Perla’s seafood and oyster bar announces temporary closure online after sustaining a kitchen fire on Sept. 6.

Learn more: The fire was reportedly quickly contained, according to a social media post. Additionally, no guests or staff were injured during the incident. The restaurant is now closed during the cleanup process.

On the menu: The seafood spot offers fresh fish, oysters, entrees, cocktails and wines. Perla’s offers grilled, raw and cornmeal-fried oysters, as well as shrimp, swordfish, snapper, sea bass and scallops. Patrons could also find a selection of salads, sandwiches, steaks and sides, such as grilled Brussels sprouts, broccoli and crispy herb fries.

Stay tuned: There are currently no updates on when Perla’s will reopen, according to a representative with MML Hospitality. Locals are encouraged to check the Perla’s Instagram account for updates on the restaurant’s reopening.

• 1400 S. Congress Ave., Austin

Airbnb is launching a $250 million fund to support housing development nationwide. It's part of the rental company's newly announced housing accelerator initiative, including:

• The $250 million for housing project financing

• "Pro-housing" policy advocacy like zoning and permitting reform

• A $5 million housing innovation award program

• A public database ranking cities' housing policies and their affordability impacts

The details: The accelerator's first U.S. investment will direct $6.4 million to the Austin Housing Authority and Greystar's redevelopment of the city-owned St. John Site off I-35. The long-awaited project will bring more than 500 apartments, including more than 200 affordable units, alongside commercial space and a new public park.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Georgetown to reduce speed limit on Ronald Reagan Boulevard: Georgetown City Council gave preliminary approval Aug. 25 to adjust speed limits on Ronald Reagan Boulevard and Westinghouse Road, as well as in school zones on Hwy. 195 and Woodlake Drive.

Planning continues for Hwy. 46 expansion project in New Braunfels: The Texas Department of Transportation is continuing to work on a $1.4 billion project geared toward improving traffic flows on Hwy. 46 in Comal and Guadalupe counties. For Comal County, the project looks to construct elevated main lanes over the existing Hwy. 46 roadway and two direct connecting flyover ramps between Hwy. 46 and I-35. In Guadalupe County, TxDOT officials are proposing to expand Hwy. 46 to a four-lane controlled-access highway with two-lane, one-way frontage roads.

Southwest Airlines to open lounge at Austin airport: Southwest Airlines will open a lounge at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, set to welcome guests in late 2027. The lounges are already under construction.

The Texas comptroller's office is requesting that lawmakers provide more than $2 billion for the second and third years of the state's education savings account program, which gives participating families taxpayer dollars for private education and homeschooling.

How we got here: The legislature created Texas Education Freedom Accounts in 2025 and allocated $1 billion for the program's first year, the 2026-27 school year.

Nearly 110,000 students have received state dollars from the program so far, and officials said providing another $1 billion annually would ensure the state can "maintain our current participation" in the next two years.

Zooming in: According to the comptroller's legislative appropriations request for the 2028-29 biennium, it would cost approximately $4 billion to maintain funding for current participants, accept the siblings of participating children who will soon qualify for the program and admit more than 106,000 waitlisted students.

Something to note: The comptroller's $2 billion base budget request would not fully cover the waitlist and interest list, which would cost nearly $4 billion for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.