New associate degree programs are slated to launch this fall at Collin College.

The new degree programs are aimed at competitive job markets, a news release states.

The specifics: The new Associate of Applied Science programs will include corresponding certificates, the release states. Programs include:

• Medical Laboratory Technology
• Law Enforcement—Public Administration and Supervision
• Cosmetology

The opening timeline for Prosper’s new Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is shifting slightly. 

What you need to know: The eatery was initially scheduled to open April 27, but a company representative said in an email the restaurant is now expected to open in late spring or early summer. Cracker Barrel’s menu features a variety of southern food options, such as all-day breakfast, country fried steak, meatloaf and chicken n’ dumplings. 

• 3830 W. University Drive, Prosper

Renovations at Texas Christian University’s Ed Landreth Hall and the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport’s Centurion Lounge are two of many new projects filed recently with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Here are five of the most expensive permits filed with TDLR in the past week.

Texas Christian University Ed Landreth Hall renovations
Texas Christian University is renovating Ed Laundrette Hall with mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades; a new theater; audiovisual and technology upgrades; and acoustics, finishes and architectural updates.

American Express Centurion Lounge expansion at DFW Airport
American Express is renovating and expanding an existing lounge at the DFW Airport. The renovations will come with more seating, a new dining area and walk-up ice cream. 

Texas Health Dallas Hamon Tower renovations
Texas Health Resources is renovating the fifth floor of Hamon Tower in Dallas to include 30 medical-surgical beds and 30 intermediate beds.

Texas retailers can resume selling smokable hemp products after a Travis County judge temporarily blocked some of the state’s sweeping new regulations on the hemp industry.

The background: On March 31, the state health department enacted rules changing how THC content is measured in consumable hemp, which industry experts said effectively outlawed most smokable hemp products.

The Texas Hemp Business Council, a federal hemp industry group, and several local hemp companies sued the state April 8, arguing that the state health department does not have the authority to reclassify legal THC levels. State officials have defended the rules, saying they are in line with a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott, who at the time called for stricter oversight of the multibillion-dollar hemp industry.

The latest: Travis County District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble sided with the hemp industry in an April 10 ruling, directing the state not to enforce the new THC testing requirement and a restriction on the transportation of hemp products between states. An additional hearing is scheduled for April 23.