This week's hot headlines

Deep Ellum restaurant closure leads week's 5 most-read Dallas stories

Federales' steak tacos.

Photo courtesy of Federales

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Restaurant-bar in Dallas' Deep Ellum closes, despite being nearly perfect. A lively Mexican restaurant-bar in Deep Ellum has closed: Federales, the Dallas outlet of a Chicago-based chain, closed on June 30, after two years.

2. 2 affluent Dallas suburbs have some of America's richest residents. America's wealthy, increasingly, are turning away from behemoth cities like Los Angeles or New York City in favor of smaller suburbs and enclaves like Dallas neighbors University Park and Southlake.

3. Family-owned authentic Mexican taqueria debuts in Dallas' Preston Center. A Mexican restaurant known across Dallas-Fort Worth for its trompo tacos has opened in Preston Center: Taquería El Arquito, a small but growing family-owned chain, has opened a location at The Corner in Preston Center, 6030 Luther Ln., in the former Toluca Organic space.

4. Southlake woman makes history as first U.S. immigrant to win Miss Texas. Annette Addo-Yobo, a 26-year-old woman born in Ghana, was crowned Miss Texas 2024, becoming the first United States immigrant to earn the title. Addo-Yobo represented Southlake in the statewide scholarship pageant, held Saturday, June 29 at the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson.

5. Dallas carves out spot on list of America's top 20 best cities. Dallas is earning praise for its prosperity, lovability, and livability in a prestigious new report by Canada-based real estate and tourism marketing advisors Resonance Consultancy.

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Venue News

McKinney breaks ground on new Sunset Amphitheater live music venue

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The ground was at last broken on a new live music view opening in 2026: Sunset Amphitheater powered by Eight Elite Light Beer, a 20,000-seat facility located at the northeast corner of US 75 and SH 121 in McKinney, slated to open in 2026.

The $300 million venue is being developed as part of a public-private partnership between Venu, the City of McKinney, the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, and the McKinney Community Development Corporation.

Venu is a Colorado-based hospitality and live music venue developer formerly known as Notes Live, with multiple concepts in the works (many seeking funding) including Sunset Amphitheater, which they're opening in Oklahoma and El Paso, as well as McKinney.

The Sunset Amphitheater at McKinney powered by Eight Elite Light Beer may be a mouthful of a name but it also reveals that it has already landed a sponor in the beer company launched by ex-Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman.

The venue will feature a flexible multi-season configuration for year-round programming, with suites, members-only club, canopied roof, and wind walls, to provide protection from inclement weather and comfortable atmosphere in the winter.

There will also be food and beverage through a partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment, a massive enterprise that provides food services to NBA and NHL arenas, baseball fields, zoos, college facillities, and more.

The members-only club is called The Aikman Club, in collaboration with Troy Aikman, and will be nestled at the center of the amphitheater: a one-of-a-kind space with "world-class cuisine," unmatched views, premium seating, and high-end amenities for its elite members.

“We’re so excited to be here,” said Venu founder and CEO J.W. Roth in a statement. “We’re gonna build the most luxurious, fully seated, multi configuration, multi seasonal venue in history right here in McKinney. The organizations here in McKinney have been nothing short of incredible. This groundbreaking wouldn't be possible without that unwavering passion of the folks of McKinney.”

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