The total cost of utilities in Denton ISD has increased by 14% over the past year, officials said.

The gist: Despite usage staying steady year over year, DISD's utility costs have increased due to rising usage rates, said Brandon Hoke, an engineer with TDIndustries, a facilities maintenance and building controls provider for the district. The majority of the increase comes from electricity costs, which have increased by $1.28 million over the past year. 

Quote of note: "Denton ISD is not unique in the fact that the costs are increasing," Hoke said.

A new restaurant, Dulce Mami Cafe, opened its doors in Denton in October.

The overview: Dulce Mami Cafe’s menu includes skillet combos, paninis, churro French toast and chilaquiles, according to its website. The drink menu has a selection of frappes, teas and cafe de olla, which is a Mexican spiced coffee.

One more thing: Dulce Mami Cafe is a Chicago-based restaurant, with the Denton location the restaurant’s first in Texas.

• 715 Sunset St., Denton

The gist: Green Bird is coming soon to Flower Mound, Founder Diego Chavez said.

The specifics: The business will offer five golf simulator bays a full bar and food, he said.
"The cool thing about Green Bird is we want to create it as a community," Chavez said. "It's more than just golf."

• 5701 Long Prairie Road, Ste. 200, Flower Mound

Texas’ power grid will likely remain stable in December and January, recent reports from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas show. However, grid conditions could become tight if a winter storm hits large swaths of Texas, driving up demand for electricity.

The overview: ERCOT, which operates the electric grid for 90% of Texas, found in a Nov. 7 report that there should be “sufficient generating capacity available” to serve customers throughout January.

ERCOT forecasts that the tightest period this winter will be from 7-8 a.m. daily, when little to no solar power is being produced. During that time, ERCOT found the chances of a grid emergency are 1.81% in December and 1.4% in January.

More details: If a severe winter storm causes demand on the Texas grid to near record levels, there is a roughly 35% chance of a grid emergency in December and a less than 10% chance in January, ERCOT reported. Texans last experienced a grid emergency in September 2023, and the grid withstood three cold snaps in early 2025.