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Hello Sweetie

The gift and candy shop, located at Barton Creek Square, offers candy, toys, Asian snacks, mystery box items and popular gifts such as Needoh and Jellycats.

• Opened in August

• 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin

What’s next: Filings made with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation

7 Brew

The drive-thru coffee stand offers customizable coffee drinks, sparkling sodas, energy drinks, smoothies, shakes, matcha, lemonade and teas with over 20,000 flavor combinations.

• Opening TBD

• 700 E William Cannon Drive, Austin

Worth the trip

COTALAND Theme Park

The theme park features over 30 experiences, including the first tilt roller coaster in Texas; mini golf; COTA Karting; a zip line; and the Hot Lap experience where guests can ride along on the Formula 1 track. The park also features several food and drink stands.

• Opening Sept. 26

• 9111 Circuit of the Americas Blvd., Austin

Austin voters can hear from candidates running for five City Council seats on this year's ballot at a series of moderated panels.

A closer look: The public forums are sponsored by the city, the Ethics Review Commission and the League of Women Voters Austin Area. Events will take place in-person in the relevant council districts, streamed live on ATXN and aired on KAZI FM 88.7.

Panels include:

• District 5 on Sept. 17

• District 8 on Sept. 21

• District 9 on Sept. 29

• District 3 on Oct. 1

• District 1 on Oct. 15

Voters can submit questions for the moderators by email or phone, and request interpretation services via 3-1-1 ahead of the events.

A Kia dealership in Austin, a Walmart in Liberty Hill and an Olive Garden in Kyle are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Kia of Central Austin ($36 million): A new 206,601-square-foot Kia dealership is set to begin construction in Austin next spring.

2. Walmart ($12.2 million): A new Walmart Supercenter is coming to Liberty Hill, with construction set to begin in October.

3. Hill Country Bible Georgetown ($6.2 million): This project involves the construction of new admin and student ministry buildings at the Hill Country Bible Church in Georgetown.

4. Olive Garden ($4.1 million): A new Olive Garden restaurant is coming to Kyle, with construction set to wrap up late next year.

5. 3rd Wave Climbing Gym ($2.3 million): This project involves the renovation and change of occupancy of an existing warehouse building into an indoor climbing gym facility.

The first public air taxi test in Texas debuted in Fort Worth Sept. 10 with an audience that included U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, Sen. Ted Cruz and numerous federal, state and regional leaders.

The takeaway: The Texas Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, officially launched Project Nexus at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The project is a pilot program for electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOLs.

The initiative will bring together federal, state and regional transportation leaders with aviation manufacturers and operators to begin testing how advanced air mobility can be safely integrated into the nation’s transportation system, according to a news release.

“For those of y'all who are old enough to remember 'The Jetsons,' I remember flying cars and we’re at the verge of seeing flying cars,” Cruz said. “We’re at the verge of air taxis and drones and transportation being transformed.”

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas General Land Office in the Nov. 3 election.

The overview: Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neill Snider are challenging Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham for the seat.

Buckingham ran uncontested in the March Republican primary, Community Impact reported, while Flores won the Democratic primary. Snider was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The context: The state land commissioner manages 13 million acres of state lands, with duties such as allocating disaster recovery funds, leasing state lands to generate revenue for the Texas Permanent School Fund, preserving state landmarks such as The Alamo and overseeing several veterans programs.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.