Candidates for Austin City Council races in this year's November election raised more than $159,000 and had over $817,000 available as of September.

Five council seats will be on the ballot this fall: East Austin's District 1 and District 3, District 5 in South Austin, Southwest Austin's District 8, and District 9 in Central Austin.

Candidates were required to submit 30th day before election finance report on Oct. 5.

Also of note: Multiple candidates across Austin’s five City Council races failed to meet deadlines for filing required financial disclosures this year, violations of local and state ethics rules that can be punishable as misdemeanor offenses. Weeks after Austin's SFI and PFS deadlines in late September, some candidates across all five Austin races on the ballot—in council districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9—had yet to file their forms, as previously reported by Community Impact.

Going forward: Election Day is on Nov. 3. Early voting begins Oct. 19 and ends Oct. 30.

Considering private school options for your child? Check out Community Impact's guide to schools in the Central Austin-area.

The details: This list is not comprehensive. Schools are listed in alphabetical order.

• AHB Community School

• Cathedral School of Saint Mary

• The Girls' School of Austin

• Headwaters School

• Magellan International School

Texas school districts using the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum saw slightly better year-over-year achievement last school year than other districts, according to Texas Education Agency data released Sept. 30.

What's happening: During the 2025-26 school year, 619 of Texas' 1,200 public school districts opted in to implement at least one of the three Bluebonnet curriculum programs—elementary math, secondary math and elementary language arts.

On this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, districts using the state-developed math materials saw student improvement that was 0.6 percentage points higher than students in other districts, while districts that implemented the reading materials performed 0.2 percentage points higher on the STAAR than other schools.

What they're saying: The TEA said the gains in student achievement are an "encouraging sign of early progress."

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a statewide educator union, disagreed, calling the results "rather paltry."

"It may take a few more years to determine if this is a valid trend or simply an anomaly," Capo said in a statement.

Austin ISD students at Patton Elementary kicked off their Marathon Kids season Sept. 25 with music, cowbells and pom-poms.

"Ultimately, what we want the kids to say is 'I get to run' instead of 'I have to run,'" said Jason Daniel, CEO of Marathon Kids.

The details: More than 20,600 AISD students at 96 campuses took part in the free program last school year, working toward running or walking 26.2 miles. Teachers track miles in real time through the Marathon Kids Connect app, and schools will gather again in May for a finisher celebration.

Zooming out: AISD adopted an $887 million budget in June, closing a $181 million shortfall with $205 million in cuts. Earlier options included adjusting elementary PE, art and music schedules.

Marathon Kids is now launching its "Keep Austin Kids Moving" initiative, aiming to raise $50,000 to sustain programming at participating campuses.

"Our belief is that it takes an entire community to raise healthy children," Daniel said.

Brooks Running sponsors the program, and its Girls Movement serves girls in grades 4-8.

The 25th Austin City Limits Music Festival runs for weekend two from Oct. 9-11. Here's how to get there, how to avoid the festival traffic and what to know if the weather turns.

The details: There is no parking at Zilker Park, and parking in surrounding neighborhoods is prohibited, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works. The nearest public parking is downtown.

Steering clear: On both festival weekends, Barton Springs Road is closed from 7 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Monday, and Stratford Drive from 9 a.m. Thursday through Monday, according to the city's ACL Mobility Guide. Azie Morton Road closes from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on festival days. Some lots and roads will stay closed as late as Oct. 16 while stages come down, according to TPW.