The Richardson Fire Department marked 100 years of service with a community celebration on June 27.

The big picture: April 9 marked the official anniversary of RFD, which began in 1926 as a small volunteer effort with a pickup truck, according to the city. RFD added Emergency Medical Services in the 1950s when it put its first ambulance into service. The department grew from four paid firefighters in 1956 to 179 fire personnel and five civilian staff today.

Quote of note: “When we look back over our history, we’ve never been as busy and the city’s never been as big as it is today,” Assistant Chief of Operations Gene Senter said at the event.

Royal Roastery Express is now open in Richardson after hosting a grand opening on June 26.

The details: This is Royal Roastery’s second Richardson location after opening a storefront on South Sherman Street in April.

Royal Roastery Express serves coffee, freshly-squeezed juice, fruit bowls, pastries and a range of desserts, including Turkish delights and baklava.

• 1403 E. Campbell Road, Ste. 110, Richardson

Yang’s Smokehouse opened in Plano in mid-June.

What they offer: The smokehouse’s menu has a variety of meat skewers like sliced beef, pork belly, lamb and chicken wings. Other menu items include grilled vegetables, fried rice, stir-fry, noodles and ribs.

Its “Adventurous Eats” section also offers spicy roasted pig brain.

• Opened June 19

Check out five upcoming and ongoing transportation projects around Dallas-Fort Worth.

Upcoming projects

1. Plano residential paving

Project: The city will be replacing 4,900 linear feet of street paving, sidewalks and barrier-free ramps, along with 250 linear feet of water line in some neighborhoods near Independence Parkway.

Update: Plano city council approved a construction contract for the project at a June 22 meeting, and work is expected to start in July.

• Timeline: July 2026-summer 2027
• Cost: $2.7 million
• Funding source: city of Plano

• Timeline: mid 2026-mid 2028
• Cost: $20 million
• Funding source: city of Frisco