The McKinney Fire Department has issued 102 automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, to the public in support of its Neighborhood Heroes program. 

The current situation: Battalion Chief Ben Jones announced the program's progress during an Oct. 5 McKinney City Council work session. The fire department’s goal is to distribute more than 400 AEDs into the community as part of its “Four-Minute City” initiative. 

“This is in addition to the 198 AEDs that we currently have that are public access whether they’re at the libraries and the parks and the police cars,” Jones said. “Overall, our goal is to have close to 600 around the city.”

The context: Cardiac arrest survival rates in McKinney have increased more than 35 percentage points since 2023, when the fire department set a goal to improve response times. Fire department officials aim to continue improving those survival rates through a community-based approach called the Neighborhood Heroes program. 

Simpson Strong-Tie is expanding its manufacturing facility in East McKinney.

In a nutshell: Officials broke ground on the expansion in September, according to a McKinney Economic Development Corp. news release. The expansion will add space for additional warehousing and production capacity, and expand the branch’s test lab.

The groundbreaking comes as Simpson Strong-Tie celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2026. Nick Algya, senior vice president and branch manager for Simpson Strong-Tie, said 70 years is a “proud milestone” and the investment in McKinney is “how we build the next chapter.”

Quote of note: “This expansion gives our team the space, tools, and testing capabilities to serve our customers better and keep pushing product innovation forward,” Algya said in a statement. “We are grateful for the community that has supported our growth here, and we are excited about what the future holds.”

• 2151 S. Airport Drive, McKinney

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

1. Frisco Street construction

Project: Frisco Street will be constructed into a four-lane roadway from Eldorado Parkway to Panther Creek Parkway.

Update: The project is in the design phase and expected to start later this year.

• Timeline: late 2026-mid 2027

• Cost: $15 million

• Funding source: city of Frisco

2. Campbell Road and University Parkway intersection work

Project: Crews will upgrade traffic signals and perform work on the intersection lanes at Campbell Road and University Parkway in Richardson.

Update: The construction contract was awarded to JR West Texas Concrete, and construction is expected to begin in January.

• Timeline: January 2026-summer 2027

• Cost: $1.53 million

• Funding source: city of Richardson

Texans interested in casting their midterm election ballots before Election Day can do so from Oct. 19-30, the state's early voting period.

The overview: Registered voters can visit any polling place in their county during early voting. They will receive a ballot with federal, state and local races—from the U.S. Senate and Texas governor to city and school district officials.

Dates to know:

• Oct. 19: Early in-person voting begins

• Oct. 23: Deadline to apply to vote by mail

• Oct. 30: Early in-person voting ends

• Nov. 3: Election Day

Something to note: Local election officials are also working through a backlog of voter registrations after the Texas Department of Public Safety failed to send some registration records to counties, according to previous reporting. Texans who registered before the Oct. 5 deadline but do not appear on the rolls can still cast a provisional ballot, per the secretary of state.

More details: To check out candidate Q&As and review all races on local ballots, visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide.