🤝Two 'kids' non-profits to merge; New leader for Lockheed Aero; GameStop CEO trolls, irks eBay.

The Boards of Directors for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County and Clayton Youth Enrichment approved a merger of the organizations. The combined organization -- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County -- will be led by CEO and President Daphne Barlow, the current CEO. Strategically, the merger offers operational scale, infrastructure optimization, integrated programming and larger reach. Projections are 100,000 youth will be served during 2026.

The University of North Texas at Dallas has started the Trailblazer Tuition Trust, which covers full tuition and fees for up to four years or eight consecutive semesters on a student’s first bachelor’s degree. 

March Madness is getting madder. The NCAA expanded the men's and women's championships from 68 teams to 76 teams. The former play-in games will now be 12 games. Those 12 winners enter the traditional  bracket of 64. (Editor's note: When do we fill out brackets?)

eBay suspended GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen’s account, citing "activity that we believe was putting the eBay community at risk," according to Cohen. The move follows Cohen’s $56-million bid for eBay and his publicity stunt of auctioning approximately 25 personal items — including GameStop store signs, video games and a carpet square — in what he described as "selling stuff on eBay to pay for eBay."

According to a notice filed with Texas, more than 900 Spirit Airlines employees have been laid off, including 444 at D-FW Interntional Airport. The breakdown is 119 represented by the Airline Pilots Association and 246 represented by the Association of Flight Attendants. The layoffs are permanent. More than 500 employees based at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental were let go. 

RIP: Ted Turner, 87, oversaw a vast cable empire of news, sports and entertainment channels. With CNN, he started the 24-hour news cycle. He was married to Jane Fonda. He was a top-10 landowner in the U.S. with more than two million acres and 4,500 bison. 

Aeva, a provider of next-generation sensing and perception systems, delivered initial C-sample units of its Aeva Atlas 4D LiDAR sensors to Daimler Truck North America and Torc Robotics. It marks a milestone in the companies’ collaboration on the SAE Level 4 autonomous Class 8 semi-trucks, some of which is being tested at AllianceTexas. 

Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary McLane, one of the largest distribution companies in the U.S., has contracted with Aurora Innovation technology for unsupervised self-driving trucks powered on big rig routes in Texas and the Sun Belt to serve restaurants by year end. Aurora is deeply integrated with driverless trucking at AllianceTexas.

Southlake-based Sabre surprised the market, beating first-quarter revenue expectations with sales up 8.3% year-over-year to $760.3 million. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.06 per share was well above analysts’ consensus estimates. After hours, the stock was up 14 cents on the day to $1.97, a gain of 7.65%. 

The travel industry now has a live test of whether travelers will search, choose and pay for flights without leaving a chat after Mindtrip launched its agentic travel booking powered by Sabre.

The U.S. State Department approved a possible sale of Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters and related equipment to the Philippines, with an estimated cost of $150 million. The proposed package includes Bell 505 helicopters, spare rotor blades, flight simulators, training systems, and long-term logistics support.

A MESSAGE FROM BURT LADNER REAL ESTATE:

ROOM TO REIN: This gated 3.16-acre estate at 8185 FM-1187 W in Fort Worth overlooks a 55-acre horse ranch. The property includes a four-bedroom main residence with four full baths and two half baths, plus a detached guest house. The home features hardwood floors, multiple living areas, two laundry areas, a chef’s kitchen, butler’s pantry, wine room, wet and dry bars, and a primary suite with heated bathroom floors, steam shower and custom closet. Outdoor amenities include a pool, cabana, fire pit, outdoor kitchen and tennis court. Listed at $4,495,000 by Micaela Johnson and Ken Link.

A 15,000-square-foot retail development on 1.82 acres at the corner of I-20 and Tin Top Road in Weatherford with direct access to east and westbound I-20 has been sold. The transaction was led by Laurie Carter and Brittany Doyle of LanCarte Commercial. The plan is for a multi-tenant, retail strip center. 

Worth Real Estate and Slater Howe closed a deal on an expansion to 5,742 square feet for John Ratliff and Transglobal Services at 2525 Ridgmar. Transglobal Services has services in land acquisition, surveying and geospatial solutions, and serves energy, utility and industrial clients nationwide.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers will have eyes in the Arlington and Houston skies during the FIFA World Cup games. It has secured roughly $3.2 million in federal grant funding for drone patrols. 

Fort Worth-based Higginbotham, an employee-owned insurance and financial services company, has agreed to join forces with McGohan Brabender, an employee benefits company with six offices across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The partnership is expected to close next month. 

Four women's college volleyball teams — Florida, Nebraska, Penn State and SMU — will play for a total of $1 million in a made-for-TV exhibition at AT&T Stadium August 27. Each team gets a $200,000 appearance fee and the other $200,000 is awarded based on the competition. Three best-of-three matches will be played in a three-hour time frame.

Northrop Grumman asked the Federal Trade Commission to remove restrictions on its solid rocket motor business, a move that competitor Lockheed Martin opposes. That sets up a regulatory battle between two large defense firms and a decision that could have implications for the Pentagon’s race to ramp up the production of missiles and backfill its stockpiles.

The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled, 2-1, that President Trump’s 10% global tariff on most imports is illegal, finding it violated a 1970s trade law and ordering the money to be refunded. This follows a February 2026 Supreme Court decision that invalidated earlier, separate tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Las Vegas Sands has posted more than a dozen Dallas tech jobs in the last month, fueling speculation the casino corporation is expanding its footprint in north Texas, according to the Dallas Business Journal.

Trader Joe's, owned by the family that has Aldi, has filed a permit for a third Tarrant County store. Țhe location is 3200 Matlock Road in Mansfield and the opening is scheduled for March 2027. Trader Joe's has locations in Fort Worth and Southlake.

Snippets:

• Activewear brand Vuori (think gymnast Olivia "Livvy" Dunne), opens today in the former Apple Store in University Park Village. 

• Join the party: Ezekiel Elliott sues NCAA and Big 10 over rights to jersey sales and highlight clips.

• This story is so doggone heartwarming. 

Significant stat: Clarence Thomas surpassed John Paul Stevens as the second-longest-serving Justice in Supreme Court history. He is in his 35th year, having been sworn in Oct. 23, 1991. Justice William Douglas is No. 1 at 36 years, seven months and eight days. (1939-1975).

Announcements:

• Lockheed Martin: Aeronautics boss Greg Ulmer is retiring and Skunk Works head OJ Sanchez has been selected to lead the aviation arm of the world’s largest defense contractor.  

• ClearSky Rehabilitation Hospital of Mansfield: Selects Lucky Denenga Fischer as Chief Executive Officer. 

• Texas A&M University System: Board of Regents votes unanimously to appoint Dr. Susan Ballabina as the 28th President of Texas A&M University.

• REV Entertainment: Hires Nathan Wooldridge as Assistant Vice President of Business Development. 

• Tolleson Wealth Management: Promotes Michael Wagner to Chief Strategist.

• Tarleton State University College of Education: With $2.5-million gift, establishes the David Gilbreath and Tony Henson Distinguished Department Chair in Educational Leadership and Technology Support Endowment, and the David Gilbreath and Tony Henson Counseling and Educational Leadership Scholarship Endowment.

• D-FW International Airport: Names Shauna Brazzell a Terminal Maintenance Project Manager. 

• Fort Worth Office of the Police Oversight Monitor: Hires Anthony Willson as a Senior Management Analyst.

• Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts: Awards Fort Worth a Transparency Star in Economic Development, one of six statewide. 

• Iowa Farm Bureau Federation: Names Katherine Mackenzie of Mansfield its young farmer program manager. 

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