• Olive Garden is set to begin construction on a new Italian restaurant on the I-35 frontage road in 2027.
• LongHorn Steakhouse is in the early stages of developing a new location on the I-35 frontage road.
• The City of Kyle Parks and Recreation Department will host a ribbon-cutting for the 34,000-square-foot All Wheels Skatepark on Nov. 7.
• Austin Pets Alive! and PAWS Shelter of Central Texas partnered to launch the Hays County Pets Alive! initiative, aiming to reopen the Kyle shelter location by the end of the year.
• Papa Murphy's permanently closed its Kyle location in September.
• Crust Pizza Co. closed its Kyle location in September.

Hays CISD passed the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, or FIRST, with a ‘C,’ earning 78 out of 100 possible points. The 2025-26 report utilizes data from FY 2024-25 and indicates a two-point decrease from last year. 

How it works: The FIRST system is how the Texas Education Agency rates the financial accountability for all public school districts in the state. Scores are based on 21 indicators, with four critical indicators that will result in automatic failure if not met.

Indicators analyze district funds and measure metrics such as fund balance, debts, student attendance and communication with the public.

“It’s all about cash flow, fund balance and debt,” Chief Financial Officer Deborah Ottmers said at an Oct. 19 meeting. “And we’re going to continue to have a problem with debt because we have more schools to build.”

A closer look: The 2026 report found that HCISD failed indicators that analyzed change in fund balance, ability to pay short-term debt and ratio of revenue to expenditures.

Travelers this October, especially those for Formula 1, should prepare for long lines at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The details: Airport officials expect possible record-breaking busy days at the airport Oct. 22 through Oct. 27. The busiest day is anticipated to be Oct. 26, the day after the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on Oct. 25.

Going forward

Airport officials recommend the following tips to travelers:

• Arrive 2.5 hours before departure for domestic flights and 3 hours before departure for international flights

• Allow extra time for checking luggage, returning rental cars or parking before joining the security line

• Use either the upper level for departures or the lower level for arrivals when dropping off passengers

There are four security checkpoints leading to all gates. The first checkpoints open at 3 a.m..

The background: ABIA recorded its busiest month ever for passenger traffic in June, servicing 2,102,853 departing and arriving passengers. The second busiest month was recorded in July, with 2,102,655 departing and arriving passengers, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

New Braunfels is considering updating its code of ordinances to make it more difficult for data centers to be built in the city.

Why now? Chapter 144 of the city’s code does not define data centers, nor does it identify a zoning district where data center land use is explicitly allowed. This means a data center could be allowed in M-2 and M-2A industrial zoning districts. Data centers could also be allowed with a special use permit, or SUP, in the M-1 and M-1A zoning districts, according to Oct. 19 special city council meeting agenda documents.

Zooming in: City staff is recommending updating the city’s code to include a definition of what a data center is and requiring the property to have a base industrial zoning district and a Type 2 SUP. This would allow the council to evaluate the site in relation to surrounding land uses and infrastructure, hear public input and receive input from property owners within 200 feet, according to agenda documents.