City officials are seeking funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a new marketing program for commercial flights at McKinney National Airport.

In a nutshell: McKinney City Council members approved a resolution April 21 authorizing the city manager to apply for USDOT’s Small Community Air Service Development Program. The city will seek $1.6 million through the grant opportunity. If awarded, the money can be used for marketing the airport or specific airlines, according to a city document.

USDOT operates the competitive grant program as a way to enhance air service in “small communities,” according to a notice of funding document. City officials are applying for the grant with $300,000 in local match dollars from Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2.

Looking back: At a March 17 meeting, TIRZ 2 board members approved funding from its own budget to provide local match dollars and fund the program’s first year. TIRZ 2 board members allocated $1.6 million in total for the program which could launch as soon as June 1.

Elite Outlet Store is now open along South McDonald Street in McKinney, store Manager Mohammad Jinini said.

The store sells a variety of household items, appliances, furniture and more at discounted prices. Elite Outlet Store also sells clothing, accessories, toys and electronics, according to its website.

• 702 S. McDonald St., McKinney

A new storage facility in Prosper and retail space in Celina are slated for construction, according to new state permits. Check out five of the most expensive permits recently filed in Dallas-Fort Worth.

National Powersport Auctions Headquarters
A nearly 170,000-square-foot office space and warehouse will start development in mid-June, according to documents filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. National Powersports Auctions, a company that auctions RVs, boats and other recreational vehicles to dealerships, will make the Denton location its new headquarters, according to a company news release.

• Location: 1300 N. Masch Branch Road, Denton
• Estimated cost: $16.9 million

• Location: Collin County East Outer Loop and Chaparral Road, Celina
• Estimated cost: $3.7 million

Community Impact sat down with the president and chief executive officer of the TurfMutt Foundation, Kris Kiser, to discuss the importance of lawn maintenance and a few tips to ensure your yard looks good year-round.

The TurfMutt Foundation is a nonprofit that advocates for outdoor living and the care and stewardship of yards, parks and other green spaces, according to its website.

Responses have been edited for length, clarity and style.

Why should homeowners take care of their lawns?
Our outdoor spaces, particularly our lawns, are an extension of our home. During COVID, people really did reconnect to the outdoors. It was a safe space where you could entertain, cook and meet with friends and family. It created a connection to the outdoors that we used to have.

What common mistake should homeowners watch out for when planting?
Time of year. You want the ground to essentially be thawed, so you don't want a hard freeze. Remember that newly planted plants will need water, likely supplemental water, until they're established.

In the early hours of July 4, 2025, an intense rainstorm pummeled communities in the Texas Hill Country, submerging low-water crossings as segments of the Guadalupe River rose more than 30 feet in 90 minutes. Twenty-seven young campers and counselors died at Camp Mystic, a private Christian girls summer camp located along the river in Hunt.

Those deaths could have been prevented if camp leadership took action sooner or had a written evacuation plan in place, investigators told a panel of state lawmakers tasked with studying the flood response during an April 27 hearing.

Quote of note: “Questions about what should happen next are many, but for me, one thing is clear: This tragedy could have been prevented,” Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, said.

Zooming in: Camp Mystic staff had more than two hours to evacuate 386 campers from their cabins, investigator Casey Garrett said.

In violation of state law, the camp did not have a written evacuation plan and counselors were not trained on what to do in an emergency, she said.