At the close of the first week of early voting on Oct. 25, 214,745 voters had cast their ballots at polling locations in Collin County, county documents show.

Latest update: About 26.9% of the county’s registered voters have turned out for the midterm election as of Oct. 25, according to the Collin County Elections Office. The county has 799,130 registered voters, a representative of the Collin County Elections Office confirmed.

Also of note: The busiest polling locations during early voting so far have been McKinney’s John and Judy Gay Library, Plano’s Davis Library and Allen Public Library.

Teriyaki Madness is coming soon to McKinney, owner Vamsi Kari said.

A closer look: The fast-casual Asian restaurant offers customizable protein bowls served over rice or noodles, such as the spicy tofu teriyaki bowl and the chicken katsu bowl, according to its website. The restaurant also has appetizers like potstickers and egg rolls and sides like vegetables and brown rice.

• 4191 S. Lake Forest Drive, Ste. 400, McKinney

See five transportation projects around Dallas-Fort Worth.

1. Loop 288 frontage road construction

Project: The Texas Department of Transportation is planning to construct frontage roads on Loop 288 in Denton County with grade separations and an improved connector to US 380. The project would span from I-35 to US 380 east of Geesling Road.

Update: TxDOT has yet to raise the necessary funds for the recently announced billion-dollar cost. TxDOT is still working with Denton County and the contracting firm to finalize schematics and plan the project’s timeline.

• Timeline: finalized schematic expected December 2026

• Cost: $1.3 billion

• Funding sources: TxDOT, Denton County

2. US 81 improvements

Project: TxDOT and the city of Fort Worth will reconstruct frontage roads and make intersection improvements along US 81 from I-35W to Harmon Road.

Update: Fort Worth City Council approved an advance funding agreement with TxDOT for $3.75 million for water main relocation as part of the project at a Sept. 29 meeting.

• Timeline: estimated completion January 2028

• Cost: $75.9 million

• Funding sources: TxDOT, city of Fort Worth

North Texans report greater affordability pressures, less neighborhood connectedness and unease about artificial intelligence in a new quality-of-life survey from the University of Texas at Dallas.

The overview: Researchers from the university’s School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences presented results from the 2026 William C. Short Quality of Life Survey on Oct. 21. They have conducted the survey annually since 2024 to identify issues important to North Texans and bring community members together, said Jennifer Holmes, dean of the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences.

A closer look: Respondents identified inflation and prices and housing affordability and availability as the most important issues currently facing their communities.

Quote of note: “The challenge we face as a region is we need faster, more accurate, more accessible data,” project director Timothy Bray said. “We begin by listening to North Texas, asking the folks who live in our communities what they think.”