The city of Frisco gathered Sept. 19 to celebrate the grand opening of Northwest Community Park.

The details: Along with hike-and-bike trails, gravity trails and ramps, Northwest Community Park also features a 20-acre lawn, three playgrounds – including one with a 20-foot-tall bison play structure – a five-acre dog park, two mini zip lines and an outdoor classroom where groups can learn more about the endangered Blackland Prairie.

Frisco Capital Improvement Projects Manager Ricardo Sanchez worked with ecologists to protect the region’s soil and grasslands, saying “Progress isn’t always about how much we build, but how much is worth preserving.”

Cascadia Pizza Co. will open a new storefront in Frisco next year, according to documents filed with TDLR.

What we know: Cascadia Pizza Co. offers house-made pizza and wings. Once finished, the restaurant will serve as Cascadia Pizza Co.’s lone physical location in Texas.

Construction to convert a 2,065 square-foot space on Stonebrook Parkway will begin Nov. 1 and finish by March 1, 2027, according to the filing.

• 2200 Stonebrook Parkway, Ste. 180, Frisco

Officials from McKinney and Frisco ISDs highlighted student successes and talked about current challenges at a State of Education event. 

The McKinney Chamber of Commerce hosted the event Sept. 16, where a panel including MISD Superintendent Shawn Pratt and FISD Superintendent Todd Fouche discussed workforce development, accountability ratings and school finance. 

At a glance: Although all three MISD high schools received an A rating from the Texas Education Agency for the 2025-26 school year, Pratt said that is not the only way to define student success.

“We can't ignore it, but it truly is a one-day test,” he said. “We believe that we have students that demonstrate success in a lot of other ways.”

Also of note: One of the indicators of success both MISD and FISD are focusing on is college, career and military readiness.

“I am much more concerned about the students who leave our schools coming out and being ready to be employees in your organizations than I am if they got an A on a test or not,” Fouche said.

Check out five upcoming, ongoing and completed transportation projects in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Upcoming projects

1. Mount Gilead Road improvements

Project: Surface improvements are planned on Mount Gilead Road from US 377 to Bourland Road in Keller. The work features three lanes with turn lanes, a trail along the north side of the road, a sidewalk along the south side of the roadway and a single-lane roundabout on Bourland Road, according to a council presentation on Aug. 4.

Update: Alonzo Liñán, director of public works, provided an update during the Aug. 4 council meeting. He said the design by firm Kimley-Horn was 98% done and the next step would be to award the contract in September.

• Timeline: estimated construction is from January 2027 to January 2029

• Cost: $12.5 million-$13 million

• Funding source: city of Keller

What you need to know: Two candidates are running for the Denton County Commissioner’s Precinct 2 seat in the Nov. 3 election. The candidates competing for the seat are:

• Republican incumbent Kevin Falconer

• Democratic candidate Candace Valenzuela

The candidates were asked to keep their responses to questions within 50 words, answer the provided questions, and avoid attacking their opponents. Their answers may have been edited or shortened to adhere to these guidelines, or for style and clarity.