Plano officials to test new nighttime construction on Custer Road
Plano residents can expect to see more nighttime construction soon as the city tests a new pilot program along Custer Road.
What you need to know: Plano City Council supported a Public Works plan presented Aug. 25 to allow concrete repairs, replacements and pouring at night, which are activities currently restricted to daytime construction hours.
Zooming in: Director of Public Works Abby Owens said expanding nighttime construction work could shorten project timelines by reducing traffic delays and utilizing better weather conditions for construction. The work is a part of ongoing arterial overlay projects along Custer Road, spanning from Hwy. 121 to Spring Creek Parkway.
Looking ahead: The city will monitor progress and collect community feedback during the pilot program before considering expanding nighttime work to other arterial roadway projects.
Tops offers vacuums, sewing machines and more at new Plano location
Tops Vacuum and Sewing opened a new location in Plano.
The specifics: The store offers a variety of vacuum cleaner and sewing machine service and sales, along with sewing accessories.
The Florida-based business opened in the former David’s Vacuums location in Village at Collin Creek shopping center in April and expanded to a full inventory of sewing supplies in June, General Manager Brian Beggs said. David’s closed in late 2024.
Collin College board maintains tax rate for FY 2025-26
Collin County residents will be paying the same property tax rate to Collin College for fiscal year 2025-26.
The gist: The college’s board of trustees unanimously approved a tax rate of $0.08122 per $100 valuation during an Aug. 26 board meeting. This is the fourth year in a row the college has operated at this tax rate, according to Collin County tax records.
Gov. Abbott signs new congressional map; Texas Democrats vow to fight in court
Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas’ new congressional map into law Aug. 29, declaring in a video posted to social media that “Texas is now more red in the United States Congress.”
The details: Under Texas’ current congressional boundaries, Republicans hold 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats. State lawmakers have said the new map will help them gain up to five more during the 2026 midterm elections.
Texas Democrats have called the mid-decade redistricting effort unconstitutional and "racially discriminatory," while Republicans asserted that the map "complies with the law" and was designed to help more Republicans get elected to the U.S. House.
Next steps: Texas’ new congressional map is set to take effect in early December, although it will be discussed in court two months earlier. After state senators approved the map Aug. 23, the League of United Latin American Citizens and a group of Texas residents filed a lawsuit asking that the map be found unconstitutional.
A panel of three federal judges will hear arguments in the case Oct. 1-10 in El Paso.
