Leaders with the city of McKinney have established legislative priorities ahead of the 2027 Texas legislative session, which is scheduled to start in January. 

The overview: McKinney City Council members approved the priorities during an Oct. 20 meeting. Council members adopt a list of priorities for each state legislative session, according to a city document. 

The specifics: Priorities include a focus on home-rule authority, business development and McKinney National Airport, said Nimra Zubair, assistant to the city manager. Priorities are developed in coordination with legislative consultants, the Texas Municipal League, the North Texas Commission and more, according to the city document. 

“We use this as a guiding principle that we base our legislative recommendations on,” Zubair said.

Indian grocery store and food court Spices of India is set to open in the Plaza at Fort Buckner retail center in 2027, a representative of the business confirmed.

The specifics: The 15,600-square-foot, family-owned store will offer South Asian staples such as spices, rice, flours, lentils and beans, as well as fresh-made roti, samosas and puff pastries. Other offerings include snacks, produce, dairy and frozen food, a representative of the business said.

The store’s food court will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and offer dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering services.

Diving in deeper: Husband and wife Raj and Nita Patel have owned their Spices of India store in Oklahoma City for more than 35 years, the business’s website states.

“We have run this kind of store for the Oklahoma City community and we look forward to becoming part of the McKinney community.”

• 4058 W. University Drive, Ste. 120, McKinney

More than 4.5 million Texans cast ballots in the first seven days of early voting in the Nov. 3 election, state data shows.

The overview: From Oct. 19-25, 23.8% of Texas' 19 million registered voters had voted in-person or by mail, according to voter turnout data submitted by counties and reported by the secretary of state. This is slightly below early voting turnout at the same point in 2018 and several percentage points above turnout in 2022.

Some context: Turnout this fall follows voter enthusiasm during the March primary election, when more Texans voted early than in recent primaries. In total, about 4.5 million people—or one-fourth of voters registered at the time—cast ballots in Texas' March election, setting a primary turnout record.

At the polls: Registered voters can visit any polling place in their county through Oct. 30, the last day of early voting. Election Day is Nov. 3. Texans can read Q&As with dozens of candidates, find local polling sites and print a custom sample ballot at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.