The Celina Fire Department plans to add an additional firefighter to all of its fire engine crews by hiring nine additional firefighters in fiscal year 2026-27, Fire Chief Shawn White told Celina City Council at a June 9 meeting.

In a nutshell: Moving from three-person crews to four-person crews will help “save lives and property” by aligning the department with firefighting best practices, White said.

What else: CFD also plans to delay the opening of its fourth ambulance, which was originally slated to open alongside Fire Station No. 4 in February 2027, White said.

The cost: CFD will be able to hire the additional staff within its original budget, White said. The four-person staffing model and relocation of the third ambulance are subject to final approval in the city’s FY 2026-27 budget later this year.

We Rock the Spectrum, a kid’s gym designed for sensory-safe play, is open in Celina, a company representative confirmed.

The details: The gym is tailored to children with autism, sensory processing disorders and other developmental needs. It features sensory equipment such as a zip line, crash pit, trampoline, climbing mountain and more.

• 3510 N. Louisiana Drive, Celina

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

Upcoming projects

1. Plano residential paving

Project: The city will be replacing 4,900 linear feet of street paving, sidewalks and barrier-free ramps, along with 250 linear feet of water line in some neighborhoods near Independence Parkway.

Update: Plano city council approved a construction contract for the project at a June 22 meeting, and work is expected to start in July.

• Timeline: July 2026-summer 2027
• Cost: $2.7 million
• Funding source: city of Plano

• Timeline: mid 2026-mid 2028
• Cost: $20 million
• Funding source: city of Frisco

Texas' Republican-led State Board of Education approved a sweeping rewrite of the state's social studies curriculum standards and a list of dozens of books that students will be required to read each school year, both of which are infused with biblical references. The new requirements will begin rolling out to public school classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.

The details: As many as 25 texts will be read each year in early elementary school grades, with about 10 books required in later grades. The reading list was created under a 2023 state law requiring “at least one literary work” per grade.

The new social studies curriculum standards will expand lessons about Texas and American history, deemphasizing some teachings about world cultures and people of color. The standards also expand the amount of content students will be expected to learn each year.

The debate: Proponents of the new standards and reading list said they will teach students to love their state and country, while critics said the policies do not include diverse perspectives.