The Denton Chamber of Commerce is holding a forum for the candidates running for Denton City Council in the May local election.

The details: There are four positions open on Denton City Council for this election cycle, including the mayoral seat, District 1, District 2 and at-large Place 5.

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to meet with the candidates starting at 2 p.m., a half hour before the forum begins. The forum will run until 5 p.m. and will take place at 401 N. Elm St., where the chamber is located.

The event is free to attend, though registration is requested.

Also of note: Election day is May 2, with early voting starting April 20 and running through April 28. The last day to register to vote is April 2.

Vintage clothing and antique shop The Velvet Echo opened in downtown Denton in March, owner Stephanie Miller said.

Two-minute impact: The shop offers second-hand clothing, jewelry and household items sourced and curated from estate sales and thrift shops, Miller said.
“Anything you’re looking for, you can find second-hand,” Miller said.

Miller, a former MAC Cosmetics manager and makeup artist whose clients included country musicians Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves, opened the store with the mission to reduce the amount of clothing waste.

Miller added that a portion of the store's proceeds will go towards charities that assist impoverished women.

• 311 S. Locust St., Denton

Election season is just around the corner with races at the local, county and district level. In other news, a $40 million community park is set to be completed this summer in Frisco while the city of Plano is planning to establish a nonprofit hub. 

Catch up on some of the top trending stories from Community Impact's Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas. 

Q&A: Meet the candidates running for Frisco mayor

3 McKinney ISD schools to see $4.8M investment in renovations this summer

Demolition of former McKinney City Hall expected to start in April

Frisco's $40M Northwest Community Park nears June completion

University of North Texas to end, consolidate programs as university faces $45M budget shortfall

Plano to buy Harrington House for $2M nonprofit hub
 

In the nine months until Texas’ 90th legislative session begins in January, state lawmakers are expected to hold information-gathering hearings on hundreds of topics that will lay the groundwork for next year’s policymaking.

During a March 27 legislative summit in New Braunfels, four longtime lawmakers shared some of their top priorities for next year.

What they're saying: The legislators said they were focused on furthering some projects from previous legislative cycles, including water preservation initiatives and a new education savings account program.

More details: They said they also intend to study data center operations and how the large facilities impact local water supplies, noting that the legislature will work with local officials to determine how much data center regulation should happen locally and when the state should step in. 

“Does the state need to be involved? Yes,” Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said. “Does local government need to have a say? Yes. But we’ve also got to remember, so does the private taxpayer. So we need to get a combination of all three.”