BlessLiz Catering and African Market opened in Denton in early November, a company representative said. The company is based in McKinney and the Denton market is its second location.

The details: BlessLiz hosted a grand opening event on Dec. 2 in partnership with the Denton Chamber of Commerce.

BlessLiz offers African food products and ingredients like shito, a Ghanaian black pepper sauce, along with other grocery items.

• 721 I-35 E., Ste. 145, Denton

The Denton Community Food Center has provided emergency food assistance to individuals and families in 21 areas of northern Denton County for over 50 years, said Tom Newell, Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The gist: In this Q&A, Newell talks about the organization’s history, mission and how community members can get involved. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

How and why was the Denton Community Food Center founded?
This organization was created in 1974 when 10 churches came together. They had 10 individual food pantries and decided that they would be better together, so they founded the Denton Community Food Center. Now it has a board of directors made up of members of the community service area. We’re in our 51st year of continuous service to the community as an all-volunteer-run organization.

The Dallas Fort Worth International Airport board approved additional work near and around Terminal F, the sixth terminal that is expected to open in 2027.

During the Dec. 4 meeting, three contracts worth nearly $60 million were passed for various projects around DFW Airport.

The specifics: An amended contract for Terminal F and Skylink Station was revised to add $31.2 million, raising the not-to-exceed contract amount to $1.12 billion, according to airport documents.

The Phase 1 footprint of Terminal F is being expanded at the south and southeast ends to accommodate current operational projections, which will reposition hold rooms, circulation area, gate-adjacent area and concession amenities, according to documents.

What else? Contracts with Oncor Electric and EAS Contracting were approved for electrical infrastructure work.

EAS Contracting, from Roanoke, was awarded a contract not to exceed $29.7 million for the modernization and replacement of the electrical system supporting the west airfields, as well as Terminal F.

Texas has grown rapidly in recent years, and data indicates that development is not slowing down. The Lone Star State gained about 168,000 jobs from September 2024-September 2025, leading the nation in job growth, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The overview: Texas is attractive to businesses looking to relocate or expand their operations due to its tax incentives and grants, lack of a personal income tax and roughly 200 higher education institutions, business leaders said during a Dec. 10 summit held in College Station by industry network YTexas.

As businesses of all sizes continue to move to Texas, local governments and associations also need to “support the ones that are already here,” said Dean Browell, the chief behavioral officer for Feedback, a digital ethnographic research firm.

Zooming in: In an October study, Feedback found that long-term Texas residents want to live in growing communities with strong education systems and plentiful job opportunities. That growth, however, can lead to rising property taxes and living expenses before residents begin feeling the benefits, Browell said.