This Week's Hot Headlines

Dallas suburb flexes as fittest city in Texas and more popular stories

Plano is once again the fittest city in Texas.

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week includes shopping highs and lows and a flex from the fittest town in Texas. Read on for our most popular stories, then plan your weekend via this guide.

1. Dallas suburb flexes as No. 1 fittest city in Texas for 2026. The people of Plano deserve to take a victory lap. The Dallas-Fort Worth suburb has been crowned the fittest city in Texas once again.

2. Plano-based JCPenney to close 50-year-old store in North Texas. The longtime JCPenney store at Fort Worth’s Ridgmar Mall will close this fall, the Plano-based retailer announced.

3. Goodwill transforms former Plano Walgreens into first small-format store. Leave it to Goodwill to find a second use for a former Walgreens. The nonprofit is transforming a vacant drugstore in Plano into its first-ever small-format store.

4. Dallas pizza purveyor Cane Rosso to open cocktail lounge in Frisco. An ice cream shop in Frisco is closing, to be replaced by a new bar. Cow Tipping Creamery closed in mid-July, but in its place will be a new cocktail lounge called The Imperial Room, coming in early September.

Imperial Room food Food at Imperial Room, coming soon to Frisco. Photo courtesy of Imperial Room

5. New relief fund launches for 2026 Texas Hill Country flood victims. The Community Foundation of the Hill Country has launched a new Texas Hill Country Flood Relief Fund that is accepting donations now.

most popular stories plano goodwill openings closings hot-headlines

This Week's Hot Headlines

Texas' most scenic road trip beckons in this week's top Dallas stories

Courtesy of Condé Nast Traveler/Getty Images

undefined

Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week includes three exciting debuts, one sad closure, and a scenic trip through the Texas Hill Country. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then plan the rest of your weekend right here.

1. Texas Hill Country route beckons as most scenic road trip in the U.S. A new guide from Condé Nast Traveler spotlighted 17 ultra-scenic road trip routes across the U.S. that are "worth every single mile" — including two through Texas.

2. New coastal Italian restaurant Scilla will transport Dallas to Calabria. Dallas is getting a taste of Italy's Calabrian coast. Scilla, a new coastal Italian restaurant inspired by the seaside village of the same name, debuted in the Park Cities on Friday, July 17.

3. Clara Hotel debuts in Plano with chef-driven dining and late-night lounge. The Clara Hotel has officially opened in Plano's Legacy Corridor with a chef-driven restaurant and chic new cocktail bar, which are part of a $4 million transformation of the former NYLO Dallas/Plano Hotel.

The Clara Hotel is now open. Photo by Greg Ceo Studio

4. Deep Ellum cheese shop Amor y Queso reopens with expanded market. A beloved Deep Ellum cheese and charcuterie shop has reopened after a hiatus with an expanded concept. Amor y Queso is officially welcoming customers again.

5. Mom-and-pop Italian grocery in downtown Dallas closes after a year. A buzzy grocery store in downtown Dallas has closed. Ari’s Pantry, the small local chain specializing in Italian groceries and to-go foods, has closed its location in the heart of the Central Business District.