Trianon Coffee in Westlake celebrated its 40th anniversary in November.

The details: Owned by Charles and Stacy Lauriat, the business offers a wall of over 30 coffees for at-home brewing alongside a full coffee shop with coffee made in-house, tea, matcha, locally sourced breakfast and lunch items, and more. The business also offers free meeting rooms.

What they’re saying: “We’ve had tremendous support over the years. We really are proud that we’re sort of a community meeting place,” Charles Lauriat said.

• 3654 Bee Caves Road, Ste. A, Austin

Starting in 2026-27, Leander ISD campuses that have fewer than 400 or 500 students will trigger one of two low-enrollment thresholds that identify next steps to take in order to prevent further enrollment decline and possible campus consolidation. 

The gist: The board previously discussed enrollment thresholds that could adjust staffing guidelines, or the ratio of staff needed to effectively serve a campus, as one cost-saving measure. 

• Threshold 1: Campuses that fall below 500 students will trigger the low-enrollment Phase 1 model, which includes adjusting staff levels and implementing mitigation strategies to prevent further decline. Based on current enrollment projections, Block House Creek, Cox, Cypress, Giddens, Grandview Hills, Naumann and Westside elementaries are under this threshold.
• Threshold 2: Campuses that fall below 400 students will trigger the low-enrollment Phase 2 model, which includes a formal review process for potential consolidation. Based on current enrollment projections, Faubion, River Ridge and Steiner Ranch are under this threshold. 

City of Austin officials face a 2025 deadline to define the scope of several cap and stitch projects that could reshape traffic and neighborhoods across the city.

Explained: In a Dec. 4 update to the Austin Mobility Committee, city staff said the Texas Department of Transportation revised the I-35 Capital Express Central project timeline, delaying construction of city-funded elements by three years while moving up the deadline for additional funding commitments.

The impact: The shift forces Austin to commit millions of dollars when designs are only 30% complete, increasing financial risk, city staff said. City Council approved an advance funding agreement last May for up to $104 million to support three downtown caps and two northern stitches, with future payments to be spread over several years and larger “balloon payments” due during final construction.

Looking ahead: Community engagement continues on northern stitches aimed at reconnecting East and West Austin. Final stitch locations are expected to be selected by City Council by the end of 2025.

Texas has grown rapidly in recent years, and data indicates that development is not slowing down. The Lone Star State gained about 168,000 jobs from September 2024-September 2025, leading the nation in job growth, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The overview: Texas is attractive to businesses looking to relocate or expand their operations due to its tax incentives and grants, lack of a personal income tax and roughly 200 higher education institutions, business leaders said during a Dec. 10 summit held in College Station by industry network YTexas.

As businesses of all sizes continue to move to Texas, local governments and associations also need to “support the ones that are already here,” said Dean Browell, the chief behavioral officer for Feedback, a digital ethnographic research firm.

Zooming in: In an October study, Feedback found that long-term Texas residents want to live in growing communities with strong education systems and plentiful job opportunities. That growth, however, can lead to rising property taxes and living expenses before residents begin feeling the benefits, Browell said.