A burn ban will remain in effect for Bastrop County through Nov. 24.

The details: James Altgelt, the Bastrop County emergency management coordinator, told Bastrop County Commissioners Court during a Nov. 10 meeting that the Keetch-Byram Drought Index—a tool used in determining forest fire potential—had a 14-day average of 641.14 from Oct. 20 to Nov. 2.

What it means: An index of 800 represents “absolutely dry” conditions, while an index of 0 represents no moisture depletion, according to the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management.

Crust Pizza Co. is set to join the growing number of businesses signing leases with Sendero—a 75-acre mixed-use development under construction along Hwy. 71.

The details: Melanie Chin, a spokesperson for developers Pearl River Companies, confirmed with Community Impact that Crust Pizza Co. will open as part of Sendero’s first retail phase. Its interior and outdoor dining options will total approximately 5,000 square feet, according to Pearl River Companies.

What they offer: Crust Pizza Co., founded in 2011 in The Woodlands, now has dozens of locations throughout Texas and Louisiana, serving Chicago-style thin-crust pizzas alongside a wide variety of appetizers, pastas and desserts.

• Opening TBD
• Sendero, 900 block Hwy. 71 W., Bastrop

A new holiday market is headed to downtown Austin.

The details: Fetch Concepts, the company behind Colorado's Cherry Creek Holiday Market, will debut Oh What Fun! Austin Holiday Market at Republic Square. 

Oh What Fun! is a partnership between Fetch Concepts, the Downtown Austin Alliance and Austin Experiential Group.

What to expect: The market will include local retailers, food trucks, live music, a cocktail lounge, and community activities such as yoga and Pilates sessions.

Retailers will be available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., while the bar will remain open until 10 p.m.

Before you go: The market will begin its run on Nov. 20 and will be open Thursdays through Sundays.

During its final weekend, the market will be open from Thursday, Dec. 18, through Wednesday, Dec. 24.

• 422 Guadalupe St., Austin

Every day for the past 25 years, at least one person has died in crashes on Texas roads. Texas officials and the families of some fatal crash victims commemorated the grim anniversary with a candlelight ceremony at the Texas Capitol on Nov. 7.

The impact: Jamie White said her 2-year-old daughter, Allie, was hit and killed by a distracted driver at Round Rock’s Old Settlers Park in September 2019.

“It only takes [a few] seconds… to kill somebody,” White said Nov. 7. “Can you imagine doing this, taking somebody's child from them, and living the rest of your life knowing that you caused that?”

Following Allie’s death, her parents launched Allie’s Way, a nonprofit aimed at ending distracted driving.

More details: TxDOT data shows that speed and impaired driving are involved in the majority of deadly crashes on Texas roads.

“These are not random events,” Texas Highway Patrol Chief Bryan Rippee said Nov. 7. “These are the results of making the wrong choices on our Texas highways."