Austin leaders are preparing for the arrival of new advanced aircraft like electric vertical take-off and landing, or eVTOL, vehicles.

The details: Under a new Federal Aviation Administration program, the vehicles are now being evaluated for passenger and cargo transportation as well as emergency response. The Texas Department of Transportation-led Project Nexus aims to eventually extend air taxi networks between Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

As the FAA manages airspace, Austin officials noted the city will likely have little authority over eVTOL operations. However, Austin's transportation, aviation, public safety, land use and legal departments will be involved in a local response to the arrival of the aircraft in town.

The city and LIFT Aircraft had previously partnered on an unsuccessful application to the FAA's eVTOL testing initiative. That proposed "Project AMP" would've used LIFT's fleet for air taxi operations cross Greater Austin, according to the 2025 project application obtained through a public records request.

Construction is underway on Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's temporary midfield concourse, Concourse M, as part of the larger Journey with AUS expansion project. Airport officials, city leaders and construction partners celebrated the concourse's groundbreaking Sept. 29.

How we got here: ABIA's South Terminal closed March 31 and was later demolished. Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines, which operated out of the South Terminal, have since moved to the main Barbara Jordan Terminal. The demolition made way for the construction of Concourse M, a temporary six-gate facility that will help relieve passenger congestion during Barbara Jordan Terminal's Concourse A remodeling and future 26-gate Concourse B and tunnel project.

The details: Concourse M is slated to feature a variety of passenger amenities including a coffee market, grab-and-go concessions, retail options, a pet relief room and shaded outdoor areas. The concourse will also only be accessible through a shuttle bus which will leave from Gate 13 out of the Barbara Jordan Terminal.

Stay tuned: Airport officials said Concourse M has a targeted opening date of spring 2028.

Travis County election staff are working through more than 35,000 voter registration records that the Texas Department of Public Safety failed to send to the county, including some submitted nearly a year ago.

What happened: DPS said in a Sept. 24 statement that a third-party vendor whose software handles the daily batch files to the state updated its software in October 2025, cutting off parts of some records and leaving the state unable to process them.

What voters should know: Registrations count from the day of the DPS transaction, so anyone who registered through DPS on or before Oct. 5 is eligible for the November election even if the county processes the record later, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Anyone missing from the rolls after registering online through DPS can still vote a provisional ballot, which officials will count once they confirm the DPS transaction, according to the Secretary of State's office.

Voters can check their status at votetexas.gov or with Travis County.

Check out six Austin-area stories trending Sept. 28-Oct. 2.

1. Round Rock OKs alcohol sales in The District

2. GFiber breaks ground in Georgetown, plans 2027 service launch

3. Lammes Candies returns under new owners, with holiday preorders open now

4. Bastrop County property tax rate to rise 6.2%

5. 1,000 apartments cleared for MoPac site in Southwest Austin despite Circle C residents' traffic, safety concerns

6. Pflugerville to gain 2 restaurants, plus other business news