The Austin Bats, Austin's only professional basketball team, will return to the court on Oct. 25 for the American Basketball Association 2026-2027 season. Founded 12 years ago by Leticia Castillo, the team is making its debut as national champions after winning the league title on April 12, 2026.

The details: Following their championship win, the Bats are making several changes:

• Home games will move from Travis High School to St. Edward’s University.

• The team will launch a new mascot, with fans submitting name suggestions.

• The organization is seeking new sponsors and partnerships.

Key players: Head coach and general manager Rommel Corro leads the team. Core players to watch include JaMichael Brown, Ty Jordan, DK Eldridge, Mims O'Neal, Alue Alue and Solomon Mitchell.

What’s next: The Bats will host the 2028 National Championship in Austin. For the upcoming season, the team will play 20 games, including 11 home games, with tickets priced at $10.

After a decade of collecting and selling antique jewelry online, Antiques by Anna owner Anna Mazaikina has brought her passion for vintage finds to a brick-and-mortar shop in North Austin.

Meet the owner: Originally from Moscow, Mazaikina began her jewelry journey in 2015 after moving to Austin. What started as a blog to research and share her interest in American costume jewelry from the 1920s to 1940s soon attracted fellow collectors. After 10 years of operating primarily online, Mazaikina opened the storefront on Oct. 1, 2025.

What they offer: The shop's collection spans from the 1860s to the 1990s, featuring Victorian-era and Art Deco jewels and late-20th century pieces from luxury brands like Dior and Chanel. Customers can find rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, brooches and other collectibles including vintage purses and perfume bottles.

Staying local: Mazaikina said the shop will hold an estate sale-style neighborhood collectors sale from Nov. 6-8, featuring a special selection of jewelry and other antique items.

As Election Day nears, candidates seeking to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate are raising—and spending—large sums of money, their campaign finance reports show.

The details: Candidates and political action committees, or PACs, involved in federal races had until midnight Oct. 15 to submit reports detailing their fundraising and spending from the third quarter of 2026—July 1 through Sept. 30.

• Democrat James Talarico raised $60.2 million and spent $67.2 million, according to his campaign finance report.

• Republican Ken Paxton, the state's current attorney general, reported raising $10.2 million and spending $7.1 million

• Libertarian Ted Brown's campaign finance report shows he raised about $5,208 and spent $3,410

Preparing for the polls: Early voting in Texas' midterm election runs from Oct. 19-30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Texans can view a personalized sample ballot with information about dozens of candidates and local propositions at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which regulates the state's air quality, water quality and waste management, has shut down its electronic filing portal for certain environmental permit applications, an agency spokesperson confirmed Oct. 22. The shutdown comes after watchdog groups said the agency violated an order from Gov. Greg Abbott by processing nearly three dozen permit applications for data center projects.

What's happening: The agency disabled its automated electronic filing system and suspended initial stormwater and wastewater permits, known as "notices of intent," for 17 data center construction projects.

"To ensure all applications are thoroughly reviewed by agency staff to determine if they are related to data centers, applications must be physically provided to TCEQ," agency spokesperson Victoria Cann said in an Oct. 22 statement.

Zooming in: The permits suspended as part of TCEQ's review include a permit for EdgeConneX’s second data center campus in Bastrop County and one for a Google data center facility in Tarrant County, both of which are in Community Impact's coverage areas.