Japanese restaurant Sushi Kai opened its doors in mid-January, according to a social media post from the company.

The details: Sushi Kai has a variety of Japanese-inspired menu items, such as a full menu of sushi, hibachi options, appetizers, sushi lunch combos, soups and salads.

The restaurant also has emperor dinner entrees, which are hibachi dinners that include three meats and a side of rice, and dinner for two.

• 2655 W. University Drive, Ste. 1031, Denton

Several Denton roadways are currently under construction for utilities installations, drainage and pavement replacement. Check these five road closures in downtown Denton.

Bonnie Brae Street
Bonnie Brae Street from Riney Road to US 77 is closed while workers install storm drain lines, laterals and curb inlets along the roadway. The closure is scheduled to end in mid February, according to a Jan. 30 city staff report.

Parkway Street
Parkway Street is closed from Denton Street to Carroll Boulevard while crews install utilities and replace pavement as part of the Neighborhood 2 Bond program, a $154 million road improvement package included in the 2019 bond. The road is scheduled to reopen in late April, according to a Jan. 30 city staff report.

The Denton County Commissioners Court approved a 10-year tax abatement for MP Materials to possibly build a new facility in the county.

What happened? Commissioners Bobbie Mitchell, Kevin Falconer and Ryan Williams all voted in favor of the abatement Jan. 29 during a regular Commissioners Court meeting. Commissioner Dianne Edmondson and Judge Andy Reid were not present for the vote.

The move allows MP Materials to incur a 10-year tax break of 50% of real and personal property taxes, which will add up to $9.3 million, according to Denton County documents.

A location in the town of Northlake is being considered as a second location for a new MP Materials manufacturing plant, according to town documents. This plant, which is referred to as the “10X Facility,” would be a more than $1 billion investment from MP Materials.

Diving deeper: If the second plant is built in Denton County, one of the requirements is hiring at least 1,000 full-time employees with an average annual salary of $74,315, according to court documents.

Stay informed on five road projects happening in Collin County and Tarrant County. 

Collin County

1. Allen road safety projects 

The project: The city of Allen is using Texas Department of Transportation grant funds to improve 16 intersections. 

The update: Only three intersections have not been completed, but work on all three will begin in February. The three remaining intersections to be improved will be Century Parkway and Bethany Drive, Greenville Avenue and Bethany Drive, and Greenville Avenue and Main Street. 

• Timeline: Work on the remaining three projects is expected to finish up in the fall. 
• Cost: $4.6 million for all 16 projects
• Funding source: TxDOT

• Timeline: spring 2026-fall 2027
• Cost: $27.79 million
• Funding source: town of Prosper 

Following over four hours of public testimony and debate Jan. 28, the Texas State Board of Education is poised to postpone a plan to create a mandatory reading list for K-12 students.

What's happening: Board members said Jan. 28 that they wanted to get more feedback from Texans before moving forward with the policy, which would take effect at the beginning of the 2030-31 school year. The SBOE is required to create the reading list under a 2023 state law, and members said they would likely revisit the proposal during an April meeting.

The Texas Education Agency compiled a list of nearly 300 literary works for the board to consider.

What they're saying: Some speakers expressed concerns Jan. 28 that the TEA’s list was too long and focused too heavily on classical literature that “does not represent the students of Texas," while others said they wanted students to focus on classical literature and historical texts.