Hays County received over $15 million in Surface Transportation Block Grants from the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, for three road projects that will bring safety and mobility improvements to the roadways.

The gist: The grants will cover the costs of the final design for road improvements being developed with the Texas Department of Transportation, or TxDOT, and construction of a portion of the Precinct 1 corridor.

The details: The FM 2001 East Interim project previously received $5,808,000 in partial CAMPO construction funding in 2021, according to the release. The project runs from Graef Road to southeast of SH 21 and includes:

• FM 2001 alignment

• A single travel lane in both directions

• Median

• Shoulders on both sides

• Turn lanes at intersections

The FM 2001 Gap projects run from north of Satterwhite Road to Graef Road. The grants will fund part of the total design cost for both the Precinct 1 and Precinct 2 portions. The projects would eliminate a sharp curve at Windy Hill Road, improving safety and visibility.

In March, H-E-B, the city of Buda and multiple Hays County entities announced a partnership to transform a former landfill site into the location of a brand new supermarket.

A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing revealed details about the store's cost and development timeline.

What happened: H-E-B will develop the former landfill site that has been vacant for decades on the southbound access road of I-35, north of Main Street, into a new grocery store. The location is expected to create at least 50 full-time jobs in its first year, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The business's TDLR filing, registered on Sept. 22, puts the total construction cost at $61,249,595.

Crews are expected to begin building the 132,563-square-foot supermarket on May 1, 2027, and complete construction on June 12, 2028, according to the filing.

Looking back: H-E-B will complete a traffic impact analysis to determine any necessary roadway improvements and repurpose at least 60% of the existing Buda store for new retail and sales tax-generating businesses.

The 65th annual Wurstfest, New Braunfels’ 10-day “Salute to Sausage,” is upon us. Here is everything visitors and locals need to know for the event.

The festival takes place at Landa Park and will feature various food and drink vendors, live music, competitions, artisan shops and sausage-making.

What's new: A Weingarten will be available in the hydro plant, near Gate One and will feature German wine, as well as premium selections from the United States. Three new beers have also been added on tap: Modelo, Paulaner Pils and Weihenstephan, a beer from one of the oldest breweries in the world, Allen told Community Impact.

"In honor of our 65th anniversary, we are pulling out all the stops to ensure our patrons have the best of the wurst’ times," said 2026 Wurstfest President Marc Allen.