City leaders stepped down, public schools grappled with budget deficits, restaurants experienced the "Keith Lee effect" and women's sports boomed in 2024 in North Texas.

Why it matters: The problems and successes of Dallas-Fort Worth didn't reset the moment the ball dropped and we rang in 2025.

• Many of 2024's issues will continue this year.

Here are some storylines we're watching in 2025:

💰 Public funds for private schools: The next Texas legislative session begins this month, bringing another push to pass a school voucher bill that would give families public money to pay for private education or home schooling. The measure came up short during the last legislative cycle.

🏢 New city leaders: Dallas lost its city manager and police chief to Austin and begins the year in a hiring frenzy to pick a new chief executive. The city manager will then oversee the search for the next top cop.

• Fort Worth will also be without a police chief after Neil Noakes steps down in May.

⚽ World Cup prep: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Toyota Stadium in Frisco and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas will be upgraded this year to prepare for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup.

• AT&T Stadium will host nine World Cup matches next year. Dallas will be a key host city for the tournament, with the international broadcast center operating from the downtown convention building.

✈️ Airport expansions: Construction will continue at DFW Airport on a sixth terminal and upgrades to terminals A and C. McKinney is also planning to expand its airport so it can offer commercial flights in the future.

📬 What other topics are you interested in this year? Reply to this email and let us know.

Housing, Texas power grid

Kaufman County is again one of the country's fastest growing counties, per an Axios analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.

Why it matters: Texas is home to three of the fastest growing large counties in the country, showing huge growth around the state's major cities.

• Dallas-Fort Worth's outlying counties continue to lead growth statewide.

By the numbers: Kaufman County has seen the most growth in Texas of counties with more than 100,000 residents, with 35.2% more people in 2019-2023 than in 2014-2018.

• Comal County near San Antonio (+29.2%) and Hays County near Austin (+25.6%) were second and third behind Kaufman, according to the Census Bureau's 2019–2023 five-year American Community Survey.
• Rockwall County (24.9%), Parker County (21.8%) and Ellis County (20.8%) were also in the top 10 fastest growing large Texas counties.

Zoom in: Dallas County continues to see the slowest population growth in the region, with a less than 1% increase from 2014-2018 to 2019-2023.

• Collin County increased about 18% during the same period, going from about 950,000 residents to more than 1.1 million residents.
• Denton County saw a 17.2% increase, adding more than 138,000 residents.

The intrigue: Tarrant County's population grew a more modest 5.7%. Its largest city, Fort Worth, remains one of the fastest growing big cities in the U.S.

The Dallas Cowboys won't continue disappointing you, for now.

• They lost the final game of the season yesterday at AT&T Stadium, ending with a 7-10 record.

Why it matters: This is the first time in four years that Dallas hasn't made the playoffs.

• After dominating at home last season and a short playoff run, the Cowboys went from America's Team to America's Disappointment this season.

The latest: The Cowboys will have the 12th overall pick in the upcoming draft.

• Linebacker Micah Parsons, wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin, kicker Brandon Aubrey and guard Tyler Smith also made the 2025 Pro Bowl roster last week.

State of play: Dak Prescott became the NFL's highest paid player in September but injured his hamstring weeks later, leaving Cooper Rush to finish the season.

• Dallas struggled at home and on the road, winning three games with Prescott and four with Rush in the starting quarterback position.
• Parsons and Lamb remained the league's top players in their positions, but the team didn't rally around them.

What's next: Netflix plans to release a documentary this year about how the Cowboys became the world's most valuable sports franchise and won three Super Bowls under Jerry Jones' ownership.

• The documentary will include interviews with Jones, Troy Aikman, former Cowboys coaches, former President George W. Bush and Nike founder Phil Knight, per a new trailer.

⚖️ The Texas Supreme Court will decide whether the families of people who died or were injured during the February 2021 freeze can sue utility companies, including Dallas-based Oncor. (NBC5)

🤑 Dallas spent more than $25,000 of taxpayer money to provide traffic control at an extravagantly decorated house in Preston Hollow, which does not have sidewalks. (DMN)

🏈 The Cowboys will have eight home games in the 2025 season and will host the Kansas City Chiefs. (Star-Telegram)

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The Cowboys lost 23-19 in the final game of the season to the playoff-bound Washington Commanders.

The intrigue: Head coach Mike McCarthy wants to return with the Cowboys next year, but the team's owner hasn't made any promises.

• We suspect in the above moment, he was thinking, "Gotta show Jerry I'm still working."

😆 Got a witty caption for this photo? Hit reply and we'll publish the best responses in an upcoming newsletter.