ATX-SCA: Impact 10/31/2025

A new sushi concept from the team behind Sushi by Scratch Restaurants, Pasta|Bar, and NADC Burger is now open in East Austin.

The restaurant is helmed by husband-and-wife duo Chef Phillip Frankland Lee and Executive Pastry Chef Margarita Kallas-Lee.

The details: Shokunin, named from the Japanese word for a master artisan, will be a more casual experience than Sushi by Scratch Restaurants.

On the menu: The sushi bar will offer seafood sourced from Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market and will not serve cooked dishes—only sushi.

Guests will use an order sheet to choose from a rotating selection of fish and a preference of nigiri, sashimi or hand rolls.

The menu will also offer beer, wine and sake.

Therapy Pet Pals of Texas was founded in Austin in 1984 by Kathryn Lashmit, and has been offering pet visitations to the elderly and infirm in Texas ever since.

The overview: Therapy Pet Pals of Texas is a private nonprofit created with the goal of assisting the elderly, terminally ill and mentally or physically challenged through pet visitations at nursing homes, medical hospitals, rehabilitation centers and other special needs facilities.

The benefits: Pet visitations offered by volunteers and their therapy dogs can provide a positive bonding experience for those confined to institutional living facilities, according to the nonprofit’s website.

“The residents just know when you're coming. They remember the dog's name, not always yours. It's all about the dogs for us,” Executive Director Nancy Gray said. “And [the residents] just smile. Sometimes they've told us that they were in pain, but once the dog comes, they feel they don't think about their pain for that few minutes they can hug on the dog, or sometimes they just want to talk to you.”

A decision on the preservation of Lions Municipal Golf Course, or Muny, was given yet another extension amid years of debate over the property by Austin, The University of Texas and local stakeholders.

The popular spot is nationally recognized as one of the South’s first desegregated golf courses, and the city has leased the UT-owned property for public recreation for years. But its future remains uncertain as Austin and UT have sought to reach a deal over the site’s use or possible sale.

UT previously signaled intentions to redevelop some or all of the property, and a disagreement with Austin over those plans led to a civic rezoning process to set future development guidelines for Muny and other sites. However, that process stalled out. State lawmakers have also acted to support preservation efforts.

Then-state Sen. Kirk Watson forwarded legislation in 2019 that created the Save Historic Muny District to work with other entities on the course’s preservation before spring 2021. That deadline has been extended multiple times, most recently this year to 2027.

Since Nov. 7, 2000, at least one person has died on Texas roads every day, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. As the Lone Star State nears 25 years of daily traffic deaths, officials at all levels of government are investing in new roadway safety projects and encouraging Texas drivers to do their part to curb deadly crashes.

The big picture: In the past 25 years, over 91,000 people have died on Texas roads. That is enough people to fill Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, according to TxDOT.

On average, 11 people died daily on Texas roads last year. In 2025, an average of 10 people had died per day as of Sept. 24.

Zooming in: State and local leaders found that the top factors in severe crashes include:

• Impaired driving
• High speeds
• Distracted driving
• Pedestrian and cyclist safety
• Lack of seatbelt use
• Roadway or lane departures
• Wrong-way driving

The overview: As Community Impact enters its third decade, it’s returning to its roots of growth and deeper reader connections. The “Patron” program, which began in 2020 by reader demand, has relaunched as the InCIder.

“This relaunch represents our renewed commitment to readers who support our local news,” CEO John Garrett said. “Beyond funding great journalism, we also want to reward our InCIders and build deeper connections with them, creating a true sense of community around the work we do.”

Event details: As part of the relaunch, Community Impact will host its first-ever InCIder Hour, a new event aimed at celebrating and engaging the company’s supporters.

The event, open to InCIders only, will take place Nov. 12 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Community Impact Headquarters, 16225 Impact Way, Pflugerville.

Guests will have the opportunity to network with fellow InCIders, meet Community Impact staff and attend a featured conversation with legislative reporter Hannah Norton, moderated by Garrett.

“Our first event needed to start where all the hard work is put together,” Garrett said. “People are blown away when they see our operation. To be able to sit and chat with the best legislative reporter in Texas, Hannah Norton, makes it an event our InCIder friends deserve and hopefully will enjoy.”