Denton ISD's Child Nutrition department served over 4 million lunches and about 1.6 million breakfasts during the 2024-25 school year, said Chris Bomberger, DISD's executive director of risk management and child nutrition.

The overview: The nutrition department focuses on ensuring students have access to healthy, balanced meals to help fuel student growth, learning and overall well-being, said Liz Raftery, director of Child Nutrition. Raftery shared updates on the Child Nutrition department during a Nov. 11 board meeting.

Several businesses opened or are opening soon in Denton. Keep reading for the latest business updates from Community Impact.

Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Denton
Construction is underway at a new Texas Rehabilitation Hospital of Denton, according to a news release.

A joint venture with Lifepoint Rehabilitation and Texas Health Resources, the new freestanding facility will have 40 private patient rooms, per the news release. The hospital will provide inpatient rehabilitation services for adults who have experienced a loss of function or disability due to stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological disorders, orthopedic surgery, amputation and other conditions.

• Located at I-35 and West University Drive, Denton

• 1115 W. Hickory St., Ste. 111, Denton

Developers have broken ground on a master-planned community in Denton that will feature homes from nine builders, trails, park space, on-site schools and retail space, including the city's first H-E-B. Meanwhile, TeraHop, a Singapore-based tech company, is expanding its operations to a new Richardson facility.

Here are six development stories you may have missed from Community Impact's Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas.

Landmark breaks ground in Denton, model homes coming soon

VanTrust Real Estate announces 121 Commerce Park project in McKinney

Flower Mound council approves zoning for 335-acre conservation development Eden Ranch

Tech company TeraHop to open Richardson manufacturing facility

Grocery store development in North Texas continues to surge

Fort Worth launches Alliance Logistics District to streamline regional freight traffic

The Christmas Capital of Texas started its holiday event schedule with the 37th Carol of Lights on Nov. 24 on Main Street.

A 60-foot Christmas tree was lit at 7:30 p.m., while Santa made appearances at three different locations during the four-hour event.

According to the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau website, more than 1,400 festive Christmas events take place over 40 days, transforming Grapevine into a storybook destination.

What happened: There were some new events at this year's Carol of Lights, including Santa’s Racetrack and the Frozen Fun zone, which had bounce houses and a snow hill.

What to expect: The Merry & Bright Christmas Drone Show is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 1 and Dec. 8. There will be 400 drones in 12 custom formations near Main Street and Northwest Highway and near Main Street and Dallas Road, according to previous reporting.

On the heels of what proponents have called “historic” property tax relief, some Texas lawmakers are questioning whether the state can afford to continue increasing the tax exemptions passed in 2023 and 2025.

The big picture: Texas homeowners pay property taxes to various local entities, although lawmakers can limit how much entities increase taxes each year and provide state funding to expand tax exemptions.

Texas is spending $51 billion on property tax relief in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 alone and may be required to spend more to maintain existing tax exemptions in future bienniums, lawmakers said.

What they're saying: "We're kind of maxed out at what we can do for property tax reform, from a budget perspective," said Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, during a Nov. 20 event.

"$51 billion ongoing, it's a huge amount to continue to support. To think about doing anything more seems very fiscally irresponsible," Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, said.

The other side: Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, said creating limits on local government spending would be critical to keeping Texas affordable.