Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Austin news of the week. A new East Austin pool is ready to make a splash, plus there are low-cost live music options on the horizon for your summer entertainment. Catch up on our five most popular stories below, then visit this guide to plan the rest of your weekend.
1. East Austin gets impressive new pool with waterslide and lap lanes. Residents of Northeast Austin will have a new way to keep cool this summer with the opening of the Colony Park Pool on Memorial Day weekend.
2. Free wings for grads and award-winning beers toast Austin food news. Local favorite Pluckers has a big gift for grads in this roundup of Austin dining news.
3. UT board pours $100M into Austin's new School of Civic Leadership. The University of Texas System Board of Regents has dedicated $100 million to creating a "permanent home" for the School of Civic Leadership in Austin.
The School of Civic Leadership will be housed in the Biological Laboratories building.
Photo courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin
4. Free summer music festival in downtown Austin returns with 150 artists. Hot Summer Nights, a weekend of donation-based music in the Red River Cultural District, will return July 24-26, 2025.
5. Willie Nelson, Father John Misty, more Austin concerts on sale for $30. In what has become an annual summer tradition, Live Nation is offering a discount ticket program for summer concert season 2025, with $30 tickets for a variety of shows at venues across Texas.