💰$3.5B fund raised by Crestline Investors; Cuban has $750M to acquire stake in sports teams; Numbers: Cowboys 17-0? See schedule.

Lockheed Martin could get awarded a finalized contract on its F-35 jets sooner than originally expected. And according to President Trump, the U.S. is examining development of a twin-engine warplane to be known as the F-55, as well as an upgrade to its Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor called the F-22 Super.

Fort Worth was one of two U.S. cities (Jacksonville, Fl.) to surpass a population of one million residents last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Fort Worth's population is 1,008,106, surpassing Austin as the 4th most populous city in the state, behind Houston, San Antonio and Dallas.

Fort Worth-based Crestline Investors closed its Crestline Direct Lending Fund IV with $3.5 billion in investable capital. The fund offers tailored financing solutions for middle-market, sponsor-backed and non-sponsored companies across North America.

Louisiana Film Prize and the Fort Worth Film Commission have a collaboration agreement in which the winner of Louisiana's 2025 Short Film Award will receive a trip to Fort Worth for an Oscar-qualifying, theatrical run, complete with a red-carpet premiere and after party. Tarrant County is one of only six regions worldwide recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar qualification. 

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is the Dallas Cowboys 2025-26 schedule.

If D-FW International Airport is getting bigger and better, why not the Grand Hyatt DFW Airport? The hotel announced a multi-million-dollar renovation beginning in July and finishing by year-end. Included are updates to guest rooms and suites, improvements to event spaces, enhancements to restaurants and bars, and re-envisioned lobby, guest lounges and corridors.

If D-FW International Airport is getting bigger and better, why not the Grand Hyatt DFW Airport? The hotel announced a multi-million-dollar renovation beginning in July and finishing by year-end. Included are updates to guest rooms and suites, improvements to event spaces, enhancements to restaurants and bars, and re-envisioned lobby, guest lounges and corridors.

Fort Worth-based Omnicell, a transformative company within the pharmacy and nursing care delivery models, announced products that leverage RFID tracking and intelligent software workflows, expanding the company's intention to automate medication management processes. Omnicell also has opened an Innovation Lab in Austin. It "will serve as a hub for addressing challenges along the medication and supply journey and developing new technologies to solve evolving challenges faced by the industry."

V2X announced a strategic collaboration with Bell Textron to support the U.S. Army's Flight School Next program. The initiative seeks to modernize the training of Army aviators by utilizing the Bell 505 helicopter, a five-seat training aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art avionics and flight technologies.

Fort Worth-based FirstCash has entered the U.K. market with an agreement to purchase H&T Group, the country's leading pawn shop operator. FirstCash said the deal provides geographic diversification and unlocks additional growth opportunities; it expects to close in late June and the acquisition to be meaningfully accretive to EBITDA and EPS.

Supreme Court justices heard a case that challenges the constitutional provision guaranteeing automatic citizenship to all babies born in the U.S. But the arguments focused on a separate question: Can federal district court judges rule against the administration on a nationwide basis.

Fort Worth-based Elbit Systems of America received a delivery order valued at $112 million for Squad Binocular Night Vision Goggle systems for the Marine Corps Systems Command. 

Autonomous truck technology maker Aurora has expanded its pilot program with Werner, adding a Fort Worth-to-Phoenix lane to augment Aurora’s existing Fort Worth-to-El Paso lane. 

Southwest Airlines requested a permit from the U.S. Department of Transportation that could expand the airline’s presence as an international carrier. The permit would allow Southwest to fly in all countries covered under the Open Skies agreement. Southwest flies internationally to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Fort Worth authorized the sale of 36 lots of land and other incentives to Royal Capital, the master developer behind the Evans & Rosedale project. The package is expected to be the final hurdle to funding the mixed-use development in the Historic Southside.

A $10.6-million contract was approved for work by McClendon Construction Company on Keller Hicks Road. Construction from Park Vista Boulevard to Lauren Way will start this summer.

Gateway Church in Southlake refused a request from Robert Morris asking for millions of dollars as part of his retirement after the former pastor left when sexual abuse allegations arose.

Major League Baseball has rescinded the lifetime bans of Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and 15 other players, making them eligible for the Hall of Fame.

Believe it or not: The Dallas Mavericks were paid $33 million the past three years by Chime for its jersey patch. Terms were in Chime Financial's IPO prospectus. 

Daily digit: Ninety-five percent of workers surveyed by career website Monster.com said wages have not kept up with inflation the past year. 94% of workers said groceries and food have risen the most in price, and 75% said they have had to dip into their savings to keep up with costs. 

Announcements:

• The Starr Conspiracy: Names Ashley Bernard CEO and re-brands as TSC.

• JLL: Adds Trey Neville as Executive Vice President Dallas-Fort Worth retail team. 

• Chandler Roofing: Hires Darren Unruh as President.

• Decker Jones: Adds attorney Patrick J. Flueckiger, Of Counsel.

• Flock Audio: Appoints Chant Duplantier Vice President of Sales.

• Specialty Foods Association: Honors Renfro Foods’ Becky Renfro Borbolla and Doug Renfro with 2025 Lifetime Achievement Awards.

• North Texas Community Foundation: Hires Sabrina Conner as Community Impact Program Officer. 

• Operation Hope: Adds MarQueta Avant Holmes as Financial Wellbeing Coach-Homeownership.

• Inkcups: Hires Butch Skelton as Southwest Sales Representative. 

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