Round Rock drivers can expect several road updates, including the completed East Old Settlers Boulevard extension, which opened in September.

The $23.4 million project extended the road from Red Bud Lane to CR 110. The new segment is four lanes and includes a bridge over McNutt Creek.

What else?

Other road projects in the area include:

• The Wyoming Springs Drive extension, a $29.7 million project to build a new four-lane divided roadway from Creek Bend Boulevard to Old Settlers Boulevard

• The I-35 North widening project, which is still in the schematic and design phase

• The North Mays Street widening project, where design, right of way acquisitions and utility relocation efforts are underway

• The Kenney Fort Boulevard segments 5 and 6 extension project, for which Round Rock City Council approved a $2.8 million right of way purchase in August

Hutto-based Cottonwood Creek Brewery is expanding into Round Rock with a new taproom.

The details: Both locations will brew beer, with some brews remaining specific to each location.

In the spring, a food truck is expected to join the Round Rock taproom.

About the business: The business is locally owned by Bobby Delmonico. The original Hutto location features 15 house brews and 12 guest taps.

• 1201 E. Palm Valley Blvd., Round Rock

Musical duo Brooks & Dunn and singer-songwriter Ella Langley will headline Georgetown's Two Step Inn country music festival April 17-18, 2027.

Presale tickets will be available to the public this Friday, Sept. 25, at noon.

The lineup: This year's festival will have 30 musical acts across three stages, according to the event website.

The lineup includes the two headliners, as well as notable musical acts such as:

• Parker McCollum

• Sheryl Crow

• Flatland Cavalry

• Whiskey Myers

About the event: One-day tickets start at $169, while two-day packages begin at $289, according to the event website.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality must stop issuing new permits for data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sept. 21.

The overview: His order expands an existing pause on data center development in the state amid consistent public criticism of the booming industry. Abbott, who is running for a fourth term as governor, has recently moved to slow the growth of data centers after calling Texas “the epicenter of AI development" last year.

The context: Hundreds of proposed data centers are currently being audited by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state power grid.

Some developers may be able to get around the ERCOT pause by building in-house power infrastructure that is not connected to the grid, experts have said.

However, any construction project impacting at least 1 acre of land requires permits from TCEQ.

What they're saying: "As Texas faces increasing pressure on our water supplies and electric grid, we need to ensure that data centers operate efficiently and sustainably," said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas.