A new convenience store offering a selection of beer is now open in Leander. Beer Geek opened in the Valero near the Palmera Ridge neighborhood in July.

The details: The business offers a variety of beer, including craft beers and IPAs. Snacks and novelty goods are also available for purchase.

• 17680 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Leander

The Williamson County Elections Department received 18,762 voter registration records to process as a result of a state backlog caught in September, Communications Manager Connie Odom confirmed. The department has had to hire additional staff and schedule overtime to process the additional applications, Odom said.

What happened: Texas county registrars began receiving a high volume of new voter registrations and updates to voter registration records all at once in late September, several counties reported.

The backlogged records dated back to October 2025, Williamson County officials stated in a Sept. 24 Facebook post. The error came from a technological issue from the Texas Department of Public Safety—which can process voter registration applications and updates through its online driver's license portal.

What voters should know: Anyone who registered through DPS on or before Oct. 5 is eligible for the November election even if the county processes the record later. Those affected after registering online through DPS can still cast a provisional ballot.

About 700 jobs are coming to Cedar Park as Nebraska Furniture Mart, or NFM, prepares to open its new store at the CedarView development next year.

The details: Beyond the 700 Austin-area employees NFM plans to hire, the business expects about 400 current employees to relocate to Cedar Park, a Sept. 23 news release states.

The company will begin hiring for many roles this fall. Positions in sales, warehouse and delivery are currently available.

“As we prepare to welcome hundreds of new employees in Cedar Park, we want candidates to know they are joining a company that values its people, supports their development and provides opportunities to build a meaningful career,” Megan Berry Barlow, chief human resources officer at NFM, said in a statement. 

Of note: The retailer is expected to bring in an additional $344 million in tax revenue for Cedar Park over the next 25 years, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

Read six trending Austin-area stories from Oct. 5-9.

1. Scrambles now open in Pflugerville

2. Gringo's Mexican Kitchen coming to Northline

3. COTA sets sights on water park, resort

4. Project LeanNation now open in Georgetown

5. Ascension Seton acquires 3 Family Health System facilities

6. Austin leaders look to local preparations as air taxis take off in Texas

The Texas comptroller's office is reviewing the finances and spending decisions of four public school districts: Austin, El Paso, Prosper and Barbers Hill ISDs.

The overview: The review was requested by Gov. Greg Abbott in August and will identify whether schools are directing taxpayer dollars toward students, teachers and classrooms over administrative costs, according to information from the two state agencies.

Zooming in: For the 2024-25 school year, the Texas Education Agency gave the selected districts the following financial ratings:

• Austin ISD: B rating; score of 88 (about 69,000 students)

• El Paso ISD: A rating; score of 92 (about 46,000 students)

• Prosper ISD: A rating; score of 94 (about 33,000 students)

• Barbers Hill ISD: A rating; score of 100 (about 8,000 students)

More details: Austin and Prosper ISDs are in Community Impact's coverage areas. According to previous reporting, Austin ISD passed an $887 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2026-27 after making $205 million in gross cuts this summer. Prosper ISD adopted a budget with an expected $42.2 million shortfall.