DTX-PLS: Impact 9/15/2025

Dallas Area Rapid Transit CEO Nadine Lee announced the upcoming Silver Line, a heavy commuter train, will open Oct. 25.

What you need to know: The Silver Line will run 26 miles and connect Plano, Richardson, Dallas, Addison, Carrollton, Coppell and Grapevine to the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Lee said at the third annual State of the Agency held Sept. 12 in Richardson.

A new Starbucks recently opened in Plano’s Coit Marketplace, a company representative said.

On the menu: The establishment, which was founded in Seattle in 1971, sells a variety of beverages including coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Transportation Security Administration officials are looking to modernize security screening processes at United States airports through the implementation of advanced technologies and public-private partnerships. According to a news release, the TSA plans to expand digital identification technologies to look at carry-on bags and traveler identification through the use of cameras.

The details: New computer tomography scanners, or CT scanners, will be coming to airports in Atlanta, Denver, Orlando and Boston this year. Next year, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, as well as Los Angeles, Nashville and Seattle, will be added to the program, according to a news release.

The impact: According to TSA, the CT scanners will generate 3D images of carry-on bags, allowing officers to conduct digital rotational inspections while artificial intelligence identifies potential threats.

Education in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, may become more accessible for Texas public school students this school year.

What happened: Officials from national education nonprofit Learning Undefeated and the Texas Education Agency celebrated the opening of eight new mobile STEM labs at a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony in Austin. The TEA-funded labs are expected to visit 270 school districts across the state in the 2025-26 school year.

Notable quote: “In an ever-changing world, access to STEM education remains critical to help prepare our students for career pathways and lifelong success,” said Alejando Delgado, TEA deputy commissioner of operations.

The overview: Learning Undefeated built eight new mobile STEM labs after receiving a $3.5 million grant from the TEA, according to Learning Defeated information. The organization opened its first mobile STEM lab in Texas in 2020.

The nine regionally-based labs will now visit elementary and middle school campuses across the state’s 20 educational service center regions. Kindergarten through eighth grade students may participate in a variety of STEM activities to learn engineering design.