Dallas-native bagel shop, Shug’s Bagels, is prepping for its grand opening in north Austin after quietly soft opening in early August. 

Learn more: Shug’s Bagels announced that it soft opened for the second time on Aug. 9 at 8 a.m., serving a limited menu of egg sandwiches, bagels and cream cheese, deli sandwiches and limited beverages. The Sunday soft opening was in-store only, the brand announced on Instagram. 

Shug’s Bagels will be closed Aug. 10-11 for final repairs, with plans to fully reopen on Aug. 12 or 13, according to the Instagram post. 

The backstory: Shug’s, known for its stacked breakfast and lunch sandwiches, initially launched in Dallas in 2018. Led by owner and founder Justin Shugrue, the spot soon expanded to include additional locations in Dallas and New Orleans. 

On the menu: Shug’s sells customizable bagels, breakfast and lunch classics and bagels by the bag. Customers can choose from plain, everything, french toast, blueberry and jalapeño cheddar bagels. 

• 1206 Parkway, Austin

City Council is set to adopt Austin's fiscal year 2026-27 budget and property tax rate as soon as Aug. 12. The decision will cap off weeks of review that largely centered on the anticipated loss of social services funding, and various strategies to fill those gaps.

The details: Much of the public focus on the FY 2026-27 budget has been on the anticipated loss of millions of dollars for services from housing to public health. Some residents have also spoken out against a tax rate increase and other rising city costs, and many have asked to specifically hold Austin Police funding flat.

Most city departments will likely see budget increases to address annual cost drivers like employee raises and rising expenses due to broader economic trends. Council members also floated several budget amendments, and will have to decide which to include in their final spending plan and how they'll be funded. Those changes cover added resident services, new city equipment, and a plan to separate 911 call-taking from the police department.

Austin Gamblers, the city’s first professional bull-riding team, has now commenced its fifth season in the PBR Camping World Team Series.

The context: The Gamblers were established in 2022 after PBR switched from being an individual sport for 30 years to a regional team format. The Gamblers gave locals another home team to root for and out-of-towners another reason to visit Austin, tourism data shows.

Learn more: The team kicked off its season July 10 in Colorado, and riders are heading back down south in late August for their only local event of the season: Gambler Days. The three-day bull riding event signifies half a decade of competition, growth and economic impact on city tourism.

The local impact: In 2025, Gambler Days generated approximately $4.5 million in direct economic impact to the Greater Austin region, according to Nathan Kopp, Austin Sports Commission executive director. That impact translated to about 5,800 hotel rooms and $218,000 in local tax revenue.

Ascension Seton will launch a mobile stroke unit in 2027 to serve Central Texans after receiving a $1.25 million from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The unit will be the state’s third mobile stroke facility, joining ones in Houston and El Paso. 

Dive deeper: The stroke unit will serve as “a miniature emergency room on wheels,” said Dr. Rachel B. Pearson, a neurologist at Ascension Seton in Round Rock. The goal is to meet patients where they are, delivering life-saving stroke treatment as quickly as possible, she said. 

The features: The mobile stroke unit will have all of the features of a traditional ambulance, as well as a CT scanner for imaging, equipment for basic labs and the “clot-busting drug” designed exclusively to treat stroke patients. 

Why it matters: Having the mobile unit will eliminate some of the treatment delays by traveling to patients, treating them in the field and taking them to the hospital. The mobile unit will initially serve Williamson County and will later assess the needs of surrounding areas.

The interior renovation of IBC Bank in Austin, a Walmart renovation in Round Rock and a new 7 Brew in Leander are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. IBC Bank Plaza interior renovations ($6 million): This project involves the partial interior finish-out of four levels in the building, including renovations of shared core spaces, elevator lobbies and common corridors on floors 6-13.

2. Pease Community Campus Phase 1 ($2.1 million): Pease Elementary School in downtown Austin is being transformed into the Pease Community Campus.

3. Walmart renovation ($1.3 million): This project includes an interior and exterior remodel of an existing Walmart in Round Rock.

4. Tim Hortons ($750,000): This project involves the renovation of an existing 3,107 square foot space to a Tim Hortons.

5. 7 Brew ($400,000): A new 7 Brew location is coming to Leander. The drive-thru coffee shop will be 510 square feet, with construction set to wrap up this fall.