A new Persian restaurant from Amir Hajimaleki—chef and owner of District Kitchen and Cocktails, Oasthouse Kitchen and Bar, Keepers Coastal Kitchen, and Daisy Lounge—is now offering dishes that Hajimaleki has been serving at exclusive pop-up dinners across Austin since 2018.

On the menu: Roya honors Hajimaleki’s family heritage, according to a news release, serving dishes including:

• Wild mushroom borani, with garlic labneh, fire-roasted mushrooms, black garlic chili oil, pine nuts and taftoon
• Mahiche gheymeh, with saffron tomato braised lamb shank, split peas, dried lime and shoestring sibzamini
• Wagyu chenjeh kabob, with Australian wagyu, Roya fenugreek seasoning and tarragon chimichurri

• 7858 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin

Faubion Elementary students will be rezoned to either Westside Elementary or Reed Elementary in the 2026-27 school year, following the closure of Faubion at the end of the current school year. The board of trustees approved the rezoning plan during its Feb. 5 board meeting.

The details: Administration presented the board with two attendance rezoning options. Under the approved scenario "B," students currently zoned to Cedar Park Middle School will attend Westside Elementary, and students currently zoned to Henry Middle School will attend Reed Elementary. This option prioritizes feeder patterns and alignment between elementary and middle school attendance boundaries.

Something to note: Current Faubion students will receive priority for intra-district transfers. The fee will be waived, and the transfer window will remain open until May 29.

How we got here: The board voted Dec. 17 to close and repurpose Faubion in 2026-27 due to the campus' projected low enrollment and LISD's projected multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.

Check out the top 6 most-read stories from Feb. 9-12 in the Austin area. 

1. Unofficial voting results show Na’Cole Thompson wins race for Leander mayor

2. Round Rock officials weigh neighborhood compatibility for Skybox data center

3. True Texas BBQ brings brisket and more to Bastrop H-E-B

4. Twice the Ice changes ownership in Georgetown

5. Portion of Gilleland Creek Trail in Pflugerville to close

6. From tacos to trims: Check out 9 Liberty Hill business updates

A grant from the Texas Water Development Board could allow Williamson County officials to purchase and install $1 million of flood warning equipment in areas vulnerable to flash floods.

What happened: Commissioners approved the grant agreement at a Feb. 10 meeting, allowing the Office of Emergency Management to start project plans.

The grant could provide outdoor warning sirens, flood gauges and sensors as well as communication software testing training, County Emergency Management Director Bruce Clements said at the meeting.

The OEM will identify locations most prone to flooding in the county to come up with a project proposal for the grant. Proposals are due to the TWDB by Dec. 31.

There is no local match requirement for the grant.

Why now? TWDB is administering the program pursuant to Senate Bill 3 and Senate Bill 5, which awarded flood prevention grants to 30 counties. Grants will be dispersed after project plans are submitted.