The context: The Salty is celebrating five years of business at its Austin flagship location on South Congress Avenue. Founded in 2015 by Amanda Pizarro and Andy Rodriguez, the business started as a Miami, Florida pop-up before expanding. The Salty now has locations in Georgia, North Carolina, Colorado, Tennessee and Florida, and opened a second Austin location in June 2025.

Craving doughnuts? The shop offers traditional glazed doughnuts alongside specialty options and other items, including:

• The guava and cheese doughnut, featuring 24-hour brioche, guava, cream cheese and pastelito pastry pieces

• The barbecue pork rib kolache, made with Terry Black's chopped pork ribs, barbecue sauce and pickled jalapenos

The drink menu: The beverage menu features a maple brown sugar cold brew, cinnamon cereal milk latte, vanilla bean matcha latte and brown sugar chai latte.

The celebration: On Oct. 13, customers can visit the South Congress location to purchase a glazed doughnut and coffee deal for $5 from opening until 5 p.m.

Central Texas is hosting several local fall events across multiple cities, including Austin, Bastrop, Bee Cave, Buda, Elgin, Cedar Park and Georgetown. These seasonal activities feature pumpkin patches, festivals and Halloween celebrations.

Key events scheduled for the holiday season include:

• Pumpkin Nights in Austin, an immersive half-mile exhibition running from Sept. 17-Oct. 31.

• The 43rd annual Viva la Vida Festival & Parade celebrating Día de los Muertos in downtown Austin on Oct. 24.

• Boo Bash, a free Halloween celebration in downtown Bastrop on Oct. 31.

• A free Haunted Trail in Bee Cave from Oct. 22-23, recommended for ages 13 and up.

• The city of Buda's annual Booda Halloween on Oct. 24, featuring trick-or-treating and a kids costume contest.

• The Evergreen Farms Pumpkin Hunt in Elgin from Sept. 26-Oct. 31.

• The Sweet Eats Adventure Farm & Petting Zoo fall festival in Georgetown, running from Sept. 19-Nov. 8.

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.

Ahead of Texas' 2027 legislative session, the state comptroller's office has asked lawmakers to double funding for its $1 billion education savings account program.

The overview: The program gives participating families taxpayer dollars for private education and homeschooling, and officials said at least $2 billion are needed to maintain current participation in the program.

Meanwhile, some Texas families are raising concerns about their local school districts losing money as students leave public schools to participate in the program, known as Texas Education Freedom Accounts.

What they're saying: "149 students have accepted vouchers that were otherwise enrolled in Pflugerville ISD, [resulting in] an estimated loss of $1.2 million in attendance funding," said Stacy Harrell, a PfISD parent. "That lost funding will add to budget cuts that are already affecting Pflugerville ISD families. Four elementary schools [are closing], with the possibility of more."

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.