An Italian restaurant on the Denton square will open in mid-August and a new McDonald's is under construction on Loop 288. Check out four restaurant updates around Denton. This list is not comprehensive.

Red: Italian in Denton adjusts opening date to mid-August
Red: Italian announced it will be opened for business in by the end of the summer. The new Italian eatery revealed in a social media post that it will be opening in mid-August.

New McDonald's under construction on Loop 288 in Denton
A new McDonald’s is under construction near the intersection of Loop 288 and Hummingbird Lane in Denton near Health Services of North Texas. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation documents state the location was scheduled to complete construction in late April.

Denton plant shop and matcha bar The Brown Thumb will relocate to the previous location of Black Fox Brewing Co. Aug. 8, manager Katie Behnke said.

Black Fox closed its doors in early April, according to previous reporting.

The details: The business is currently located at 211 Cedar St. but will move to 205 N. Cedar St., Behnke said.

At the new location, The Brown Thumb will host a five-year anniversary event, according to a company social media post. The event will feature local vendors, activities, a raffle, live music and beverage-themed flash tattoos from HereAfter Tattoos and Oddities. 

• 205 N. Cedar St., Denton

A new gas station is coming to Roanoke and a gym will open in Allen. Check out the latest construction permits filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. 

The Plaza at Spring Creek: Shopping center The Plaza at Spring Creek will start complete construction in early December 2027, according to TDLR documents. The development will feature two parking decks, 11 retail buildings and two community green spaces. 

• Location: northwest corner of Dallas North Tollway and Spring Creek Boulevard, Plano
• Estimated timeline: Dec. 1, 2025-Dec. 1, 2027
• Estimated cost: $9.76 million

• Location: northeast corner of US 377 and Bobcat Boulevard
• Estimated timeline: Jan. 12, 2027-Aug. 30, 2027
• Estimated cost: $850,000

At least 85,000 students will use Texas' new education savings accounts during the 2026-27 school year, an Aug. 3 report shows. Enrollment may grow as the school year kicks off and more families opt in to the program.

The overview: The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program gives families state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them, with priority going to students with disabilities and children from low-income households.

About 24% of students participating in the TEFA program have a disability, according to state data, and 80% of participants are from low-income families.

Zooming in: The largest numbers of students participating in the program live in Texas’ largest school districts, data shows. The report lists that 3,327 participants live in Houston ISD’s boundaries, followed by 2,645 participants from Dallas ISD, 2,271 participants from Northside ISD and 2,024 participants from Fort Bend ISD.

Previous state data showed that about 43% of students selected for the program had previously attended a Texas public school, although the Aug. 3 report did not include that information.