Sorn Thai Kitchen by Seeda officially opened its doors to customers for a soft opening Dec. 18, owner Brendan Sipple confirmed in an email to Community Impact. 

On the menu: The menu includes noodle dishes, fried rice, curries and more. The new spot offers a Thai red curry with roasted duck, which features red curry cooked with duck, coconut milk, basil, red chili, pineapple, grape, tomato and lychee. 

Another menu item is the Tiger Cry, which is a New York strip served with cucumber, lettuce, tomato, red onion and sticky rice with spicy tamarind sauce. 

More details: Sipple’s wife Sirin is the co-owner and current head chef of Sorn Thai Kitchen by Seeda. Many of the dishes used at the new restaurant are adapted from her family recipes, as well as family recipes from their business partner Sonny Moffitt, according to Sipple.

The restaurant offers online booking for reservations and will offer live music on Fridays and Saturdays in 2026. 

• 708 S. Austin Ave., Georgetown

The city of Georgetown will increase its library fees for those residing outside city limits beginning Jan. 1.

The details: The annual fee for nonresidents will increase from $35 to $100. For senior nonresidents, the fee will increase from $30 to $80. Users will be charged the new fee at the time of their library card renewal.

Library users can contact the library with any questions or concerns in person or at 512-930-3551, according to a city news release.

Why now? The city funds the public library through resident property taxes. Georgetown is increasing library card fees to support the cost of library services for the growing population and service area, the news release states.

The city pays about $100 per library cardholder for library operations, according to the news release.

For over half a decade, Meals on Wheels Central Texas has supported seniors and functionally homebound Texans to remain in their homes for as long as possible.

From meal delivery to home repairs, MOWCTX spearheads various efforts to support the greater Austin area.

“Our mission is to help those who are aging or functionally home-bound age in place,” MOWCTX CEO Henry Van de Putte said. “Because that's the most dignified way to live and it's the most economical way to live and it's the most humanitarian way to live.”

The big picture: Founded in 1972 as a part of Meals on Wheels America, MOWCTX has grown the number and scope of its services over the past 52 years.

The nonprofit offers various meal and nutritional programs, including:

• Home-delivered meals
• Healthy Options Program for the Elderly
  • Grocery delivery
• Groceries to go
  • Volunteer-supported grocery shopping
• Congregate lunch centers

This November, Texas voters approved 17 constitutional amendments, also known as state propositions. Here’s what’s next for some of those propositions and what they mean for Texans.

The overview: Texas voters authorized the state to spend $1 billion annually on water supply funding, totaling $20 billion over a two-decade period, through Proposition 4. Funding will flow into the Texas Water Fund, a state account created in 2023 to help finance water projects.

However, state law requires that the money does not begin moving into the water fund until September 2027, and it will not be available for grants until 2029. Until then, state agencies, water utilities and local organizations will need to plan for funding, adjust rules and processes to align with recent state laws and update Texas’ water and flood plans, according to the Texas Water Foundation.

More details: Texas homeowners were set to see expanded property tax breaks on their 2025 tax bills under Propositions 11 and 13. Four other property tax exemptions approved by voters will take effect Jan. 1.