Round Rock City Council will vote on a measure to extend a funding agreement with Penfold Theatre during its Oct. 22 meeting.

The specifics: The updated agreement would provide Penfold Theatre $324,024 of funding for over the course of the next three years, Sara Bustilloz, communications and marketing director for the city, said.

Bustilloz said the amount is similar to what the theater received over the past 18 months, but will decrease over time.

Zooming out: Additionally, Bustilloz said the theater has flourished in its new Rock Creek Plaza location, offering summer youth workshops and selling out shows.

"This has been a really exciting initiative for the city to support performing arts in Round Rock," Bustilloz said during an Oct. 20 Council packet briefing. "Penfold has seen a lot of success and we've appreciated seeing that as well."

Bustilloz said the goal is to reassess in three years and discontinue the subsidy provided to the theater.

Round Rock's upcoming The Goddard School delayed its opening to early 2027 due to construction setbacks, the company confirmed in October.

Previously, the facility was planning for a fall 2026 opening.

About the business: The Goddard School provides childcare and early education for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. The new campus will include a multipurpose room and multiple playgrounds.

The Round Rock location is owned by Swetal Soni, Pinak Gohel, Vaishali Gohel and Rohan Munshi, who also own a Georgetown location of the early childhood education franchise.

• 3250 University Blvd., Round Rock

Cava, a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant, opened Oct. 21 in Stone Hill Town Center.

The details: The restaurant serves customizable bowls and pita wraps with several protein options, including steak, lamb, falafel and chicken. Toppings include a variety of greens, rice, lentils, roasted vegetables, corn, pickled onions, avocado and more.

What else? Cava shares a new building in the development with an upcoming Hopdoddy Burger Bar, which is scheduled to open on Oct. 27. 

• 18709 Limestone Commercial Drive, Ste. 100, Pflugerville

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.

Texas environmental regulators have continued processing certain data center permits in the month since Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a permitting pause, according to a new report from FracTracker, an oil and gas watchdog group.

The details: Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality last month to "halt all permits sought by data centers" while the Electric Reliability Council of Texas audits proposed projects.

Yet as of Oct. 16, the TCEQ had moved at least 35 data center-related applications forward, per an analysis of TCEQ records.

Zooming in: The agency has issued public notices for three data center projects since Abbott ordered the pause Sept. 21. It also approved stormwater coverage, certified air emissions limits or assigned engineers to other projects.

"No permits have been approved," Andrew Mahaleris, the governor's press secretary, said Oct. 20. "In line with the governor’s directive, TCEQ has not taken and will not take any proactive actions related to the approval of data center permits."

"These actions do not signal an agency trying to pause," FracTracker said in the report.