Kyle City Council on Dec. 2 heard a presentation on the early findings of the city’s comprehensive housing assessment.

Breaking it down: Officials said the review began in June and shows a widening housing affordability crisis in Kyle. It is being conducted by HousingWorks Austin, an affordable-housing nonprofit.

Early findings point to growing pressure on lower-income workers across the community and higher costs for rent and housing. The assessment will continue through April.

Why it matters: According to Awais Azhar, executive director of HousingWorks Austin, nearly 25% of homeowners and 55% of renters were cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30%-50% of their income on housing.

Essential workers, including paramedics, firefighters and teachers, are increasingly struggling, officials said.

Notable quote: “We want households to not be spending an inordinate amount of their [income] on housing-related expenses because that essentially means that they will be impacting education, health access, elder care ... all the things that are critical for a family in a household to thrive,” Azhar said.

Buda residents will soon be able to shop for books while sipping wine at The Roundabout in Buda, which recently broke ground.

The overview: Two Doors Down Bookshop & Wine will sell books and book-related merchandise, as well as wine and other beverages.

What they're saying: “I want to build a dreamy little space for our community to shop books, bookish merch, enjoy a glass of wine and participate in many, many events that revolve around community and our love for books,” owner Sarah R. said.

What else? The Two Doors Down Bookshop team is hosting pop-ups in Buda ahead of the brick-and-mortar construction. The next pop-up will take place on December 6, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., at the Mercantile at Mill and Grain at 304 S. Main St., Ste. 101.

• The Roundabout in Buda, 1141 FM 967, Buda

Nine new medical cannabis dispensaries could soon open in Texas, the Department of Public Safety announced Dec. 1.

The overview: The nine companies were preliminarily approved to join three existing dispensaries that provide medical-grade, low-THC products to eligible patients through the Texas Compassionate Use Program. The program's expansion comes after state lawmakers passed House Bill 46 this spring.

Lawmakers also allowed dispensaries to store products in multiple locations, which advocates said would cut costs, and added more qualifying conditions to the program.

Zooming in: The nine providers given conditional licenses Dec. 1 are:

• Verano Texas LLC in West Texas
• Trulieve TX Inc. in the Panhandle
• Texas Patient Access LLC in North Texas
• Lonestar Compassionate Care Group LLC in North Texas
• Lone Star Bioscience Inc. in South Central Texas
• PC TX OPCO LLC, dba PharmaCann, in Southeast Texas
• Texa OP, dba TexaRx, in the Rio Grande Valley
• Story of Texas LLC in Southeast Texas
• Dilatso LLC in North Texas