Celina City Council is working to determine the future of the city’s annual Oktoberfest after assuming control of the event from the Celina Chamber of Commerce.

The discussion: Council members favored a large Oktoberfest celebration paid for by the city over a reduced version of the event.

The backstory: The Chamber of Commerce has arranged the Celina Oktoberfest since 2018, but it decided to stop hosting the event after 2025, according to city documents.

Prosper and Celina are preparing for winter weather this weekend. 

The details: A winter storm watch is in effect for the Dallas-Fort Worth area with sleet expected to begin Friday night. A strong arctic cold front will be moving into the metroplex early Friday with cold rain transitioning into a wintry mix in the early afternoon. Widespread wintry precipitation, with the majority being sleet, is expected throughout Saturday and potentially into Sunday morning.

What you need to know: To prepare for winter weather, city officials advise residents to:

• Disconnect and drain hoses
• Cover outdoor faucets
• Turn off sprinklers
• Cover outdoor plants
• Drip indoor faucets
• Open cabinets with pipes to let heat in
• Bring pets indoors

Prosper ISD and Celina ISD officials are monitoring winter weather conditions for potential school closures.

The details: When inclement weather is possible, district officials continually monitor weather conditions during the overnight and early morning hours, according to PISD’s website. The district considers several factors before deciding to cancel, delay, or dismiss school early due to inclement weather.

These primary factors include:

• The health, safety, and welfare of students and staff and the safe transport of students and staff to school
• Teenage drivers on the roads and their safety

A far-reaching winter storm is expected to bring below-freezing temperatures, wintry precipitation and “dangerous ice” to Texas beginning Jan. 23, according to the National Weather Service. As residents brace for days of potentially hazardous conditions, state leaders said Jan. 22 that the Texas power grid “has never been stronger” and will withstand the storm.

What's happening: Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 134 of Texas’ 254 counties, telling reporters that the northern two-thirds of the state—from San Antonio to the Panhandle—will be impacted by the storm.

Officials said they do not expect a repeat of the widespread power outages that occurred during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, emphasizing that changes have been made in recent years to harden the grid against extreme weather. The governor said some Texans could see “local, isolated” outages due to fallen tree branches or ice on power lines.

"The severity of it is not quite as great... as Winter Storm Uri," Abbott said. "That said, people would be making a mistake if they don't take it serious."