Upgrades are slated for two wastewater pump stations in Allen.

Allen City Council approved a contract with CLW Water Group to replace equipment at the Maxwell Creek and Lost Creek Lift Stations at an April 28 meeting. The contract approval comes after council previously approved a $710,500 construction contract for the Carter Court, Stacy Ridge and Summerside Lift Station Rehabilitation Project at a February meeting.

The specifics: Underground pipes and gravity transport most of the city’s sewage to the North Texas Municipal Water District for treatment, according to city documents. However there are some low-lying areas where the city relies on mechanical pumps to lift sewage to higher elevations and carry it to the treatment plant.

The Maxwell Creek and the Lost Creek Lift Stations were both constructed in 1999, per city documents. The equipment requires frequent repairs and maintenance, and replacement of the equipment is more cost effective, city documents state.

Interested in business openings near you? Check out these four businesses that recently opened in Allen.

1. Reformed Pilates: The business offers 50-minute group reformer classes, its website states. The studio is offering discounted membership rates for the first 100 members, per its website.

• Opened March 21
• 1480 N. Custer Road, Ste. 110, Allen

• Opened March 28
• 170 E. Stacy Road, Unit 2314, Allen

Chris Schulmeister will be Allen's next mayor. 

The details: Collin County's unofficial final voting totals show Schulmeister winning the race with 3,278 votes, or 81%. Schulmeister ran against Dave Shafer who got 764 votes, or 18%. 

What's next: All results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.

Also of note: Multiple local races also feature candidates running unopposed, including:

• Tommy Baril, Allen City Council Place 2
• Polly Montgomery, Allen ISD board of trustees Place 6
• Bill Parker, Allen ISD board of trustees Place 7

Medical City Healthcare facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth will host nearly 30 blood drives May through July to help address seasonal shortages and prepare for the FIFA World Cup, according to an April 28 news release.

The details: In partnership with the American Red Cross North Texas Region and Carter BloodCare, Medical City Healthcare will hold drives at hospitals across the region.

Summer months typically bring a decline in blood donations due to vacations and school closures while trauma cases often increase around holidays and large events, according to the release. Officials said demand may rise further this year as North Texas prepares to host the World Cup from June 11-July 19.

“That support is especially critical this summer as we anticipate an influx of visitors and soccer fans and know blood supplies are often strained during the summer months,” said Linda Braddy, CEO of the American Red Cross North Texas Region.

Check out six trending stories from Community Impact's Dallas-Fort Worth coverage areas, from single-family housing developments to Frisco's potential first Trader Joe's.

1. Frisco commission to consider Trader Joe’s-anchored mixed-use development

2. Celina eyes 113-acre land trade with Prosper ISD

3. Plan for 50 single-family homes OK’d near Plano East Senior High School

4. ‘A generational gift’: Frisco begins construction on 1,011-acre Grand Park

5. The Lion and Crown Pub offers food, live music in McKinney

6. Single-family neighborhood with 40 homes on track for development in Richardson

Texas retailers can keep various smokable hemp products on their shelves through late July, a Travis County judge ruled May 1.

The overiew: Judge Daniella DeSeta Lyttle’s ruling prohibits the Texas Department of State Health Services, which regulates and licenses consumable hemp businesses, from enforcing new THC testing requirements and sharply increasing licensing fees.

The hemp industry previously argued that the DSHS was overstepping its regulatory authority by changing how Texas classifies THC content. State officials have defended the reclassification and other rules as in line with a September executive order by Gov. Greg Abbott.

What it means: DeSeta Lyttle’s temporary injunction extends an earlier pause on the DSHS rules, which was issued April 10.

The pause applies to all consumable hemp businesses in Texas, allowing them to continue producing, manufacturing and selling smokable products until at least July 27, when a final court trial is scheduled. That could change if the state appeals the ruling to a higher court.