ATX-NNW: Impact 10/24/2025

Discount Electronics will hold a grand reopening event in North Austin to celebrate recent store renovations and the business' new CEO, Derek McWilliams.

The details: The grand reopening will take place at the store at 11 a.m. on Oct. 24, featuring a ribbon cutting with the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Founded in Austin, the store sells a variety of used and refurbished brand name laptops, computers and monitors.

Discount Electronics has another location in Round Rock and an operations center in Pflugerville.

• 4005 W. Parmer Lane, Ste. D, Austin

Austin ISD’s former Rosedale School campus in North Austin could be developed into a six-story apartment complex.

Representatives of OHT Partners presented their plans for the development at a meeting with Rosedale neighborhood residents Oct. 20. Residents living near the property shared concerns about the apartment building disrupting their neighborhood and causing safety and traffic hazards.

What’s happening: OHT Partners has proposed building a 435-unit, market rate apartment complex spanning six stories with a parking garage at 2117 W. 49th St., said David Hartman, an attorney representing OHT Partners. In August, AISD officials executed a contract to sell the former Rosedale School property to OHT Partners after receiving approval from the board of trustees in March.

Some context: AISD anticipates receiving $26 million from selling the Rosedale site. The sale of the property is one of several ways AISD is aiming to lower a projected $127 million budget shortfall to $19.7 million.

Next steps: AISD must receive zoning approval and a declaratory action regarding the deed restriction to close the sale of the property.

Travis County officials approved a $124,953 feasibility study Oct. 21 to explore a potential commuter rail line between Austin and San Antonio.

The big picture: Championed by Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the study will examine passenger rail options along state-managed land near highways, potentially connecting the Amtrak station in San Antonio to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Brown said the goal is to use existing corridors like SH 130 and I-10 to avoid major land acquisition and speed up development.

Why it matters: Brown said a rail line could remove up to 25% of I-35 traffic between the two cities as the corridor’s population—projected to reach 8 million by 2050—continues to grow. The study will run 175 days and include engineering, ridership and cost analyses.

Zooming out: The project complements a separate TxDOT study reviewing 11 alternatives along I-35, including commuter rail and multimodal lanes. Rail ranked as the top community preference in 2024 public feedback sessions.

Two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot would impact the operation and oversight of Texas’ judicial system if approved by voters.

The details: State Proposition 3 seeks to require judges to deny bail for certain felony offenses, keeping more defendants in jail as they await trial. Proponents of the measure, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, said in June that it would improve public safety by keeping violent offenders behind bars.

Proposition 12 would rework the 13-member State Commission on Judicial Conduct, allowing the governor to appoint a majority of the commissioners and requiring most sanctions for judges accused of misconduct to be issued publicly. The bipartisan proposition faced pushback from some House Democrats who expressed concerns that allowing the governor to appoint a majority of commissioners would politicize the nonpartisan judicial conduct commission and give Abbott more power to remove from office judges whom he does not agree with.

Zooming out: The measures are among 17 state propositions being considered by Texas voters in the Nov. 4 election.