City of Buda staff presented a report to the City Council detailing various safety issues with the aging playground equipment in City Park during budget discussions in 2025. The council will vote on project plans for the playground’s replacement and various additional park amenities at a June 16 meeting.

The overview: The park’s playground infrastructure, installed in 2020, has become a safety hazard as a result of weather-related wear, according to agenda documents. The council included a $850,000 budget for a full replacement in the fiscal year 2025-26 Capital Improvements Plan.

The details: The City Council will review three conceptual layout options for the playground replacement and associated site amenities. The first proposed option would cost $825,900, the second option would cost $860,500 and the third option would cost $873,298. 

What’s next: The City Council will provide direction to staff at a June 16 meeting. The meeting will be held at 405 E. Loop St., Building 100, Buda, and begin at 6:30 p.m.

A new veteran-owned comic book shop has opened in the Kyle area, providing a new space for local collectors to find the latest releases, back issues, graded books and collectibles; all alongside a sense of community.

The business was opened to fulfill the lifelong dream of its owner, local resident Will Johnson, who recognized that Kyle was missing a dedicated space for comic book hobbyists.

A closer look: Some of the popular series that can be found at Grand Central Comics include Absolute Batman, Invincible, Nightwing and Godzilla. The store also sells children's comics, games, puzzles and posters.

“[Comic books are] a great form of entertainment, and there is something for everybody,” Johnson said. “I don't care who you are, there's something for everybody, and that's actually one of the fun challenges I have, is trying to figure people out and see which book they would enjoy.”

• 175 N. Old Stagecoach Road, Ste. 300, Kyle

Texas must protect residential consumers from paying for the infrastructure needed to power new data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a June 10 order aimed at balancing the rapid growth of data centers with the needs of residents and communities.

The big picture: The governor directed state regulators to ensure data center companies do not pass infrastructure costs on to ratepayers, urging lawmakers to tighten regulations on data centers’ water use and repeal certain tax exemptions that benefit the industry.

Abbott’s order comes as Texas grapples with how to manage the data center boom amid climbing electric demand and looming water shortages. It is the first time the Republican governor has publicly called to restrict data center growth.

The context: As communities across Texas consider new data center projects, reporting shows that some residents are pushing back, raising concerns about the large facilities’ water usage, potential strain on the electric grid and impacts on local neighborhoods.

What they're saying: In response, state agencies called protecting consumers from rising electric costs "our top priority."