A new bakery and the relocation of a longtime Tex-Mex restaurant are just some of the updates for the Lake Travis-Westlake area in February.

Now open
Cupprimo at the Lake
Cupprimo at the Lake opened in late January in Lakeway, marking the second location for bakery Cupprimo. Locally owned by Amy Closson, the shop's daily menu includes quiche, coffee and seven cupcake flavors available every day of the week: red velvet, blue velvet, tuxedo, strawberry, birthday cake, double chocolate and primo vanilla.

• Opened Jan. 31
• 900 S. RM 620, Ste. C-105, Lakeway

• Opened Jan. 31
• 23526 W. Hwy. 71, Spicewood

Lake Travis Education Foundation officials announced Feb. 4 that the foundation will replace its annual gala with a benefit concert celebrating its 40th anniversary.

The move is in line with a trend of reevaluating traditional galas, which often come with high overhead and no longer guarantee a strong return on investment, LTEF officials said. 

The details: LTEF's annual gala was originally scheduled for March 6. The event will now be a benefit concert at HCI Sports & Fitness, featuring live music, food trucks, complimentary drinks, interactive elements, student involvement and opportunities to give to LTEF through a silent auction and paddle raise.

Unlike the gala, the event will not feature assigned seating or a dinner program. Single general admission tickets are $185, with opportunities to purchase a pair of tickets or a group of eight at a lower cost. 

Something to note: LTEF hosts a variety of other fundraising events throughout the year, including a women's leadership brunch in May, a golf scramble in the fall and a Thanksgiving 5K and 1-mile race.

From a neighborhood amenity center to a new aircraft hangar and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Pflugerville: A 30,875-square-foot aircraft hangar with offices will be constructed at the Austin Executive Airport.

2. Round Rock: The Islamic Center of Round Rock will construct a two-floor worship assembly.

3. Cedar Park: Crestline at Brushy Creek, a new community in Cedar Park, is building a neighborhood pool, pool house and parking lot totaling 1,684 square feet.

4. Leander: Baltimore, Md.-based Highway 29 Commercial will construct an 11,261-square-foot shell building. Leander Technology Park, a 50-acre community, will support 13 buildings with approximately 230,000 square feet of space, according to St. John Properties.

5. Bastrop: The breakfast and lunch chain will launch its Bastrop spot within the upcoming development, Sendero. The Toasted Yolk Cafe offers a variety of meals across its breakfast, brunch and lunch menus.

The Texas Science & Natural History Museum recently opened its latest paleontology exhibit to the public on Jan. 28. Museum attendees can now immerse themselves in how creatures lived by playing a video game, checking out interactive panels and learning where the featured Texas fossils were found across the state.

Dig deeper: Various interactive elements have been introduced to the Epic Encounters space including the featured creatures touchscreen panels which give attendees the opportunity to dig deeper into the lives of eight of the animals in the exhibit’s collection.

In addition to the panels, the museum has introduced a choose-your-own-adventure game where individuals can choose to play as one of the five creature options in two environments and see how they would do living out a day in that creature’s life.

• 2400 Trinity St., Austin

Thousands of students who apply for Texas’ education savings accounts will likely not be accepted into the first year of the program, application data from the state comptroller’s office shows.

What's happening: Over 101,000 students had applied for Texas Education Freedom Accounts as of Feb. 15. Applications close at 11:59 p.m. March 17.

Program funding is capped at $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year, meaning between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted. With demand expected to outpace available funding, applications will be prioritized through a need- and income-based lottery system.

Zooming in: Over 70% of program applicants were from low- or middle-income households, according to data from the comptroller’s office. Under Senate Bill 2, the 2025 law that created the program:

• “Low-income” is defined as families with annual household incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty line, or about $66,000 for a family of four.
• “Middle-income” is defined as families with incomes at or below 500% of the federal poverty line, or about $165,000 for a family of four.