Austin

New York – September 22, 2026 -- J.Crew is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Barn Jacket by photographing 160 people across five U.S. cities and launching a new 2026 collection priced from $98 to $898.

The brand shot 160 people in five cities for the campaign

Photographer Robert Nethery captured subjects in New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston and Chicago in intimate portraits. The cast mixes open-cast discoveries with athletes, artists, musicians and designers, including names like Spike Lee, Chance the Rapper, Scottie Pippen, Bowen Yang, Jenny Slate and Dave Franco.

Each portrait shows a different way of wearing the same jacket. Julia Collier, Chief Marketing Officer of J.Crew, said the 160 participants across five cities demonstrate how one design takes on a different life depending on who wears it, adding that the jacket has moved across wardrobes and generations for 40 years without being tied to one moment.

Frankfurt – – September 21, 2026 -- Creality has launched the SPARKX i8, a multi-color 3D printer, on Indiegogo at a super early-bird price of $289, well below its planned $399 MSRP.

A single toolhead replaces bulky multi-nozzle systems

The i8 uses Creality's QuarTeks Color Change System, which packs four independent filament channels into one compact toolhead instead of requiring multiple toolheads or external filament swapping. Filaments are pre-loaded directly into the quad-channel head.

Color switches happen in under one second

Near the nozzle tip, the shared filament path measures less than 1 mm, or roughly 2 mm3, which Creality says is at least 30 times shorter than shared paths common elsewhere in the market. That short path cuts retraction, feeding and purging time, letting the printer switch color channels in under a second.

Austin, Texas – September 19, 2026 -- Home energy company dcbel has launched its Ara Core Home Energy Station in Texas, a single system that connects solar panels, home batteries, the public grid and bidirectional EVs to give homeowners up to 85% energy independence and cut utility bills from day one.

Ara Core makes 100 decisions per second to manage power

The station uses an intelligent operating system called Orchestrate OS to decide, up to 100 times a second, whether to consume, store or sell energy. dcbel says this centralized routing cuts power losses and delivers up to 30% more efficiency than conventional, unintegrated home energy setups.

Liberty Hill, Texas – September 19, 2026 -- U.S. Dermatology Partners has opened a new office at 14001 W State Hwy 29, Suite 203, in Liberty Hill, Texas, adding to its network of Central Texas practices. The location aims to bring dermatology care closer to residents in one of the region's fastest-growing communities.

Certified Physician Assistant Brandi Egizio leads the new clinic

Brandi Egizio, who joined U.S. Dermatology Partners' Cedar Park office in 2022, will lead the Liberty Hill location while continuing to see patients in Cedar Park. She treats patients of all ages, offering skin cancer screenings, diagnosis and treatment of conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis, and education on sun protection. Egizio works under the supervision of board-certified dermatologist Dr. Chad Hartmann.

Austin, Texas – September 19, 2026 -- U.S. Money Reserve is celebrating 25 years in business, reporting more than $4.4 billion in completed transactions and over 1 million clients served since its founding in 2001.

The precious metals distributor has shipped 5.1 million gold, silver, platinum, and palladium products over the past quarter-century, expanding from its original coin and bullion offerings into precious metals IRAs, digital market tools, and educational resources for investors.

The company expanded its Austin headquarters to support workforce growth

U.S. Money Reserve recently enlarged its Austin, Texas, headquarters to accommodate an increasing number of employees. The company also operates offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Houston, Texas.

Austin – September 18, 2026 -- Bruce Bolt, the brand known for reshaping the baseball batting glove market, is launching its first football gear on October 12, with a skill glove and arm sleeve priced from $60 to $85.

The BOLTGRIP SYSTEM pairs a skill glove with the first SFIA-approved tackified arm sleeve.

The two products are designed to work together, extending tackified material from the palm up through the forearm and bicep to create three connected grip points for catching, carrying and protecting the ball.

Bear Mayer says the expansion fulfills a longtime personal goal.

"Although I grew up playing baseball, football has always been a deep passion of mine, and expanding into the sport is something I've wanted to do for a long time," said Bear Mayer, Founder and CEO of Bruce Bolt. The company previously moved into golf gloves last summer, nearly a decade after entering baseball.

Dallas – September 17, 2026 -- Southwest Airlines kicked off its Week of WOW sale, offering up to 40% off base fares for flights booked by Sept. 17 for travel between Oct. 5, 2026, and March 3, 2027.

Discounted routes include Austin-San Diego and Nashville-Chicago

Nonstop routes on sale include Austin to San Diego, Nashville to Chicago Midway, Denver to San Diego, Seattle to Nashville, and Austin to San Jose, all available now on Southwest.com. The fare discount requires a 21-day advance purchase and applies before government taxes and fees, with restrictions, exclusions, and blackout dates in effect.

Austin, Minn. – September 17, 2026 -- SPAM Hot Honey has officially joined Hormel Foods' lineup of more than 10 canned meat varieties, hitting grocery store shelves nationwide starting today.

Win Son Bakery serves exclusive SPAM Hot Honey menu items through Sept. 20

To mark the launch, the SPAM brand partnered with Win Son Bakery, the Taiwanese-American cafe with locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan's East Village. From Sept. 14 to 20, 2026, customers at both locations can order a SPAM Hot Honey breakfast sandwich, layering the new flavor with egg and cheese atop a scallion pancake. A limited-edition SPAM Hot Honey Fan Tuan, a Taiwanese sticky rice roll, is also on the menu for the same window.

Those who can't visit either location can find the breakfast sandwich recipe posted on SPAM's website.

Austin – September 17, 2026 -- Home shoppers hoping to stretch their budget should mark September 27 through October 3 on their calendars, according to Realtor.com's 2026 Best Time to Buy Report.

During that week, buyers may find up to 31.9% more active listings than at the start of the year. Listing prices are projected to sit 3.5% below their seasonal peak, translating to roughly $14,000 in savings on a median-priced home of about $416,000.

Buyer competition drops nearly a third below its annual peak

Competition, measured by Realtor.com listing views per property, is historically 30.1% below its yearly high during this week and 14.4% below the average week. Homes are expected to sit on the market for about 64 days during the Best Week -- roughly 13 days longer than the year's fastest-selling stretch.

Austin, Texas – September 15, 2026 -- Early Bird registration is now open for the 2026 Austin Trail of Lights Fun Run, sponsored by Raising Cane's, with discounted tickets available for a limited time through Ticketbud.

The run returns to Zilker Park on Saturday, December 5

Participants of all ages can walk, jog, dash, or dance through the holiday light display before anyone else sees it. New this year, a rolling start lets runners pick any start time between 6 and 8 p.m., while faster racers can opt into the Runner's Start, launching at the 6 p.m. countdown alongside VIP registrants.