The city of Frisco is building a park that, when completed, will be larger than New York's Central Park.

Why it matters: Grand Park will be constructed in phases and encompass about 1,011 acres. By comparison, Central Park is 843 acres.

• "Grand Park will be a visual representation of who we are as a city, an aspirational city," Frisco Mayor Jeff Mayor Cheney said at the park's ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday.

State of play: The park will stretch from the west side of the Dallas North Tollway to Lake Lewisville.

• The park's master plan includes botanic gardens, a disc golf course, a skate park, sculptures and nearly 21 miles of trails.
• The first phase will span 58 acres and include an amphitheater, orchard and 3-acre pond for kayaking, paddleboarding and scenic walks.
• "You're going to see the first water in Frisco — that's part of the city's park system — that's activated for recreation," said Play Frisco director Shannon Coates said in a statement.

Follow the money: The first phase is estimated to cost around $43 million, with funding from past bonds and the Frisco Community Development Corp.

• A Frisco spokesperson tells Axios the total cost of the park "is unknown at this time."

What's next: The first phase is scheduled to be completed in October 2027.

• Frisco's Big Bluestem Trail is closed for Grand Park's initial construction.

The bottom line: Everything really is bigger in Texas.

North Texas will receive $2.3 million in grants from the federal government to address its backlog of unprocessed sexual assault kits and speed up crime scene analysis, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced yesterday.

Why it matters: Police in Dallas and Fort Worth have struggled historically with their backlogs of sexual assault kits, prolonging court cases and delaying closure for survivors.

The latest: The U.S. Department of Justice will allocate roughly $982,000 to Dallas County, $469,000 to Tarrant County, $407,000 to the city of Fort Worth and $486,000 to UNT Health Fort Worth, per Cornyn's office.

State of DNA: Dallas County's funds will help the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences transition to rapid DNA testing in hopes of cutting turnaround times and identifying suspects more quickly.

• Fort Worth's funding will allow the Police Department to outsource its DNA evidence to an accredited lab for further analysis, per DOJ documents.
• UNT Health's Center for Human Identification hopes to complete around 150 of its pending cases with the new funding, per the DOJ documents. The center serves Tarrant County and other neighboring counties while also supporting the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Zoom out: The Dallas County district attorney's office has also received a separate $500,000 grant from DOJ for an additional prosecutor and victim advocate for the office's sexual assault division.

• "Survivors in Dallas County deserve to be heard, believed, and protected," Dallas County DA John Creuzot said in a statement.

🧹 Downtown Dallas Inc. has spent almost $1 million on traffic light updates, storefront repairs, car-free pedestrian zones and other evergreen projects for the World Cup. (DMN)

🎬 "Frisco King," the new Taylor Sheridan show starring Samuel L. Jackson, still needs extras for its scenes in the Fort Worth area. (Star-Telegram)

👀 The North Central Texas Council of Governments' decision to fire its transportation director of 35 years has garnered criticism from Arlington Mayor Jim Ross and other officials. (Fort Worth Report)

🎨 Get lost in a museum. The Modern Art Museum's First Friday will kick off the new month with live music, drink specials and a docent-led, 20-minute tour.

• 5-8pm Friday at the Modern in Fort Worth. Free admission.

🩺 Help a loved one. Take the men in your life to get a free health screening and learn how to boost their well-being. The event will also have a 5K run, kids activities and live music.

• 7am-noon Saturday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Dallas.

🏞️ Nurture the nature around you. Saturday is Native Plants and Prairies Day, and several local organizations are hosting speakers, tours and exhibits to educate North Texans about them.

• 10am-3pm Saturday at the Bath House Cultural Center. Free.

🇲🇽 Party with your buddies. Celebrate Cinco de Mayo a few days early with food and drink tastings, maraca painting and live music.

• 11am-3pm Saturday at Plano's Legacy Hall, followed by a ticketed Latin music concert at 7pm.