If you know, you know. And everyone who’s been to Mike’s Bakery in Corinth knows that everything Mike bakes is full of “love and tenderness.” That’s a direct quote. But you’ve got to watch the video to get the full effect.

Owner, Mike Dauti, moved to the area almost exactly one year ago to be closer to his grandchildren. And upon his arrival, he determined that there was a great need for a made-from-scratch bakery. So, who better to bring baked goods full of “love and tenderness” to the community than him?

His cheesecakes are… notorious. And it’s because they’re so light and so fluffy. We are sorry to say that the only bit of Mike’s secret to his delicious cheesecakes we were able to get out of him is that he bakes them for four hours. But just go eat them. Let him do all the hard work.

Mike’s also well known for his beautiful assortment of cakes. And he can make a cake for any occasion. Wedding cakes, engagement cakes, first birthday cakes – you name it, he’ll make it. We were wowed by a story he told us of a bride who called him the day before her wedding because something happened with her original wedding cake. No questions asked, Mike agreed to make her a wedding cake by the next day. Basically, he saved the day.

That’s just Mike’s personality. In the short 60 minutes we were with him, we already felt like we were best friends. He has the ability to make every person who walks through his bakery doors feel like they’re a part of his big, extended Italian family. And we love that. And that’s what people in the community love about him.

So, the next time you’re in need of pastries like danishes and croissants, pies, cakes, cheesecakes, or cookies – make the trip up to Mike’s Bakery for some sweets and an experience you’re not likely to forget any time soon.

*Mike’s Bakery is located at 4251 FM 2181 Suite 216, Corinth, Texas 76210.

Seventeen Texas doctors and executives — including physicians from Corinth and Lewisville — were charged Thursday for their involvement in a $1.2 billion health care kickback and money-laundering conspiracy.

The 17 Texans, who face charges from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, are among 36 total defendants across the country.

The laboratories True Health Diagnostics LLC and Boston Heart Diagnostics Corp. allegedly conspired with small Texas hospitals to pay physicians to induce referrals to the hospitals for laboratory testing. The physicians received thousands of dollars in kickbacks in return for their referrals of laboratory testing, according to a press release. The complaint alleges their claims improperly billed federal health care programs for medically unnecessary laboratory testing.

North Texas defendants in U.S. v. Hertzberg, et al., include:

They were among those indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit illegal remunerations in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. It prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to generate referrals of items or services covered by federal health care programs.

Physicians were allegedly incentivized to refer patients to critical-access hospitals and an affiliated lab in exchange for kickbacks disguised as investment returns. Marketers were incentivized to order, arrange for or recommend patients to order services from these hospitals and an affiliated lab.

Between July 1, 2015, and Jan. 9, 2018, these defendants exchanged at least $11.25 million in illegal kickback payments.

Howard pleaded guilty to her involvement on May 24. Marioni pleaded guilty on July 20.

Petter Bennett, 47, of Houston and Stephen Kash, 48, of Winnie were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Bennett allegedly created sham trusts and shell corporations to launder the kickback proceeds through. Bennet is accused of laundering at least $2.7 million in kickback proceeds. Kash allegedly had kickback proceeds laundered on his behalf and obtained proceeds from the kickback conspiracy.

Robert O’Neal, 63, of San Antonio was charged by information with conspiracy to commit illegal remunerations and money laundering. He allegedly arranged for physician referrals and recommended ordering services to critical-access hospitals and an affiliated lab. O’Neal allegedly had kickback proceeds laundered on his behalf and obtained proceeds from the kickback conspiracy.

O’Neal pleaded guilty to his involvement in the kickback and money-laundering conspiracies on Jan. 18.

Thirty-three doctors, health care executives and the Boston Heart Diagnostics Corp. have agreed to pay more than $32 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of their involvement in the scheme.

Former True Health CEO Christopher Grottenthaler, former Boston Heart CEO Susan L. Hertzberg and former Little River CEO Jeffrey Paul Madison are among the defendants. These settlements resolve allegations that doctors and health care executives violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by receiving thousands of dollars in remunerations from management service organizations. These companies were allegedly used to disguise the payments as investment returns.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice amended its complaint in a laboratory testing fraud case to add six Texas physicians, including one from Lewisville and one from Corinth, as defendants.

The case alleges False Claims Act violations based on patient referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, and says the six physicians caused claims to be improperly billed to federal health care programs for medically unnecessary laboratory testing, according to a news release from the DOJ. The physicians allegedly received tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks in return for their referrals of unnecessary lab testing.

The original complaint — announced April 4 — listed 18 defendants, many of them from Texas, but none from southern Denton County. The DOJ then added six more defendants, including two from southern Denton County:

The complaint alleges that laboratories True Health Diagnostics LLC and Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation conspired with small Texas hospitals, including Rockdale Hospital dba Little River Healthcare, to pay physicians to induce referrals to the hospitals for laboratory testing, which was then performed by THD or BHD. As alleged in the complaint, the hospitals paid a portion of their laboratory profits to recruiters, who in turn kicked back those funds to the referring physicians, according to the DOJ. The recruiters allegedly set up companies known as management service organizations to make payments to referring physicians that were disguised as investment returns but were actually based on, and offered in exchange for, the physicians’ referrals. The complaint alleges that laboratory tests resulting from this referral scheme were billed to various federal health care programs, and that the claims not only were tainted by improper inducements but, in many cases, also involved tests that were not reasonable and necessary.

“The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable health care providers, including physicians, who commit fraud,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Improper financial arrangements involving physicians and laboratories can distort physicians’ medical judgments, waste taxpayer dollars and subject patients to unnecessary testing or other services.”

Last week, the Flower Mound Parks and Recreation Department accepted the 2022 Preservation Achievement Award for its work restoring and preserving the Gibson-Grant Log House, according to a news release from the town of Flower Mound.

The award comes from Preservation Dallas, a nonprofit dedication to the preservation and revitalization of historic buildings, neighborhoods and places.

In 2021, the town completed restoration work on the Gibson-Grant Log House, and in partnership with the Denton County Office of History and Culture, began offering free tours to the public. The cabin was discovered hidden in the walls of a home to be demolished in 2015, and dated back to circa 1860. After the discovery, the town acquired the property, restored the log house and opened it to the public.

Residents can visit the house Fridays from 1-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To learn more, visit www.flower-mound.com/gibsongrant.

Realty Capital Management, the master developer of Lakeside and other mixed-use developments in North Texas, announced Thursday that it has closed on a 20.86-acre site located at the southwest corner of Corinth Parkway and I-35E for a $45M mixed-use development.

The property was acquired by RCM Corinth Land, LLC from the city of Corinth and the Corinth Economic Development Corporation. Realty Capital plans to develop the mixed-use development called the “Parkway District,” according to a news release from the city of Corinth. The development will deliver approximately 275 high-end apartments and townhomes; 20,000 square feet of retail space; a hotel; and public open space with a trail system. The plan will give area residents the opportunity to live in and visit a walkable community with public amenities and entertainment options. It is anticipated that the development will break ground in late 2023.

“We want to thank the city of Corinth for working closely with us to create a strong and desirable vision for the Parkway District,” said Tim Coltart, managing director for Realty Capital. “The Parkway District will spawn a sense of community and foster synergy with the Agora at Corinth project and provide numerous shopping, dining, high-end living options, and amenities for the residents and visitors of Corinth.”

The Parkway District will be a catalyst for development that will set the standard for future projects along the City’s I-35E corridor and will be one of the largest initial contributors to the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, according to the city.

“This is the first of many mixed-use developments for the city of Corinth,” said City Manager, Scott Campbell. “The city is fortunate to partner with Realty Capital to build this tremendous opportunity for Corinth that will drive jobs and investment.”

In late April of 2022, Meera Sengottiyan and Sara Crawford geared up for the first ever appearance of a girls doubles team in the state tennis tournament from Flower Mound High School.

The pair reached the tournament following an improbable run that saw Sengottiyan and Crawford knock off doubles teams from state powerhouses Southlake Carroll and Allen in the regional tournament.

The Flower Mound girls lost to Divya Tulluri and Emma Eads of Bridgeland High School in the state quarterfinals, and this season, both they and their coach, Dr. Wade Zimmerman, said there is unfinished business.

Zimmerman said his girls doubles team had a “phenomenal” spring season last year and really started to play well together, particularly towards the end of the year.

“They had to overcome a lot of adversity at the regional tennis tournament in order to qualify for the state tournament,” Zimmerman said. “They had to battle back from a set down against a very good Southlake team to clinch the third place position and then in the same afternoon they had to turn around and come from behind to beat the number-two seeded Allen team in three sets to win the playback and take second place, qualifying them for the state tournament.”

After falling to Bridgeland, Zimmerman said that his message to them was all positive.

“After the match, I told them to keep their heads up, as they have an opportunity to return in 2023,” Zimmerman said. “I felt that Sara and Meera’s confidence grew tremendously after seeing that they can compete with the best teams in the state.”

Zimmerman said he believes what makes Sengottiyan and Crawford such a formidable duo is that the two players are a study in contrasts.

“Sara is a very calm and reserved person and is always very dependable,” Zimmerman said. “She is also much taller than Meera and uses her size at the net and serve and variety as her biggest weapons on the court. Meera is not one of our tallest and athletic girls, but she makes up for it with her fierce competitiveness and drive to succeed.

“Meera is also very confident and is one of our team leaders. Both girls have grown into great friends on and off the court over the past few years and their differences have become one of their greatest strengths.”

For Crawford, 16, last year was groundbreaking for her and Sengottiyan.

“We were the first girls to go to state in our school,” Crawford said. “So that is a pretty big accomplishment.”

Crawford said that both she and Sengottiyan are looking forward to getting back on the court next spring.

“I think we have a pretty good chance of going to state again,” Crawford said. “Some of the seniors from other schools have left, and we have both gotten better.”

The Flower Mound junior said Sengottiyan’s aggressiveness impresses her the most and that “she always goes for it and never gives up,” which motivates her to do the same.

“I think the fact that we know each other so well makes us a good team,” Crawford said. “We understand how we hit the ball and when to go for it.”

Sengottiyan, 17, said she was pleased with how she and Crawford competed last season, but said she feels like the two of them left something on the table.

“It went pretty well,” Sengottiyan said. “I was really happy with our performance at the regional tournament, but I feel as though we could have gone further in the state tournament. I really enjoyed the energy and mindset we brought to matches.”

The Flower Mound senior echoed Zimmerman’s sentiments about Crawford, saying her ability to stay calm, her reflex volleys, and her height make her a great partner.

“Not only are we friends on court, but we are friends off court too,” Sengottiyan said. “The fact that we both genuinely like each other makes it easy for us to play together.”

A new mixed-use development is in the works in Corinth, bringing 275 multifamily units, 16 townhomes and a select-service hotel.

Realty Capital Management announced the purchase of a 20-acre property for the project called Parkway District. The forthcoming project is located at the southwest corner of Corinth Parkway and Interstate 35E.

Parkway District will also include 22,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and a central, linear park that connects the entire project. Realty Capital Residential was selected as the multifamily developer for the project. Construction is expected to start in the summer of 2023, according to a news release.

“Parkway District aims to be a hub for activity,” said Austin Gray, Development Partner at Realty Capital Management, in a prepared statement. “The development is designed to give area residents the opportunity to live in and visit a walkable community with public amenities and entertainment options that are not available today. As one of the most visible sites remaining in Corinth, Parkway District offers the best opportunity to create a landmark project with high visibility along the I-35E corridor.”

Realty Capital secured a loan from Texas Bank and Trust to finance the acquisition of the land.

“We have worked closely with the City of Corinth and the Corinth Economic Development Corporation to create a mixed-use plan that will foster a sense of community and allow the residents and visitors of Corinth to experience a walkable destination with a variety of dining options, shops and exciting entertainment options,” said Tim Coltart, Managing Partner for Realty Capital Management, in a prepared statement. “The City of Corinth has a strong vision for this property, and we are grateful to have the responsibility of executing their vision.”

Realty Capital Residential recently broke ground on a luxury residential tower project in the Lakeside Village development in Flower Mound. The project, located at 3111 Sunset Boulevard, will be a 16-story luxury residential tower overlooking Lake Grapevine. Charlotte-based Barings provided the construction funding, and Chicago-based Creek Lane Capital and Realty Capital Residential provided the equity for the project.