Suzanne Daniels, founder and owner of Brentwood Social House, announced her intention to step away from the business in a letter to the community. 

Learn more: The announcement came on May 21, after several years of “pivoting, adapting and carrying increasing financial pressure,” Daniels wrote. 

Now, she is looking for someone to purchase the business, create a new concept within the space, sublease the property or take over the lease. 

“Sometimes the greatest kindness we can give ourselves is permission to be done,” Daniels said in the letter. “To recognize when a chapter has run its course and make space for whatever wants to emerge next.”

What to expect: Daniels assured customers that the business is still open and all bookings will be honored. She also notified customers of potential changes coming soon, including reduced staffing and adjustments to the menu and hours of operation.

• 1601 W. Koenig Lane, Austin

Austin Energy will add hundreds of megawatts of new power generation and storage capacity under contracts approved May 21, and pursue the more controversial implementation of natural gas "peaker" units intended to stabilize the local grid.

What's happening: After recently approving contracts for new solar installations and battery storage, City Council advanced hundreds of megawatts of new battery and wind power projects in May. One megawatt serves about 250 households, according to AE.

A plan to bring new peakers to the utility's system also advanced, which will add to the hundreds of megawatts now in place in East Austin. That proposal drew some scrutiny and opposition ahead of council's vote, with concerns raised about transparency around the project as well as climate and air quality impacts. Officials defended the process and potential project costs as the utility's best path forward in a competitive market.

COVE relocated to South Lamar Boulevard after 10 years off South Congress Avenue, the women’s boutique announced in a news release.

The new location is larger, features more fitting rooms, free parking options and has a trend-driven inventory.

What they offer: The boutique sells luxury swimwear, special occasion dresses, jeans, jackets and skirts. The store also sells shoes, jewelry and accessories. 

Popular brands at COVE include Frankie’s Bikinis, For Love & Lemons and Motel. 

What’s new: In addition to the parking and larger space, the space also has a larger floor space for sales associates to offer personalized styling, according to the release. The store will also introduce a bar concept to accommodate activations, pop-up events and brand collaborations. 

• 2151 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin

A new Carvana, Austin Country Club renovations and a higher education center are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

Carvana ($65 million): Located off SH 130 in Manor, the business will offer automotive sales and services.

Austin Country Club ($38 million): This project involves construction at the country club, including a parking garage, a fitness building and a dining building. Renovations will also be made to an existing youth building.

Ayn Rand Center ($30 million): Located near the University of Texas at Austin, the center will consist of a library, exhibition spaces, offices and higher education classrooms.

One of the Kids Therapy Center ($10 million): The therapy center, which has locations in Cedar Park and South Austin, offers applied behavior analysis, speech, occupational therapy, swim therapy and more.

O'Reilly Auto Parts ($1.4 million): Construction on the automotive store in San Marcos is set to begin this fall.

Early voting results show George Morales III leading the Democratic runoff election for Travis County Precinct 4 commissioner with 4,200, or 57.83% of the vote, according to Travis County. Susanna Ledesma Woody has 3,063, or 42.17% of the vote.

The big picture: Travis County Precinct 4 covers portions of southeast and south central Austin. The seat opened after Commissioner Margaret Gomez announced her retirement following more than five decades in public service. Commissioners serve four-year terms with no state-imposed term limits, alongside a county judge on the Commissioners Court.

Meet the candidates: Morales, a former elected Constable for Precinct 4, has over 20 years of experience with Travis County government. Woody, a project manager and Del Valle ISD trustee, brings more than a decade of experience in public policy and long-range planning.

At the polls: Community Impact will update with results as they come in. For more information about local, state and federal elections, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

Austin-area voters cast their ballots in the May 26 runoff to determine who will appear on the ballot in November for state and national races.

At the polls: Unofficial early voting data was released in the evening of May 26, representing ballots cast May 18-22 during early voting and on election day.

What you need to know: Runoff winners will move on to the Nov. 3 general election. The following results are for contested races only.

In the May 26 runoff election, Republican voters across Texas cast their votes in a contentious U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The context: The Republican race for U.S. Senate is one of several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

About the candidates: Cornyn, an incumbent senator with nearly 24 years in office, is seeking to hold his seat for another six years while being challenged by Paxton, the once-impeached state attorney general who was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump. Read each candidate's priorities in their own words here.  

The winning Republican candidate will face the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, in November.
 
Keep reading to see the results in the Cornyn-Paxton race and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

For the first time in more than a decade, there is no incumbent in the Texas attorney general's race as Ken Paxton runs for the U.S. Senate. Voters across Texas made their picks for attorney general in the May 26 runoff election, with the winning candidate from each political party moving on to the November election.

The context: The Republican and Democratic attorney general races are among several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

The attorney general serves as Texas' top lawyer and law enforcement officer.

About the candidates: On the right, state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin are each seeking the Republican nomination for the seat.

On the left, state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Keep reading to see the results in the two attorney general races and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.