The Denton Police Department and Denton Fire Department announced they will implement a trial utilizing the Drone as First Responder, DFR, program for the month of October.

What’s happening? Operations began Oct. 1 for the DFR program. According to a social media post from the departments, the trial is designed to test emergency response times, provide real-time updates during emergency situations and enhance overall public safety. The trial will run through Oct. 31, according to a city news release.

The release states Denton officers and firefighters who are certified drone pilots will operate Skydio X10 DFR drones within seconds of a 911 call being placed. The drones will specifically respond to:

• Traffic crashes

• Missing persons

• Robberies in progress

• Structure fires

• Water rescues

Dogtopia, a full-service dog daycare, opened its first location in Denton’s city limits.

How it works: The family-owned canine daycare, located across from Golden Triangle Mall off I-35 E, opened its doors at the end of September, a recent Facebook post states.

For $45 a day (or less with weekly price plans), Denton dogs will exercise, socialize and rest, Dogtopia’s website states. The facility also offers overnight boarding and spa treatments.

• 2311 Colorado Blvd., Ste. 103, Denton

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport introduced a new program from the Transportation Security Administration and new parkway speed limits, while KFC debuted a “next-generation” Open House restaurant in McKinney. Check out six trending stories from Community Impact’s Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas.

1. New TSA program, speed limit change, parking rates: DFW Airport roundup

2. KFC debuts new Open House restaurant concept in McKinney

3. Celina officials plan for future development as DNT expands

4. San Martin Bakery opens new Plano location

5. Frisco ISD approves elementary class-size state exemption

6. TxDOT plans $38M construction on FM 1385 in Prosper

Texas school districts using the state-developed Bluebonnet Learning curriculum saw slightly better year-over-year achievement last school year than other districts, according to Texas Education Agency data released Sept. 30.

What's happening: During the 2025-26 school year, 619 of Texas' 1,200 public school districts opted in to implement at least one of the three Bluebonnet curriculum programs—elementary math, secondary math and elementary language arts.

On this spring's State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, districts using the state-developed math materials saw student improvement that was 0.6 percentage points higher than students in other districts, while districts that implemented the reading materials performed 0.2 percentage points higher on the STAAR than other schools.

What they're saying: The TEA said the gains in student achievement are an "encouraging sign of early progress."

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, a statewide educator union, disagreed, calling the results "rather paltry."

"It may take a few more years to determine if this is a valid trend or simply an anomaly," Capo said in a statement.