As the start of the 2026-27 school year approaches, a Hutto ISD administrator shared a preview of operational changes coming to the district's transportation department. 

What you need to know: HISD Transportation Director Dana Rosen said bus routes have been revamped to consolidate stops, relocate stops near unsafe intersections, avoid high-traffic zones and rail crossings, and reduce turns in neighborhoods. 

The details: After a review of bus stops in the district, stops located near T-shaped intersections will be relocated to longer streets to provide more visibility of students and buses to drivers.

These relocations, Rosen said, ensure traffic will be fully stopped to safely allow students to cross the street. 

Some stops have also been consolidated to streamline routes and make sure students arrive on campus in time for breakfast. Elementary school students's stops will be at most 0.25 miles from their homes, while bus stops for secondary students will be no more than half a mile from home, in accordance with the district's walk-to-stop guidelines.

Pflugerville has gained a couple of new dining options, including a weekend-only breakfast and brunch spot, and an Indian food truck.

Everest Sunrise Kitchen
The weekend-only breakfast and brunch spot, which shares a space with Curry Kitchen, highlights American, Indian and Nepali flavors. Its menu includes egg dishes, omelets, pancakes, and Indian and Nepali breakfast dishes, such as masala dosa and uttapam.

• Opened July 4

• 15424 FM 1825, Ste. 230, Pflugerville

Desi Circle Express
Located at the Shell gas station, the food truck serves Indian street food, with offerings such as butter chicken, sandwiches and wraps. Appetizers options include chili paneer, chicken manchurian, and chili shrimp.

• Opened July 15

• 618 FM 685, Pflugerville

Mam Mam
After building a following through its pop-up, Vietnamese and Thai concept's brick and mortar will serve an expanded menu alongside a full bar complete with Asian-inspired cocktails.

• Opening in the fall

• 1900 E. Howard Lane, Ste. G-1, Pflugerville

Three of Pflugerville ISD's high school campuses will host college application bootcamp events Aug. 3-4 for students in the 2027 graduating class. 

What you need to know: According to district information, the bootcamps will include opportunities for students to work on college applications utilizing the Common App and Black Common App tools, and review college essays. Representatives from the University of Houston and Texas A&M University will be available for assistance. 

The bootcamps will be held Aug. 3 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. at Pflugerville High School, and from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. at Weiss High School. The third bootcamp will be held Aug. 4 from 9 a.m.- 11 a.m. at Connally High School. 

Registration links can be found on the Weiss High School College and Career Center website. 

Check out six stories trending in the Austin area July 27-30. 

1. 8 new and coming soon businesses to west Georgetown

2. Urban Egg to open its first Austin location this fall

3. Hao Hao Vietnamese & Chinese Restaurant planned for Pflugerville

4. Two Tim Hortons locations coming to Leander’s Hero Way, Ronald Reagan

5. A Little Shady announces opening date of Kyle location

6. Road work projects around CedarView development to be completed before Scheels opening

This summer, Texas is launching a new process to study the viability of data centers and other large projects seeking to connect to the state’s power grid. The process’ strict requirements could deter major industrial projects from coming to the state, experts warn.

The overview: The Electric Reliability Commission of Texas’ new "batch study process" will require that large projects be evaluated in groups, rather than individually. The process was developed in response to Texas’ data center boom.

What they're saying: All projects that would use at least 75 megawatts of electricity will be required to participate in the batch process—including industrial and hydrogen production facilities. However, industrial and manufacturing projects operate differently from data centers and may not be able to meet some of the batch requirements, industry representatives said July 29.

In a state that works to attract major companies and bills itself as business-friendly, that’s a concern, lawmakers said.

"Where are y'all at on trying to differentiate those types of traditional, enterprise, big commercial, large load projects?" Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, asked.