BlackStone Communities wants to bring “a bit of Italy to Prosper,” according to a report by town staff.

In a nutshell: The Marco, a 143-acre proposed mixed-use development, seeks to recreate an Italian village on the northeast corner of Dallas North Tollway and US 380, per town documents.

The specifics: Conceptual plans for the development include a public square, retail, single-family and multifamily housing, a performing arts venue and a hotel, all centered around a lagoon with canals big enough to navigate by boat.

Stay tuned: The Prosper Planning and Zoning Commission will review BlackStone Communities’ application for the planned development at an Aug. 18 meeting.

Bliss Speech & Hearing Services is open to clients in Prosper, a company representative confirmed.

What they offer: The speech and language therapy clinic specializes in pediatric care for a wide range of conditions, including:

• Stuttering
• Apraxia
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Central auditory processing disorder
• Cochlear implant rehabilitation

• 2120 Prairie Drive, Ste. 602, Prosper

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

1. Sherman Street, Lingco Drive reconstruction
Project: Crews in Richardson are reconstructing Sherman Street from Kaufman Street to Lingco Drive, and Lingco Drive from Sherman Street to Spring Valley Road.
Update: Pavement installation on Sherman Street is now complete. Concrete replacement is underway on the south half of Lingco Drive.

• Timeline: winter 2023-summer 2026
• Cost: $6.56 million
• Funding source: city of Richardson

• Timeline: Construction expected to be complete in March 2027
• Cost: $4.87 million
• Funding source: city of Allen

The Texas Education Agency released public school accountability ratings for the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 14.

"We use [A-F ratings] as a way to evaluate our own performance as adults, and then build action plans so that the way that we run our schools next year can be even better than last year," Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during an Aug. 14 news conference.

The overview: Across the state, 85% of campuses received a C rating or higher, which is considered “acceptable" academic performance.

Schools are rated based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps.

Zooming in: At least one district, Austin ISD, is at risk of being taken over by the TEA after two of its middle school campuses received their fifth consecutive failing grades this year. State law requires the agency to shutter those campuses or take control of the district.

Any potential state-mandated closures or takeovers will not happen immediately, as districts with concerns about their ratings have through Sept. 11 to appeal scores to the TEA.