Bastrop’s existing 1,000-foot sex offender buffer could soon extend from where registered sex offenders live to where some registered sex offenders can work, following a split City Council vote.

The vote: Officials approved the first reading on June 9. Council members Perry Lowe, Cynthia Meyer and Kevin Plunkett voted in favor of the ordinance, while Mayor Pro Tem John Kirkland and council member Kerry Fossler opposed.

The details: During the meeting, Kirkland raised concerns about the ordinance’s grandfather clause and whether it could affect people with pending, unresolved registration-related charges, while Fossler said she supported people’s right to work and recover but felt the ordinance remained “too broad of a brush” and “too targeted.”

Some context: The proposed ordinance would bar covered sex offenders from working within the same buffer zone. The restrictions would apply to medium and high-level offenders.

Check out 5 of the latest openings in Bastrop County, including a Brazilian steakhouse, a thrift store funding job support services, and more.

1. Aspen Dental: The national dental practice offers a variety of oral health services, ranging from dental hygiene and emergency care to oral surgery, implants and more. 

2. BISD Facilities Support & Police Administration Building: Supports administrative and operational functions for district police while also housing maintenance, custodial, groundskeeping and more.

3. Espadas De Brazil Bar & Brazilian Steakhouse: Owner Robinson Figueiredo offers a Brazilian rodízio, or all-you-can-eat, experience in the former Stem & Stone space—which closed late last year.

4.  Healing Hands Community Thrift Store: The resale shop funds job support services in the area.

5. Wisdom House Realty Group: In addition to traditional realtor services, co-founders Liana and Matt Walker and team offer educational resources on home improvement, networking opportunities and other tools to help clients make informed decisions.

Check out some of the most-read stories from the Austin area June 8-12.

1. Slick City Action Park location coming to Round Rock's east side

2. Georgetown officials consider creation of Woodside active adult community

3. Town halls set for 3 Cedar Creek data centers spanning nearly 1,500 acres

4. Austin seeks to rein in 'chaotic' e-moto use

5. Conejos Tex-Mex Cantina serves unique takes on regional classics

6. Check out 5 Cedar Park-area parks and recreation updates

Austin Watershed Protection is advising caution on some city lakes due to reports of potentially hazardous algae.

What's happening: Mats of blue-green algae, which may be toxic, were recently observed by city staff on Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin, according to the watershed protection department. Samples have been taken from the lakes for testing.

The watershed department noted the algae may be present throughout both lakes and in other Austin waterways. Algae could spread amid hotter weather this summer. Residents and their pets should avoid any contact with algae mats, the city advised.

What else: Austin Watershed Protection previously initiated a five-year, $1.5 million pilot program to reduce algae growth, which involved applying lanthanum-modified clay to manage phosphorus in waterways' sediment. No treatments were applied this spring, as 2026 is a control year that'll be used to evaluate the pilot's effectiveness and cost benefits.

As the 2026-27 school year nears, the number of people selected to participate in Texas’ education savings account program has topped 100,000.

The overview: To date, just over 102,000 students have been accepted into the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program, which gives families state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them.

However, being awarded funds does not mean a student is guaranteed to be able to use that money at a participating private school this fall.

Zooming in: Over 2,600 private schools have been approved to accept TEFA funding, per the state comptroller's office. State law does not require schools participating in the program to accept all interested families.

Next steps: Families accepted into the program have until July 15 to do one of the following:

• Confirm enrollment at a private school involved in the program
• Notify the state of their homeschooling plans
• Opt out of the program