Sandy’s Southern Spice closed in Bastrop following the Aug. 10 death of owner Sandy Wiggins.

What happened: Wiggins’ family announced the unexpected closure on social media Sept. 4.

“It was with great sadness that we had to close its doors and close them so suddenly,” the announcement reads.

The family described the store as a blessing to Wiggins; a place where she formed lasting relationships with customers.

“Many friendships were made, laughter was had, and a new family was born,” they said.

A closer look: Wiggins started Sandy’s Southern Spice in 2021 and sold clothing, jewelry, shoes, handbags and more.

"Thank you to all those who came in ... and to those who shared your Sandy stories with us," the family said. "It's funny how tears of sorrow can quickly turn to tears of joy. Sandy would want all of you to carry on with that joy and remember where it comes from. ... Thank you for your love, your support and your friendship."

• Closed in late August 

• 451 SH 71, Bastrop

Looking for something to do close to home? Bastrop County’s September calendar includes live music, festivals, fundraisers, art and outdoor events, with more continuing into early October.

1. Bastrop Live (September): Catch live, local music at venues throughout Bastrop.

2. Cowboy Heritage Day (Sept. 12): Explore Bastrop County’s cowboy and vaquero history with demonstrations, stories and activities.

3. Feed the Need Missions gala (Sept. 12): Support the nonprofit’s weekly meal ministry.

4. State of the City Dinner (Sept. 14): Hear updates from Bastrop city leaders.

5. Viva Bastrop (Sept. 18): Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with music, dancing and vendors.

6. Calvary Art Fest (Sept. 18-19): Browse local art and handcrafted goods.

7. Veteran Mental Health Awareness Ruck Hike (Sept. 26): Choose from several hiking routes at Bastrop State Park.

8. Water Conservation Symposium (Sept. 26): Learn ways to reduce water use.

9. Rhinestone Cowboy Gala (Sept. 26): Support Down Home Ranch.

10. Smithville Music Festival (Oct. 2-3): Hear local and regional performers downtown.

11. Cruisin’ For Justin Car Show (Oct. 3): Attend a community car show and fundraiser.

A data center in Hutto, the Texas Municipal Center in Georgetown and a 7 Brew in Austin are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Colovore Hutto ($280 million): This project involves the construction of a 192,694-square-foot, one-story data center building.

2. Texas Municipal Center ($60 million): The Texas Municipal League will be relocating its headquarters to downtown Georgetown.

3. Frontier ER ($2 million): This project involves the construction of a freestanding emergency medical facility.

4. C Store ($1.2 million): A new C store convenience store is coming to Bastrop, with construction expected to conclude next September. 

5. 7 Brew ($400,000): A new 7 Brew location will be coming to Austin. The drive-thru coffee shop has locations in Manor and Round Rock.

Austin is continuing its expanded outreach and enforcement of public encampments that ramped up this spring and has since cleared dozens of sites across the city.

The details: Earlier this year, Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations announced it would be sending out more city crews on a regular basis to address encampments in public areas. That new Homeless Encampment Management, or HEM, program started in May and led to hundreds of site visits citywide in its first month. Dozens of people were connected to shelter or services in that time.

Zooming in: The first 30 days of HEM cost just over $719,000, the majority of which went to city employee and contractor pay. Those costs largely fell under ongoing camping enforcement, officials said, and the program doesn't represent significant new spending.

A new public mapping tool is now live online, allowing residents to see where encampments are being cleared and monitored, and the city will share more data on the program later this year.

The Texas comptroller's office is requesting that lawmakers provide more than $2 billion for the state's education savings account program, which subsidizes private education and homeschooling for participating families.

How we got here: The legislature created the program in 2025, allocating $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year. Nearly 110,000 students have received state dollars from the program so far, and officials said funding should be doubled to ensure more students can enroll in the next two years.

Zooming in: According to the comptroller's legislative appropriations request for the 2028-29 biennium, it would cost:

• $916 million per year to continue funding the roughly 110,000 students currently enrolled

• $82 million annually would be needed to fund siblings of participating children who will soon qualify for the program

• $980 million per year to provide funding for more than 106,000 students on the program's waitlist

Something to note: The comptroller's $2 billion base budget request would not fully cover the waitlist and interest list, which would cost nearly $4 billion for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.