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Nearly half of TWU 2026 graduating class leaves school without student loans

Almost 50% of Texas Woman’s University’s spring 2026 class earned an undergraduate degree without student loan debt, TWU officials said.

Two-minute impact: Out of the 888 undergraduates who earned a four-year degree at TWU, 442, or 49.77% had zero student loan debt, said Matt Flores, TWU’s assistant vice president of communications.

A further 115 students graduated with less than $10,000 of student loan debt. There were 111 students who graduated with more than $31,000 in student loans.

Monica Mendez-Grant, TWU’s vice president for student life, said that financial security while seeking higher education directly supports students by driving degree completion, improving mental health and providing long-term economic mobility.

“TWU recognizes that financial health is tied directly to physical well-being,” she said. “Rather than treating financial aid and student welfare as separate departments, TWU integrates them through the many campus offices.”

 
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Denton officials break ground on Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center

Denton officials turned dirt at the site of the soon-to-be-expanded Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center, the city’s animal shelter, during an Aug. 12 groundbreaking ceremony.

What happened? Members of Denton City Council, the animal shelter’s staff and volunteers were on hand for the ceremonial groundbreaking, which originally was scheduled for April. Denton Mayor Chris Watts said the updates to the shelter show how much Denton residents and officials care about adoptable animals.

“This is a testament to our community, the volunteers, the staff, council members and to the entire city on making sure we care for our animals and do the best job we can do,” Watts said.

The shelter will be completely renovated and expanded by 9,000 square feet, making it a 27,000-square-foot facility, according to previous reporting. The updates include entrances for people looking to adopt, for those surrendering pets and for animal services to bring in strays for health and safety regulations.

 

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Dive-in movie at Heights Family Aquatic Center

McKinney Farmers Market

Aug. 14, 8 p.m.
Richardson

Aug. 15, 8 a.m. to noon.
McKinney

More info

More info

 

Pottery workshop at Wildflower Art Studio

Blind Wine Tasting at Winestein's

Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m.
Denton

Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m.
Grapevine

More info

More info

 
To submit your own event, click here.

Affecting All Texans
Texas senators consider how to better prepare communities for wildfires

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 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 for 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.
 

 

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Arlin Gold
General Manager

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