McKinney iReporter

McKinney ISD will be closed on Friday, May 18 for an unused bad weather make-up day.  Classes will resume Monday, May 21.  Enjoy the long weekend!

For more information, visit the McKinney ISD website or call 469-742-4000.

BubbleLife has a new look and feel, more reader-friendly features and a state-of-the-art design to bring you the most comprehensive neighborhood news from communities across North Texas.

The new design is featured on all BubbleLife Media sites in a format that is original, easy to use and adaptable to whatever device you are using to read neighborhood news.

“Our commitment is to gather up all the neighborhood news and get it to where people like to read,” said Saffie Farris, Publisher of BubbleLife. “We have no paywalls, lengthy subscription forms or exclusive content. We’re open and free, serving the neighborhoods we call home.”

The biggest change to the BubbleLife website is something that is not immediately obvious to the eyes but will make using BubbleLife easier and more satisfying. BubbleLife sites now employ “responsive web design,” which means the site will respond differently to individual users based on what platform they’re using, their screen size or the orientation of their mobile device.

Boston.com, website of the Boston Globe newspaper, uses responsive web design for its market-leading site. The major benefit of the responsive design concept is that it enables site pages—layouts, fonts and images—to adjust automatically to different screen sizes. A combination of HTML5 and CSS3 design technologies helps extends BubbleLife’s digital publishing effort to the rapidly expanding tablet and smartphone universe.

Simply put, rather than creating a different design of BubbleLife for an ever-increasing number of web devices, the new “responsive web design” will treat them all as facets of the same experience. BubbleLife will look and feel different for each user, but each user will still receive an optimal viewing experience without making any sacrifices.

One of the most noticeable changes of the new look of BubbleLife is the display breakdown of stories on the site. Instead of just a long list of local stories, the stories are slotted under sections – sections devoted to news, education, real estate and other topics. This will make finding a particular story easier and relevant to you.

Each BubbleLife site will now also have two main featured stories at the top of the site instead of just one. These featured stories are changed and updated constantly and represent what the editors believe to be the top stories in the neighborhood.

Our iReporter feature still functions as it always has, making it easy for readers and viewers to report on any news that happens in their vicinity. As before, any person wanting to post in iReporter will need to have an account and be signed in. We welcome all contributions.

The new look and feel of BubbleLife compliments our other reader features, such as the email share feature, Sunday Magazine and distribution to Facebook and other social media platforms.

BubbleLife’s new look also extends to the Neighborhood Marketing Center on the site, where local merchants are able to access new web-based marketing and content tools to drive results, such as new business leads, and track and optimize their marketing performance.

“BubbleLife will continue to grow and change in order to bring readers the latest in neighborhood news,” said Farris. “We’re once again raising the bar for neighborhood news.”

Story submitted by Angie Frey

Jogging for Jones is a fundraiser for our beloved 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Jones, to help show love and support as she battles against cancer.

McNeil Elementary, a cutting edge ‘green’ school in McKinney, Texas is proud to host a fundraiser for a well loved teacher.  “We are thrilled to host this event for Mrs. Jones,” stated Debbie Kanar, principal for McNeil Elementary.  “Mrs. Jones began her teaching career in 1987 and has been at McNeil since 2004.  She is an amazing teacher who touches the lives of students through her teaching methods and her belief that every child can learn.  Even during the trying days of battling cancer, she continued to show strength and determination to teach her fourth grade students.  Her passion for life and her love of educating is shown each day through her positive attitude and determination to survive so that she can continue to touch the lives of young people.”

“The entire McNeil community is pulling together to support Mrs. Jones,” added Molly Kirsch, assistant principal for McNeil Elementary.  “She is an established teacher that is loved by her students and peers.  Because of her example, the McNeil staff, parents and students have a deeper appreciation for each other and a strong sense of giving back to their community.” 

Jogging for Jones will be held on the McNeil campus behind the school.  Meals will be provided by Chick-fil-A and Papa Murphy’s starting at 5:30 p.m.  An obstacle course for grades 3-5 will open at 5:30 p.m.  Grades K-2 will begin the obstacle course at 6 p.m.  Participants can race McNeil staff during the trike race at 6:30 p.m. and the 5th grade kickball game begins at 6:45 p.m. 

Silent auction and vendor booths will be available to pick up samples and purchase products.  Portions of the proceeds will be given to Donna Jones.  Vendors and silent auction merchants include Chick-fil-A, Papa Murphy’s, Snowball Express, Reflections Dance, Scentsy, Tupperware, Tastefully Simple, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Transformation Boot Camp, You Name It, Fuzzy’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Pei Wei, Run On, Lola B Gifts and many more.

A special Cuts for a Cure booth will be available to cut and donate ponytails.  Students or parents with eight to ten inches of hair can cut ponytails that will be used to make wigs for cancer patients.  Photographer, David Quisenberry, will be taking before and after pictures of participants.

Information provided by TxDOT

Weather permitting, Wednesday, May 16, 2012 beginning at 3 a.m. contract crews will set up cones and barriers to move north and southbound Custer Road traffic into its permanent lane alignment. The lane switch operation will take place between Stonebridge Drive and U.S. 380 and will last several hours until all traffic is moved to the permanent lanes.

All left turn lanes and crossovers will be open; however, Cotton Ridge North will be closed on the west side of Custer Road for continuing work. Detour signs will be in place for this location. 

Motorists should use caution when proceeding through this area during the traffic switch. Drivers are urged to observe warning signs and heed information on the message boards for the safety of motorists and workers. 

This work is part of a $33.7 million construction project to widen Custer Road from 2-lanes to 6-lanes between South Stonebridge Drive and U.S. 380. The project began in 2009 and the estimated project completion is this summer. This traffic switch is one of the final stages of the project. 

TxDOT and Mario Sinacola and Sons Excavating Inc. would like to thank area drivers and local businesses for their continued patience and cooperation as crews work hard to complete this project as soon, and as safely, as possible. 

For additional transportation related information please visit the TxDOT website at www.txdot.gov.

If you're looking for a great way to celebrate the mom or mom-to-be in your life, we have just the thing. Need a little last-minute inspiration? There are tons of brunches and special events through the weekend, so check out our event list below:

Uptown/Downtown Dallas: Texas Discovery Gardens in Fair Park is hosting a Mother's Day plant sale.

Oak Cliff: Skin & Body Solutions Day Spa has the perfect gift for any mom in need of a little pampering.

Lakewood: Check out the historic homes along Swiss Avenue during this year's Swiss Avenue Mother's Day Home Tour.   

Lake Highlands: Lake Highlands Jazz Band will be performing a concert in their stadium for "Jazz Under the Stars" 

Plano: Hit Mother's Day in stride with the Virtual Mother's Day Run.