Eight new businesses opened their doors recently in San Marcos, from car retailers and running gear shops to on-campus dining spots and dirty soda stops.

CarMax: The nation’s largest retailer of used cars opened its first location in the city this fall, providing a new in-person option for car transactions.

Core Running Company: The running store and movement center offers expert shoe fittings, gait analysis, and personalized solutions to build running strength and support comfortable, pain-free movement.

Corridor Collective: The business offers seven private offices with everything included in base rent, such as power, water, HVAC and high-speed fiber internet.

Mella Counseling: The new counseling practice brings individual and group counseling services to the city.

Spirit Halloween: The popular Halloween retailer offers a variety of products to set the mood for the spooky holiday.

Swig: The dirty soda shop opened its first location in the city at the end of July, offering customers a variety of unique drinks.

Jimmy John's and QDOBA Mexican Eats: Texas State University opened the two new eateries this fall.

Jess Ebee, Joshua Edmond and George M Torres Jr. are seeking votes in the Buda City Council Member At-Large, Position 1 race. 

Candidates were asked to keep responses within 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents.

Q: Why are you running for this position?

• Ebee: Candidate did not respond before press time.

• Edmond: "I can make a difference. As a faith leader, I see challenges our community faces beyond infrastructure and growth. As a family, we love this community, and I'm running because it should always be people > politics. I've served on the EDC board, work with local businesses, and understand emerging technology."

• Torres Jr.: "Buda thrives when dedicated City Council members invest their time and energy in building a stronger community. I am running for At-Large Position 1 to build on that progress, bring a local business owner’s perspective, support thoughtful growth after November 3, and proudly represent the voices of all Buda residents."

Southwest Airlines will open a lounge at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, set to welcome guests in late 2027.

A closer look: The airline also announced on Sept. 2 its first-ever lounges will be built at:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

• Nashville International Airport

The lounges, including at Austin, are already under construction, according to a Southwest Airlines news release. The company also plans to build seven more lounges at different airports but did not specify where in the release.

Diving in deeper: ABIA is currently undergoing an expansion to accommodate passenger growth.

In July, airport officials announced that June 2026 was the airport's busiest month ever for passenger traffic, servicing 2,102,853 departing and arriving passengers. Southwest Airlines saw the most passenger traffic that month, with 916,510 passengers served, up 10.9% year over year, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

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.

Check out some trending stories from the Austin area Sept. 7-10.

1. Pflugerville's Springhill Restaurant to close in October

2. $82M Hwy. 79 widening prepares for next step in Round Rock

3. Scheels, sandwiches and soccer: 13 Cedar Park-area business updates to know this September

4. Snarf's Sandwiches planned for Georgetown

5. Sandy’s Southern Spice closes in Bastrop after owner’s death

6. Austin reports on new homeless encampment management program's early results