ATX-RRK: Impact 11/11/2025

The cities of Round Rock, Pflugerville and Hutto will host Veterans Day events to honor service members on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Check out these three events happening in your area.

Round Rock Veterans Day Celebration: The city of Round Rock will host its annual Veterans Day Celebration at the Flag Plaza at Yonders Point in Old Settlers Park. The ceremony will feature guest speaker Alain Babin, a veteran and Round Rock’s former assistant police chief, as well as a representative from Army Futures Command. After a special presentation recognizing local veterans, the event will include live music and a free lunch.

Hutto Veterans Day Celebration: The city of Hutto will honor veterans at the city’s newly completed Veterans Memorial Wall. The ceremony will include guest speakers and live music. The memorial site, adjacent to Hutto City Hall, pays tribute to 11 local veterans.

A new location of Black Rock Coffee Bar is set for central Round Rock, with the Oregon-based coffee chain in early stages of planning a new shop.

What you need to know: Round Rock city staff confirmed the coffee chain is engaged in the permitting process for a future location at the corner of the intersection of A.W. Grimes and E. Palm Valley Boulevard in November.

About the business: Black Rock Coffee Bar offers a variety of brewed coffee and tea beverages, energy drinks, shakes and smoothies. The first Round Rock location opened in 2021, near RM 620.
 

More than 20 months after wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle in early 2024, burning over 1.2 million acres of land, state lawmakers questioned if Texas has the tools needed to tackle another major fire.

The context: Texas is always a fire-prone state, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. The association’s website reports that annual wildfire risk is most severe from February-April, when dry grasses and high winds can cause fires to spread, and August-October, when high temperatures and droughts contribute to fires.

“Our purpose today is to figure out—what is our response going to look like next February and March?” Rep. Ken King, a Republican representing Canadian and other Panhandle communities, said during a Nov. 3 committee hearing. “Are we better prepared … or are we in the same position we were in 2024, when our response was lacking?”

The details: Officials said Texas owns just two firefighting aircraft, with others "essentially [subleased] through the federal government."

During peak wildfire season, this means Texas may have access to limited resources.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced his bid for a fourth gubernatorial term Nov. 9, laying out an ambitious six-pronged plan to make “out-of-control property taxes finished in Texas.”

The details: Abbott's goals include eliminating property taxes charged by public school districts, which make up the majority of an average homeowner’s property tax bill. Some conservative groups and lawmakers pushed for an end to school property taxes during recent state legislative sessions.

The governor’s plan to limit local tax increases includes:

• Limiting annual local government spending
• Requiring approval from two-thirds of local voters for all tax hikes
• Allowing local residents to petition for an election to roll back tax rates
• Requiring property appraisals to occur once every five years
• Capping appraisal increases at 3% per year, down from 10% today
• Asking voters to eliminate school property taxes