Georgetown's dining scene continued to grow with the addition of restaurants Sorn Thai Kitchen by Seeda and Bahler Street in recent months. A new child care facility and dental office are expected to open in the spring.

Bahler Street
The eatery opened a brick-and-mortar location in conjunction with Barking Armadillo Social, offering wood-fired sourdough pizzas as well as make-your-own options, salad and wings. Co-owner Frank Riggle said the business partners with other Central Texas companies to offer unique collaborations, including working with Rossler’s Blue Cord Barbecue and Still Austin Whiskey Co. to create wing sauces.

• Opened Nov. 1
• 2080 Westinghouse Road, Georgetown

• Opening in mid-March or early April
• 612 W. University Ave., Georgetown

Georgetown City Council gave preliminary approval to rezone the site of the historic jail at a meeting Jan. 13.

What it means: Williamson County owns the historic jail site at 102 W. Third St. and applied to rezone the property from split residential single family and mixed use downtown to fully mixed use downtown.

In November 2024, the county began deconstructing the nonhistoric additions near the jail and stripping the jail interior in order to repurpose the site and sell it.

Its proximity to downtown Georgetown and businesses off of Austin Avenue could allow the site to become a boutique hotel or restaurant, Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey said in a November 2024 interview.

Zooming in: The mixed use downtown zoning can lend itself to a variety of residential and commercial uses, according to city documents, including hotels, restaurants and single-family residential.

What’s next: City Council will consider final approval of the rezoning at its Jan. 27 meeting.

Meet the Republican candidates running to represent District 5 in the Texas Senate. The primary election will be on March 3.

A closer look: During the primary election, voters choose their party’s nominee in Democratic or Republican races. Members of the Texas Senate are elected to four-year terms with no term limits.

Senate District 5 covers parts of Williamson and Bastrop Counties.

Candidates running for the seat were asked to complete a questionnaire from Community Impact. Candidates were asked to email responses to the following questions, keep responses within 50 words and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.

The Texas Broadband Development Office awarded the Lower Colorado River Authority a $29 million grant that will expand high-speed internet access and improve flood-monitoring infrastructure throughout Central Texas. 

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced the award Jan. 20. 

The details: The Texas Broadband Development Office expects the financing to accomplish several goals, including: 

• Extending fiber into underserved and unserved areas 
• Bolstering local economies 
• Improving access to education, health care and emergency services

A set of permanent regulations for thousands of Texas businesses selling consumable hemp products took effect Jan. 21, after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission adopted them one day earlier.

The overview: The latest hemp rules do not bring significant changes to the roughly 60,000 businesses under TABC oversight. They replace similar emergency rules adopted Sept. 23, prohibiting Texas alcohol retailers from selling hemp-derived THC products to customers under 21 years old.

“The key you heard today… is the effect of THC on younger folks' development—much like alcohol, the same reasons we regulate alcohol for those 21 years old [and up],” TABC chair Robert Eckels said.

Zooming in: The TABC has limited jurisdiction over the consumable hemp industry and can only require age limits and ID checks, agency leaders said. State health officials are considering more comprehensive regulations on the industry.

“The Department of State Health Services’ rules are going to be much more robust,” TABC general counsel James Person said Jan. 20. “They actually cover the products themselves: the [THC] content, the testing and whatnot."