ATX-PFH: Impact 11/4/2025

The Story Emporium & Bookshop is now open along Hwy. 79 in Hutto.

The gist: The book store, owned by Ash O’Rourke, offers curated book selections with options in every genre. The shop sells new and used books, while staff can assist customers with special orders.

The store features a cafe, where patrons will find coffee, tea, snacks, pastries, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages.

Plans are in the works for Buddy’s Burger to open a Pflugerville location, according to a recent filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The details: Construction is set for June 2026 with a completion date of March 2027. The restaurant specializes in burgers with fries and also sells hand-spun shakes, with flavors include Mexican vanilla, Oreo, coffee, chocolate and strawberry.

Buddy’s Burger opened a new location in Round Rock earlier this year. It also has locations in Austin and San Marcos.

The Williamson County Expo Center in Taylor, which hosts the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo, completed its West Arena project Oct. 24.

About the project: The expo center received a 175-by-450-foot covered arena, name the Friendship Pavilion. The project also included construction of two 28-by-28-foot covered picnic and a paved parking area.

Totaling $10.7 million, project funds came from the 2023 voter-approved county parks bond. Williamson County officials celebrated the completion of the West Arena project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The history: The Friendship Pavilion is named after the community of Friendship, which established itself in Williamson County in the 1880s. Friendship experienced several destructive floods from the San Gabriel River in the 1900s, and the site of the former community is now located beneath Granger Lake.

• 5350 Bill Pickett Trail, Taylor

About 10% of Williamson County’s 451,219 registered voters cast their ballots during early voting Oct. 20-31, according to the county’s unofficial voting totals.

The breakdown: The 43,961 voters who cast their ballots at early voting locations and by mail make up 9.74% of the county’s registered voters. The majority of residents voted on the last day of early voting, with 9,943 voters casting their ballots Oct. 31.

At the polls: Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. Registered Williamson County voters can cast their ballot at any polling place in the county from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Election Day is Nov. 4. Polling places across Texas will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., according to the secretary of state’s office.

The overview: Voters in the following counties can vote at any polling place within their county of residence through the countywide voting program: Bastrop, Bexar, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Fort Bend, Galveston, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson. Registered voters in other counties are required to visit a polling place specific to their voting precinct.

On the ballot: Texas voters will decide on 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution during the Nov. 4 election. Each proposition was approved by at least two-thirds of state lawmakers this spring before being placed on the ballot.

Voters in various communities across the state may also see local propositions and races on their ballots, including a 20% tax rate increase in Austin, a congressional race in Harris County and a state Senate race in Tarrant County.

Learn more: To get to know the propositions and candidates on your local ballot, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.