A luxury bus service is now offering direct trips between Plano and Austin.

Service is provided by Vonlane, a regional transportation company which caters to business and leisure travelers.

The details: The Plano City Council approved a special use permit allowing Vonlane to operate out of the Renaissance Dallas at a Dec. 8 meeting.

What they’re saying: Multiple council members described positive personal experiences with Vonlane.

“I have used [Vonlane] to travel down to Austin on numerous occasions, and I had a great experience,” council member Steve Lavine said.

Lulu Modern Chinese opened in November in Plano, Business President Sunny Chang said.

What they offer: Chang said the menu offers a variety of modern, elevated Asian American dishes, presenting contemporary interpretations of traditional Chinese cuisine.

• 3310 Dallas Parkway, Ste. 121, Plano

Check out some of the top stories out of Community Impact's Collin College coverage during 2025.

• Collin College awarded $1.3M to provide skills development training for North Texas companies
• Collin College announces certification for Toyota and Lexus training programs
• Targeted training: Collin College, workforce leaders hone in on employee skills initiatives in McKinney
• Collin College board maintains tax rate for FY 2025-26
• Collin College makes headway on new Frisco health science center

As the year comes to an end, some trending stories are taking a look back at features shared throughout the year highlighting North Texas restaurants.

Other developments highlighted include a planned gas station and a Texas Department of Transportation road project in McKinney.

See details from these stories and more in this list of the top six most-read stories from Community Impact's DFW coverage areas from Dec. 22-26.

TxDOT’s $1B investment to extend Spur 399 around McKinney, connect to US 380

Check out 9 McKinney eateries featured in 2025

New Texas state park to offer sneak peak with exclusive Jan. 1 guided hikes

Pizza, sushi and more: Check out 6 Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant updates

Check out 11 Frisco dining features from 2025

QuikTrip off US 380 to open in early 2027

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to celebrate the first flight from the southeast Missouri town to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Contour Airlines started flights to and from DFW Airport, out of Terminal D, on Dec. 1. The airline connects DFW to several smaller regional airports through the Essential Air Service program, according to a news release.

Zooming in: Frontier Airlines launched two international flights in December from DFW Airport.

Weekly flights to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala, started Dec. 20.

Two-times-a-week service from DFW Airport to El Salvador International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador, took off Dec. 21, according to previous reporting. 

A closer look: The Transportation Security Administration announced Dec. 1 that all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly will have the option to pay a $45 fee to use TSA ConfirmID.

2026 is a big election year in Texas. Voters will see 18 statewide races, all congressional seats, most state legislative seats and a variety of local positions on the ballot.

The overview: The Republican and Democratic primary elections will be held March 3, and the midterm election is set for Nov. 3.

Texas holds primaries for all partisan elected positions, such as state officials; state and federal lawmakers; and county judges, commissioners and justices of the peace. Third-party candidates, including independents, Libertarian Party candidates and Green Party candidates, have separate election processes will not be listed on the primary ballots in March. Eligible candidates representing various parties will appear on the November ballot.

Looking back: All statewide offices on the ballot are currently held by Republicans, although some are not running for reelection. No Democrat or third-party candidate has won a statewide office in Texas since 1994, election records show.

Check out the full article for more details on election processes and an overview of state-level races.