Joby Aviation, Inc. signed a lease for a 45,000-square-foot space at the Alliance Air Trade Center, part of Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, for the manufacturing and testing of air taxis.

The details: The lease is the first in North Texas by an electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVOTL, aircraft manufacturer. Joby, based out of Santa Cruz, California, is a leading developer of eVOTL aircraft design for commercial passenger transportation, according to an Aug. 6 news release.

Joby will try to validate operations for electric air taxi service in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation and support future electric air taxi operations across Dallas-Fort Worth, according to its website.

In March, Joby launched its all-electric flight experience in San Francisco. According to a press release, the company has logged more than 50,000 miles across its fleet and the company is ready to scale its presence across the United States.

• 1104 Tradewind Drive, Haslet

The Swirled Sip, a mobile soft-serve cocktail business that can be booked for weddings, corporate events, private parties and celebrations, is now operational.

The concept was created by friends Cindi Coker and Nakami Stewart. Coker had a background in the events business, while Stewart is a veteran.

“We are just two best friends who are super creative with lots of life experience,” Coker said. “We just thought it would be a fun, exciting, creative way to bring something new to the event space.”

On the menu: Drink offerings include margaritas, espresso martinis, strawberry daiquiris, cosmopolitans, piña coladas, mimosas and lemon drops. There are also male-centered drinks like an old fashioned or Jack and Coke, Coker said.

Stewart and Coker made their own recipes and tried to apply the soft-serve concept to make it taste like a cocktail in soft serve form. They are now working on crafting a fall menu.

• Opened in May
• www.theswirledsip.com

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

Upcoming projects

1. East Hudgins Street utility work

Project: Work crews will install 1,500 feet of 8-inch water main and 1,500 feet of 8-inch sewer main along the roadway between South Dooley Street and South Main Street in Grapevine. Following completion of the installation, crews will reconstruct Hudgins.

Update: Grapevine City Council approved a contract worth up to $660,000 with Fort Worth-based RUTS Construction during a July 21 meeting.

• Timeline: mid-August-November

• Cost: $660,000

• Funding source: city of Grapevine

Ongoing projects

2. PGA Parkway construction

Project: PGA Parkway in Frisco will be constructed into a six-lane roadway from Preston Road to Coit Road.

Update: The project is under construction and expected to be completed later this year.

• Timeline: late 2024-fall 2026

• Cost: $31.1 million

• Funding sources: city of Frisco, external funding

Within the next year, Texans will likely see changes to when they can vote early in elections, including expanded weekend voting hours.

The overview: Last year, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 2753, which shifts Texas’ early voting window closer to election day, cutting out a three-day gap between the two voting periods and adding more Saturday and Sunday voting.

While the changes did not take effect immediately and were designed to help boost voter turnout, local election administrators said the law will also significantly raise costs for municipalities and delay the release of election results.

Election officials said the current three-day break allows staff to set up polling places for election day and prepare submitted ballots so results from early and mail-in voting can be released quickly after the polls close on election night.

The impact: Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth estimated that the shift would raise the cost of administering a large election by 30% and increase costs for smaller elections by 9%, due to personnel, equipment and voter education needs.