas school districts collect about $29 billion per year in maintenance and operations taxes, which cover schools' daily expenses.

Of that $29 billion in school tax revenue, the state comptroller's office estimates that about $8.6 billion is paid by homeowners, and the rest comes from commercial and industrial property taxes.

This means the state would need to spend at least $8.6 billion annually to zero out homeowners' school property tax bills, officials said.

Quote of note: "Broadly speaking, you have a question about how much you want to fund schools, and then separately, where does that money come from?" Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during a Sept. 15 legislative hearing. "If you have a target of how much you want to spend, you need to make sure you have enough variable revenue sources to reach that."

Check out the latest Austin metro transportation project updates.

Completed projects
I-35 Capital Express Central: MLK Jr. Boulevard Bridge Segment
Project: The project included reconstruction and widening of the MLK Jr. Boulevard bridge over I-35 in Austin, adding sidewalks, shade structures, a safety barrier, and rebuilt I-35 entrance and exit ramps in both directions.

Update: The bridge is now fully operational, as two lanes reopened in each direction in early August. Crews are finishing shared-use paths and wider sidewalks.

• Timeline: 2024-26

• Cost: $34.4 million

• Funding source: TxDOT and CAMPO

Ongoing projects

Spicewood Springs Road Regional Mobility Project

Project: The project includes widening the two-lane road in Austin into a four-lane road with left-turn bays, pedestrian and bicycle shared-use paths, and improving the storm drain system.

Update: An August update stated that weather-related delays pushed the project's substantial completion from late 2026 to summer 2027. Starting in September, work will be underway on shared-use pathways on both sides of Spicewood Springs Road.

• Timeline: 2023-27

• Cost: $31 million

• Funding source: city of Austin 2016 Mobility Bond