On Nov. 5, the PAWS Shelter of Central Texas Kyle location officially reopened. The non-profit animal shelter began winding down operations on July 17 before its newly made partnership with Austin Pets Alive! sparked its return.

What happened: The shelter welcomed community members back into its reopened facility, marking its official return to operation.

PAWS will work to double the number of animals saved through adoptions at the Kyle and Dripping Springs facilities over the coming months, according to a news release. The organization intends to double the number of available foster homes as well.

Looking back: PAWS made the decision to close the Kyle shelter and focus its attention on the Dripping Springs location because the organization could not logistically and financially maintain both, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The boards of directors at PAWS and Austin Pets Alive! began exploring a possible collaboration aimed at sustaining operations at PAWS. A partnership between the organizations was announced in September.

Check out six new business updates from the city.

Now open

Esaltare Arts: The stained-glass business has operated for over a year in San Marcos and recently moved into a new studio, expanding its offerings to community members.

Waterford, Wedgwood, Georg Jensen and Royal Copenhagen: The new store at the San Marcos Premium Outlets unites the four lifestyle brands under one roof, offering home goods that blend heritage, innovation and quality.

Coming soon

Dickies: A new Dickies store will open at the San Marcos Premium Outlets.

Hays County Pets Alive! Thrift: The newest city thrift store will open soon and support the work of PAWS Shelter of Central Texas, a local animal shelter.

Hoka: The popular shoe brand will open its own dedicated store in the San Marcos Premium Outlets next to Perfumania.

Wurstfest is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.

Travelers from all over the world visit New Braunfels in November for the 10-day celebration filled with sausage, beer and live music.

Marc Allen is serving as Wurstfest president this year, and he said that one of his favorite things about the festival is seeing people come together.

"65 years is a huge success for us," Allen said. "I think it all goes back to our focus on the patron's experience, making sure they have a great experience."

More details: The city meat inspector, Ed Grist, started the festival in 1961 to honor sausage, according to the Wurstfest website. In 1967, Wurstfest moved to the Wursthalle in Landa Park, where the festival is held today. As the years went on, the festival expanded and so did its impact.

Proceeds from the event go toward helping local nonprofits. This year, Wurstfest is helping 26 local nonprofits through food, drink and admission sales.

"The money that we raise at Wurstfest goes directly back into the community," Allen said.

Democrats saw decisive wins up and down the ballot in Texas and across the nation in the Nov. 3 election, flipping the Lone Star State to Democratic control for the first time in a generation.

The big picture: Texas has had a Republican governor, state Senate and state House since 2003. Next year, the state will be led by a Democratic governor, with a Democratic lieutenant governor presiding over the Senate and House lawmakers likely electing a Democrat to lead the chamber—however, the senators themselves will remain majority-Republican.

More details: How much power Lt. Gov.-elect Vikki Goodwin will have over the Texas Senate is largely up to senators, who will approve the chamber's new rules when the legislature convenes in January.

Sam Hooper, a legislative attorney and consultant, said he was "hopeful" that the election results would lead to "a more collegial Senate" and cooperation among lawmakers of both political parties.

The majority-Republican Senate and majority-Democrat House will have to find a balance, as bills cannot become law without approval from both chambers.