Austin established a new public review process when city parks are targeted for eminent domain proceedings by other entities, including local school districts like Austin ISD that have moved to condemn areas like playgrounds on city-owned parkland.

The details: Under longstanding city policy, the condemnation of public parkland could take place without City Council sign-off or public review. New rules adopted Aug. 27 add more protections to manage any future condemnation proceedings, and offset potential impacts on public parks access.

What else: Separately, the city is also working to improve coordination between Austin and local school districts that may be shutting down campuses. The move came as Austin ISD school closure plans advanced earlier this year, and city staff are continuing to evaluate how those sites are being used and whether Austin could partner future redevelopments.

Mo Bamba, former University of Texas basketball player and NBA player, is headed back to campus. The Longhorn athlete is opening up Mo Bamba Cards & Collectibles in West Campus on Sept. 11. 

The business will welcome veteran card collectors and newcomers, according to a news release, offering sports cards, Pokémon and more. 

Dig deeper: The store will include lounge seating, community trading tables, game play, opening boxes and a TV wall showing sports events, according to the release. The business will also host monthly trade nights and collector events. 

For retail offerings, card collectors can find football, baseball, basketball, soccer and hockey trading cards, as well as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece and Magic: The Gathering. 

Check this out: The new cards and collectables business will also act as a consignment hub. Staff will be available to assess card rarity, market value and determine if a card needs additional grading. 

• 2350 Guadalupe St., Austin

On Sept. 1, the State Board of Education moved forward with an overhaul of what Texas high schoolers will learn in four social studies courses: U.S. History, U.S. Government, World History and World Geography.

What's happening: Roughly 100 Texans testified about the high school curriculum rewrite at an Aug. 31 meeting, with the debate revolving around how students would learn about the two largest world religions, Christianity and Islam.

Dozens of Muslim Texans asked that students learn about the religion’s core principles and how Muslims have contributed to advancements in math, science and medicine throughout history.

Some testifiers said the social studies curriculum should highlight the role of Christianity in the founding of Texas and the U.S., praising the board for prioritizing “American exceptionalism” and topics that they said would teach students to love the country.

The context: The discussion comes as the Republican-led board nears the finish line on its new K-12 social studies curriculum standards.

If approved, the new requirements will be rolled out to public school classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.

Hermanas, from Austin-born and raised Chef Silvino Sanchez, is now open off East Sixth Street in Austin.

The details: The restaurant is named for Sanchez’s father's hometown, Ejido Primero de Mayo in Coahuila, Mexico. The town is known locally as Hermanas after its train station that connects the region to Mexico City.

The menu: Sanchez worked at the now-closed Thai Kun under Chef Thai Changthong and spent four years as sous chef at BRUTØ in Denver, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant, before returning home to Austin to open Hermanas.

The menu is inspired by Sanchez’s Mexican heritage and summers spent in Guadalajara as a child. Sanchez grew up in Del Valle and has embraced Southeast Asian techniques in the kitchen that translate at Hermanas.

"You think the dish is Mexican, and then you bite into it and find all these Asian flavors. That's the connection," Sanchez said in a news release. "It's not fusion. It's just how these two cultures actually live in me.”

• 1100 E. 6th St., Austin

A data center in Hutto, the Texas Municipal Center in Georgetown and a 7 Brew in Austin are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Colovore Hutto ($280 million): This project involves the construction of a 192,694-square-foot, one-story data center building.

2. Texas Municipal Center ($60 million): The Texas Municipal League will be relocating its headquarters to downtown Georgetown.

3. Frontier ER ($2 million): This project involves the construction of a freestanding emergency medical facility.

4. C Store ($1.2 million): A new C store convenience store is coming to Bastrop, with construction expected to conclude next September. 

5. 7 Brew ($400,000): A new 7 Brew location will be coming to Austin. The drive-thru coffee shop has locations in Manor and Round Rock.