🎬 Samuel L. Jackson is moving to Frisco

Dr. Mike Waldrip was named Executive Leader of the Year at the Frisco Chamber Gala last Friday.

He's led FISD for nearly a decade and announced his retirement last fall after 44 years in education. The Chamber's own president called him someone who shaped the future workforce of this entire city.

What I loved most? He didn't take a victory lap. He credited his staff, his teachers, his board. Every bit of it.

FISD has nearly 9,000 employees and 5,000 teachers; it's basically a small city. The person at the top sets the tone. Dr. Waldrip set a good one.

Congrats, Dr. Waldrip. Enjoy retirement. You earned it.

The monthslong standoff is over. Monday night, Plano City Council voted to drop its DART exit ballot measure in exchange for a new funding agreement.

Here's why this was a big deal in the first place:

The new deal: DART returns 10% of Plano's sales tax contributions back to the city, phased in over six years, for local transportation projects only.

Not everything Plano wanted, but real money back in local hands.

Why Frisco should care: We're not a DART city, but I drive through Legacy West every single morning. What happens to regional transit infrastructure affects all of us commuting that corridor.

Plano is also launching Via microtransit this spring: on-demand, flexible rides to fill gaps DART doesn't cover. Worth keeping an eye on.

Two pieces of DFW news dropped this week and both are worth knowing.

First: DFW just hit one million prebooked parking customers.

To celebrate, the airport is giving one lucky guy, Colton Selvidge from East Texas, a full year of free parking with his own reserved sign. Honestly, Colton, I'm not even mad. I'm just inspired.

The real win for the rest of us: use code 1MTHANKS at checkout for 20% off prebooked parking through March 4 for travel dates Feb. 25 - May 10.

Second: DFW was just named one of the best airports in North America for the fourth year in a row.

Airports Council International gave DFW its 2025 Airport Service Quality Award for large airports serving over 40 million passengers. The award is based on actual customer surveys, not a panel, not a press release vote (covering everything from cleanliness to check-in to wayfinding).

What makes this impressive: DFW is in the middle of a $12 billion construction overhaul right now. Winning a customer experience award while actively under construction is like getting a Yelp review that says "great vibe" during a kitchen remodel.

Closed for three months for soil remediation, Founders' Plaza in Grapevine is back.

📍 1700 N. Airfield Drive, Grapevine 🕖 Open 7am - 7pm daily

You can watch planes land directly overhead and listen to live FAA air traffic control radio. It's free. It's loud. Kids go absolutely feral for it.

I've somehow never taken my girls here in two years of living in Frisco. That changes this weekend.