ATX-NNW: Impact 8/13/2026

Good Morning, Northwest Austin!

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Miniso now open in Northwest Austin

Miniso is now open within the Gateway Shopping Center in Northwest Austin.

The overview: The store offers affordable household goods, plushies, toys, blind boxes, cosmetics, snacks, stationery, electronics and more.

The China-based company has thousands of locations across the globe and hundreds within the U.S., including several around the Austin metro. Other stores are located in Central Austin, South Austin, Pflugerville and Round Rock.

Opened Aug. 8

Learn more.

Latest Education News

Round Rock ISD to set tax rate, call election Aug. 13

Round Rock ISD will set its tax rate for the 2026-27 financial year and call a tax rate election to fund staff raises during its Aug. 13 meeting.

The election, which will be held in November, will also include three school board seat races.

In a nutshell: The proposed rate of $0.9848 per $100 valuation comprises a $0.7654 maintenance and operations rate, and a $0.1830 debt service rate.

The M&O rate funds the district’s general fund and supports day-to-day operations, while the debt service rate pays down district debt, such as bond payments.

What residents need to know: The proposed rate assumes the successful passage of a voter-approval tax rate election, which would allow the district to raise the tax rate $0.06 above its current rate. Under this, residents with a home with a taxable value of $500,000 would pay $4,742 in district taxes.

What’s next?: The board will meet Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m. for a public hearing on the tax rate. That will be followed by a called meeting at 6 p.m.

CI Texas

Texas senators consider how to better prepare communities for wildfires

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.