Fort Worth City Council members unanimously approved the first steps to initiate a 90-day moratorium on accepting, processing and approving new applications for data centers within city limits.

The details: Approval of beginning the moratorium process was the first of three data center-related items on the agenda at the Aug. 11 meeting. The other items included the creation of the Fort Worth Data Center & Infrastructure Commission and an ordinance amending the city code on filing requirements for applications to develop data centers to mirror requirements issued by Gov. Greg Abbott Aug. 3.

The latter two items passed 10-1. District 7 council member Macy Hill voted no on the commission, while District 10 council member Chris Jamieson voted no on amending the requirements.

In a nutshell: Jesica McEachern, Fort Worth's assistant city manager, outlined the steps and possible dates for the 90-day moratorium process during the meeting. She said the moratorium does not apply to planned or approved projects or projects with zoning applications already submitted.

Northwest ISD students walked through the doors of their respective schools for the first day of class Aug. 12.

The details: Students, including kindergarteners heading to elementary school for the first time, at Romer Elementary School were welcomed by teachers and staff.

The start of the 2026-27 school year marked the opening of new schools and facilities in the district, including Romer Elementary, Barksdale Middle School and the Dr. Hicks Early Childhood Education Center, all of which were funded by the district's 2023 bond package, according to previous reporting.

NISD has 38 instructional campuses, including two centers, 24 elementary schools, eight middle schools and four high schools. The district serves more than 32,000 students across 234 square miles, according to its website.

Zooming in: The district board of trustees approved the 2025-26 instructional calendar in January. The calendar includes a list of professional development days for the district and details upcoming holidays.

Keller ISD welcomed students to class for the first day of the 2026-27 school year Aug. 12.

Zooming in: Students were welcomed to class at Keller-Harvel Elementary STEAM Academy and the district's other 41 campuses. The schools are spread out between Keller, Fort Worth, Colleyville, Southlake and Watauga, according to the district's website.

This also marks the final first day of school for three campuses: Bear Creek Intermediate in Keller, Parkwood Hill Intermediate in Fort Worth and Trinity Meadows Intermediate in Fort Worth. Those schools will close after this school year due to declining enrollment, according to previous reporting.

What else?
Here are some important dates for KISD students and parents:

• Oct. 9-16: fall break
• Nov. 3: student holiday for Election Day
• Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
• Dec. 21-Jan. 5, 2027: winter break
• March 12-19, 2027: spring break
• May 26, 2027: last day of school

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.