As more drivers have traversed Texas roads over the past decade, they’ve become more dangerous. Despite an 8% decline in year-over-year Texas traffic fatalities since 2021, road deaths have risen 18% overall in the last decade, resulting in nearly $165 billion in economic and “quality of life” costs last year. In other news, Texas public schools will navigate a slate of new state laws this school year. State legislators passed hundreds of new laws related to education this year, from a ban on cellphones in schools to a ban on school-sponsored LGBTQ clubs; investors are coming back to the real estate market, reversing a slowdown over the past few years. Market conditions saw significant recuperation in the first half of 2025; and for about five years, McKinney has toyed with a plan to build its own version of Klyde Warren Park on State Highway 5, a project that had been backed by $15 million in federal funding intended to restitch communities ripped apart by highways.

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