Jennifer Gray has officially begun her role as the Place 6 trustee on the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees. 

The action taken: Gray took an oath of office and joined the McKinney ISD school board at a Sept. 14 meeting. The board also recognized outgoing trustee Stephanie O’Dell for her 12 years of service. 

The specifics: Gray will hold the position until May 2027, when O’Dell’s term was set to expire. She has been a McKinney resident since 1995 and has been involved with MISD as a parent, volunteer and staff member, according to a district news release.

The context: The MISD board unanimously approved appointing Gray to fill the position at an Aug. 17 meeting, following O’Dell’s resignation Aug. 10.

A soft opening for The Purrrfect Lounge, a luxury cat boarding business, began Sept. 1, owner Ursula McGrue said.

The gist: The veteran-owned and woman-owned business offers cats “a calm, home-like place to stay while their people are away,” its website states.

• 5601 Virginia Parkway, Ste. 1, McKinney

Cottonbelt Trail is passing another step in its construction and Texas Health Allen Hospital is replacing equipment for its nuclear medicine facility. Check out some of the latest construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

1. Fit-out for Terminal C renovations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport: The Dallas Fort Worth airport’s Terminal C will receive interior fitout renovations for baggage claim, a security check point, concessions white boxes, offices, restroom, break rooms, back-of-house renovations, ready rooms and gate hold lounges per a TDLR filing. The renovations are part of a larger project estimated to be finished in 2030, per previous reporting.

2. Cottonbelt Trail construction in Plano: 3.16 miles of a hike-and-bike trail are planned from north of the President George Bush Turnpike to Shiloh Road, per a TDLR filing. The trail is part of a larger project to connect Plano to downtown Fort Worth, per previous reporting. Construction for a portion of the trail to connect Addison to Plano started in spring 2025.

The University of North Texas will open a new college focused on artificial intelligence thanks to a $20 million donation from Anuradha and Vikas Sinha, two university alumni.

The details: The college will be named the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics and will serve as an academic and research hub for artificial intelligence, according to a UNT news release.

Some of the areas of study include AI, cybersecurity, data science, health informatics and information science and learning technologies, the release states. The $20 million will go toward college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship, advanced research and emerging technologies.

The backstory: The Sinhas immigrated to the United States from India and both earned graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University before Vikas graduated with his Ph.D. from UNT in 2023.

Looking ahead: UNT plans to celebrate the naming of the college at an event later this year.