Medical City Denton’s mortality rate for its cardiovascular patients is less than half the national average, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Glenn Hardesty said. The hospital implements several strategies, including specialized staff training and data transmission with ambulances, to reduce mortality for its cardiovascular patients.

What you need to know: The hospital opened an $8 million cardiovascular intensive care unit May 18 to provide specialized care for patients recovering from major heart procedures. The hospital expects to treat 53 patients in the cardiac ICU over the next year. 

About 2,000 out of 14,000 patients admitted to Medical City Denton, or 14%, were treated for cardiovascular conditions in 2025, according to data provided by the hospital. To provide better care for complicated heart cases, Medical City Denton opened a cardiovascular intensive care unit in May.

The new cardio ICU features eight beds for patients recovering from heart conditions, like heart failure, and from medical procedures, including open heart surgery.

With fall right around the corner, kids and families can celebrate heading back to school with the Back to School Bash at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center, and college students can get discounted drinks while they belt out their favorite tunes during karaoke at Bad Habits Music and Events.

Check out seven August events around Denton. This list is not comprehensive.

Back-to-School Bash
Celebrate summer’s end at the Back-to-School Bash at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center on Wilson Street. The event will feature a DJ, food and door prizes. Before the festivities, students can receive free haircuts and enjoy carnival games.

• Aug. 10, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (haircuts and carnival games); 6-8 p.m. (food, DJ and door prizes)

• Free (registration required)

• 1300 Wilson St., Denton

Grapevine Mills’ newest attraction, Dig World, has started welcoming guests.

The overview: The construction-themed adventure park has several attractions, including a skid steer course and the ability to operate an excavator. Dig World also has a special attraction called The Crusher where guests can purchase a package that includes a souvenir toy and the ability to take home the same toy flattened by a 20,000-pound asphalt roller.

Guests can also partake in game versions of real-world construction tasks, such as fixing broken pipes and connecting railway segments.

“I always tell people, ‘these aren't rides, these are real machines, it's as real as it gets,’” general manager Alex Reszitnyk said. “When you come here to Dig World, you can have a unique experience every single time.”

What else: The standard entry for guests ages 2 and older starts at $30. There is also a premium pass at $50 per guest, which includes the standard entry plus a voucher for The Crusher and one bottled drink.

Check out five upcoming and ongoing transportation projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

This list is not comprehensive.

Upcoming projects

1. Laud Howell Parkway extension

Project: Construction will build two lanes of Laud Howell Parkway between Trinity Falls Parkway and Lake Forest Drive. Private development firm Republic Property Group is constructing Lanes 1 and 2 of the roadway, and the city will construct Lanes 3 and 4.

Update: McKinney City Council approved a design contract with LJA Engineering in June, and design is underway. Construction of Lanes 1 and 2 by Republic Property Group is already underway.

• Timeline: Design is expected to take about 12 months to complete. Construction of Lanes 3 and 4 is expected to begin in 2028.
• Cost: $18 million
• Funding source: city of McKinney, Federal Surface Transportation Block Grant funds