🍞 A Frisco girl baked bread on her porch. Now she's on national TV.

Frisco City Council approved $22.4 million in additional environmental cleanup funding for the former Exide Technologies site, a shuttered lead battery recycling plant that leaked hazardous chemicals into the soil and water right where the city wants to build a park. Total cleanup cost is now over $62 million.

That sounds like bad news. But here's the good news: Grand Park groundbreaking is still on for the week of April 13.

Grand Park is going to be a 1,011-acre park along the Dallas North Tollway, and when it's finished it'll have a kayaking pond, adventure play areas, a botanic garden, sports facilities, and community gathering spaces.

Some context on the Exide situation: the battery recycling plant closed in 2012. Frisco bought nearly 170 acres around it as a buffer, then took over cleanup efforts entirely in 2020 when Exide's own efforts stalled. The remaining work is mostly focused on Stewart Creek, which runs through the future park site. That stream cleanup will take another two to three years once it begins.

So yes, parts of Grand Park will be a work in progress for a while. But the first phase, called Civic Park, is moving forward. Kayaking pond included.

First, a new superintendent is coming.

The FISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Todd Fouche as the lone finalist to succeed retiring Superintendent Dr. Mike Waldrip in June. Fouche has spent decades inside FISD: teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of finance, and the last 10 years as deputy superintendent. His mom taught at Staley Middle School. He's been a Frisco resident since 1994.

This is about as "homegrown" as a superintendent hire gets. There's a 21-day waiting period under Texas law before a formal contract can be offered, with a board vote expected in April.

Second, the 2018 bond money is almost gone.

Voters approved a $691 million bond in 2018. The 2024 bond failed. So FISD has been stretching those 2018 dollars as far as they'll go and now they're expected to run out in 2027.

Here's where the remaining funds are going:

A capital projects update, including what the remaining funds can't cover, is expected in May.

This district's health affects property values, community quality, everything. Worth paying attention to.

The Frisco Ice Hockey Varsity Gold team won the Texas Amateur Hockey High School Gold Division State Championship with a 2–1 victory over Jesuit, and they are now headed to the 2026 USA Hockey National Championships in Minneapolis.

The team rallied late: tied it up early in the final period, then scored the decisive goal shortly after. Classic "we do this the hard way" energy. Coach Mike Hogan said the team "won three straight games to secure the state title" and showed "the hearts of champions."

I'll be honest with you: I am not a hockey guy. I grew up in a house where hockey was something that happened to other people. But I've lived in Frisco long enough now to understand that this community goes hard for its kids, and watching a group of high schoolers win a state title and earn a spot on the national stage is the kind of thing that reminds you why you moved here.

My girls are years away from any sport more organized than "chaotic backyard sprinkler”, but this is awesome. These are Frisco kids. They're going to Minneapolis to represent Texas. That's pretty cool!

Want to help send them? The Frisco Ice Hockey Association has a fundraiser running to cover travel and tournament costs. Throw them a few bucks. Let's get them there in style.

This list explains why your new neighbor might casually mention they “just moved from Seattle” while walking their dog. A lot of Frisco’s growth is coming from high-cost cities where our housing prices can still feel like a relative deal (which is great for sellers… slightly less great for buyers).

And if you’re thinking about making a move, the agent you pick matters a lot. My wife Emily runs a referral service that helps you skip the awkward “pick someone random from Zillow” phase; she talks with you first, figures out what you actually need, and then introduces you to an agent who fits your situation (relocating, first-time buyer, downsizing, investing, etc.). It costs you nothing (the agents cover her fee) and honestly it’s a much better use of 15 minutes than scrolling listings at midnight wondering if the photos are hiding something. Book a time with her here.