The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved adding the first phase of the UT Dell Medical Center to UT’s capital improvement program at an Aug. 12 meeting.

The CIP is the university’s approved list of major capital projects. Adding the project to the CIP allows the project to move forward with early design and development preparation work.

The background: The UT Dell Medical Center will be a 27-acre medical complex planned to be equipped with a hospital tower, outpatient facilities, an emergency department and 300-500 patient beds for specialized care, according to documents from the UT Board of Regents.

The details: Phase I of the project is expected to cost up to $1 billion and will be funded from the university’s revenue financing system bonds.

What they're saying: “Today is a very big day,” UT Austin President James Davis said. “[The medical complex] will establish the clinical foundation for a new academic health enterprise. It will advance research, education, health professionals and serve patients and serve Texas for generations to come.”

A new Mendocino Farms location is coming soon to South Lamar on Sept. 22, according to a representative from the brand. The restaurant will serve an array of sandwiches, wraps, salads and soups. 

Craving sandwiches? Mendocino Farms sells specialty sandwiches including the “Not So Fried” Chicken sandwich made with chicken, Krispies, herb aioli, mustard pickle slaw, pickled red onions and tomato on toasted ciabatta.
Other menu items include salads like the Thai mango and modern caesar, as well as wraps, sides and soups. For drinks, the restaurant has housemade lemonade, passion fruit black tea and green juice. 

Learn more: Mendocino Farms first opened in 2005 and has since grown to include locations in Arizona, California, Washington and Texas. The restaurant chain has two Austin locations with the South Lamar storefront coming soon. 

• 1100 S. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 1125, Austin

Ahead of the 2026-27 school year, public school leaders in Community Impact’s coverage areas shuttered at least nine individual schools to respond to repeated state accountability issues and stave off state intervention. A new Texas Education Agency rule may make it harder for districts to do so in the future.

The details: Beginning Aug. 16, if a district closes a D- or F-rated campus and transfers the largest share of students from the closed campus to a school with a C, D or F rating, the closed campus’ rating will be assigned to the new campus. 

Districts will only avoid transferring a shuttered school’s rating history if they relocate a plurality of students to an A- or B-rated campus.

Stay tuned: The TEA is scheduled to release A-F ratings for the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 14. If a school receives five failing ratings in a row, the TEA is required under state law to close that campus or replace the district’s board of trustees with a state-appointed board of managers.

The long-awaited Buc-ee’s location along I-35 in San Marcos officially opened its doors to customers and travelers on Wednesday. Along with local leaders, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the company’s founder and president Arch "Beaver" Aplin III celebrated the event with much fanfare.

The two-minute impact: The 74,707-square-foot travel center is expected to serve over 10,000 visitors a day and provide access to 128 fueling stations, said San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson.

An economic development agreement made between Buc-ee’s and the city ensures the location will bring over $50 million in capital investments to San Marcos and create over 300 jobs with an emphasis on hiring local applicants, Hughson said.

Another thing: Abbott and Aplin shared remarks on the location’s opening before personally chopping some of the rest stop’s famous brisket.

What’s available: The travel center features a wide array of Buc-ee's branded merchandise, clean restrooms and popular food options, including barbecue, fudge and Beaver Nuggets, Abbott said.

• 3245 N. I-35 frontage road, San Marcos