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Local journalist and aspiring historian

Hi! I'm Jacquelyn Burrer, and I’m a government reporter for Community Impact in their Dallas-Fort Worth office, covering local government and development in the Frisco, Plano and Prosper areas. I graduated from Texas State University with dual degrees in history and journalism with a concentration in Chinese and Latin American studies. Previously, I interned for Community Impact’s Austin office and covered hyperlocal news for The University Star in San Marcos. Additionally, for the past two summers, I interned in Washington, D.C., first as a reporting intern with The Well News and second as journalism program advisor. 

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Community Impact •

Development plans underway for future tollway corridor in Prosper, Celina

With construction on the future Dallas North Tollway corridor expansion wrapping up next fall, Prosper and Celina officials are planning for what development along the corridor should look like.

Tollway development in Celina could include office campuses, entertainment venues, hotels and employment centers. In Prosper, officials are planning for mixed-use developments featuring retail, restaurants, offices and housing.
Community Impact •

Frisco’s proposed animal facility could cost up to $24M amid county shelter discussions

Plans are changing slightly for Frisco’s proposed public-private animal facility.

At a May 19 work session, Frisco City Council and city staff discussed updated plans for the proposed 21,000-square-foot animal services facility, which city officials said could cost up to $24 million.

Ken Schmidt, Frisco director of special projects, said costs for the proposed project are now expected to range between $18 million-$24 million, adding that it will likely be closer to the later figure. The facility was initially estimated to cost $12.8 million, per previous reporting.
Community Impact •

Relieving the pressure: $136M US 380 project adds overpasses, reduces congestion

After years of construction, the Texas Department of Transportation is nearing completion of its $135.9 million US 380 improvement project in Denton County.

Tila Grant, TxDOT public information officer, said in an email final work on the project is expected to wrap up sometime in April. However, remaining construction on the Collin County segment is still years out from finishing as exact timelines are still being determined due to questions of funding.
Community Impact •

San Marcos, Hays CISDs report rise in alternative school placements after pandemic, vaping law

House Bill 114, which took effect Sept. 1, 2023, mandates that students found in possession of electronic cigarettes be sent to disciplinary alternative education program, or DAEP, facilities. (Courtesy Adobe Stock)

House Bill 114, which took effect Sept. 1, 2023, mandates that students found in possession of electronic cigarettes be sent to disciplinary alternative education program, or DAEP, facilities. (Courtesy Adobe Stock)
Community Impact •

New Braunfels-area MUD proposals grow

While only a few Comal County voters will have the opportunity to vote on municipal utility district-related ballot items in the May 3 election, the decisions made will impact future residents who move into the district boundaries.

This includes Comal County MUD No. 5—a new 621-acre district north of New Braunfels. If approved, these entities would join a growing number of MUDs rapidly reshaping development in the county.

An extraterritorial jurisdiction is an unincorporated area located outside a city's boundaries. Special purpose districts like MUDs are used within an ETJ to create developments and provide utilities for residents in the area.
The University Star •

Alamito, Cibolo halls residents face unresolved electrical issues

Students at Alamito and Cibolo Halls quickly began reporting numerous maintenance issues, such as malfunctioning outlets and recurring elevator outages, after fall move-in. 
According to records obtained by The Star in a public information request (PIR), the first outlet outage was reported on Aug. 7, with similar outages occurring during move-in week starting Aug. 17. 
As of March 7, at least 2,580 total maintenance requests were filed for Alamito and Cibolo Halls, according to the PIRs. Since...
The University Star •

RAs speak out against media policy

Editor’s note: the current Resident Assistant (RA) in this story has requested to stay anonymous as they still work for the Department of Housing and Residential Life and do not want to risk losing their job.
Current and former RAs are speaking out against the Department of Housing and Residential Life’s (DHRL) media policy, arguing it restricts their First Amendment rights of free speech and expression.
As of Sept. 9, 22 RAs were once again required to live with freshmen roommates due to overcr...
The University Star •

City council approves McLain Project

Mariah Price, an English graduate student, learned she would potentially lose her housing at Lindsey Oaks on April 14 from a note left on her door by the Tenant Advocacy Group (TAG) due to a city council vote taking place two days later.
“I don’t think any of [the tenants] knew until [the April 16 San Marcos City Council meeting],” Price said. “Any kind of notice would have been useful.”
San Marcos City Council voted 6-1 on April 16 to approve amendments regarding the McLain Project, a proposed...
The Well News •

Justices Uphold Law Aimed at Keeping Native American Children With Tribal Families

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act, a federal law that prioritizes reuniting Native American children in foster care or the adoption system with members of their families and tribes. 
In a 7-2 ruling, the justices both affirmed the act’s overarching goal of remedying the nation’s woeful history of removing Native American children from their communities, and held the 1970’s era law does not unlawfully impose federal authority in areas traditionally reg...
The Well News •

President, Advocates and Educators Slam High Court Ruling on Affirmative Action

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden strongly criticized the Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling against using race-based affirmative action in college admissions, saying the decision “walked away from decades of precedent.”
“We cannot let this decision be the last word,” Biden said in a White House address. “The court can render a decision, but it cannot change what America stands for.” 
According to the court’s ruling, the affirmative action policies implemented by Harvard University and the Universit...
The Well News •

High Court Strikes Down Race-Based Affirmative Action in College Admissions

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in a ruling that will have wide-ranging implications for academia.
The 6-3 decision effectively overturns decades of court precedent by establishing the universities’ affirmative action policies violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. 
In addition to last year’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, today’s ruling ma...
The University Star •

Proposed housing project faces local scrutiny, potential legal questions

Questions are being raised around a development company proposing a high-rise student apartment complex called the McLain Project, which is set to be built across the street from Texas State’s campus.

At the first reading of the proposal on April 2, city council voted 6-1 on the first of the proposed amendments after the initial vote failed to secure a supermajority, which is required after the San Marcos Planning and Zoning Committee recommended denial on Feb. 27.
City council also voted to ta...