Candidates for Austin City Council races in this year's November election raised more than $450,000 and had over $1 million available as of this summer, with several council incumbents making up more than half of that cash on hand total.

The details: Council seats in Districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9 will be on the ballot this fall. Four of those races are expected to include incumbent council members seeking to defend their seats, while District 1 council member Natasha Harper-Madison is term-limited and leaving office.

All incumbents reported high financial totals in their campaigns so far this year, with some challengers keeping pace across the district contests. The official candidate filing period for places on the ballot will run through Aug. 17.

Relatively little activity was reported by local political action committees, aside from Save Austin Now, which drew more than $526,000 in individual and corporate donations. The PAC reported no spending and had just under $8,200 still available as of June as it campaigns for its citywide auditing ballot measure.

The Southern fine dining restaurant will close July 19 after 12 years in business, it announced on social media. It did not give a reason for the closure.

The background: Founder and executive chef Michael Fojtasek opened Olamaie in August 2014. The farm-to-table restaurant became known for contemporary Southern cuisine built on produce from local farms and meat from Texas ranchers—and for its buttermilk biscuits.

As one of only seven Austin restaurants to hold a Michelin star, dinner is served as a four-course menu for $175 per person.

What's next: Gimme Burger, the group's burger stand at Butler Pitch & Putt, remains open daily from noon to 8 p.m. and serves breakfast sandwiches from 8 to 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

Connor and Espoir Michalek carved out a wellness space in North Austin, providing fitness, recovery and coworking resources under one roof. At Gevity, members can expect to find offerings rooted in community, Espoir Michalek said.

“I don't believe that we're meant to be sitting behind a desk for six to eight hours every day,” Espoir Michalek said. “We're humans—we're meant to create, to move, to be with other humans.”

The backstory: After being laid off from his job in 2022, Connor Michalek traveled the world—seeing 27 countries in 11 months. Two months into traveling, he met Espoir in the south of Spain. Espoir Michalek was raised around fitness and wellness, as her parents owned one of the oldest gyms in Vienna. 

What they offer: The entrepreneurs quickly began collaborating to shape Gevity, Austin’s membership-based hub for comprehensive wellness and performance. Gevity’s house membership, totaling $360 per month, has three pillars: wellness, workspace, and connection and experience.

• 104 E. Highland Mall Blvd., Ste. 125, Austin

A new arena football team is slated to make the Austin area its home, beginning its first season in spring 2027 as a member of the Indoor Football League, or IFL, team owner Vivi Lin told Community Impact. The team, which will be known as the ATX Draft, is “seriously considering” establishing its base of operations at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Lin said.

The details: The team is in talks with the H-E-B Center and has received strong support from local leaders, including Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin and Chief Economic Development Officer Arthur Jackson, Lin said. She added that the team will focus on community engagement and aims to give fans more access than a typical professional sports team.

“We designed a lot of our resources and impact in the community to strengthen the families, develop leaders, create economic opportunities for local businesses and ultimately just to serve the Greater Austin community,” Lin said.

What's next: The team will share more details at a media launch event Aug. 5, Lin said.

Check out some top trending stories from the Austin area July 13-16. 

1. New Austin-area professional arena football team set to kick off in 2027

2. Check out 3 stories coming out of Hays County school districts

3. Round Rock Burger King to get $300K remodel

4. New $2.2B Cedar Creek data center project, abatements under review

5. Pharmaceutical venture announces $500M expansion in Northwest Austin

6. New Braunfels City Council appoints new acting city attorney