🏈A new City Manager and a new Head Coach; Will there be a new Superintendent? Virbac wants to nip your cat's anxiety.

Jay Chapa will be sworn in tomorrow as the next Fort Worth city manager. And you can watch. He replaces David Cooke, his former boss. 

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, and the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship to advance to Super Bowl LIX Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Kansas City has the chance to become the first team in NFL history to win three successive Super Bowls. 

The Supreme Court will decide whether the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school should be allowed to open. The justices will review an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision that invalidated a state board’s approval of an application by the Catholic Church in Oklahoma.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved more than $30.9 million in local park grants, including $3.5 million to Fort Worth for two projects, $750k to Grapevine and $150k to Granbury.

The Fort Worth Independent School District has begun its search through Feb. 5 for a superintendent. Karen Molinar, the interim superintendent since October 2024, said she would apply. 

Grand Theft Auto VI, due in August, could be priced at $100, well above the high of $70 for the top video games. GTA VI is the 17th game in the popular franchise from Rockstar Games and has sold more than 405 million copies and generated more than $7 billion in revenue.

Coppell-based Container Store won court approval to exit bankruptcy a little more than a month after filing Chapter 11, and to enact a lender-backed plan to re-structure.

A Mega Millions ticket purchased at Ballpark Beverages at 2100 E. Lamar Boulevard in Arlington has won $2 million. The ticket matched all the white ball numbers, earning the Match 5 Million prize.

Purr-fectly calm? Westlake-based Virbac has introduced ZENIFEL™ Pheromone Products, a solution designed to calm cats and improve their well-being. It combines feline facial pheromones with plant-based Nepeta cataria extracts, commonly known as catnip.

Less than a year after signing its original lease, Mammoth Freighters has added 21,200 square feet in Building No. 11 at the Perot Fort Worth Alliance Airport. Mammoth converts passenger planes into cargo planes.

Tarrant County College will receive $280K in grant money for four healthcare programs to provide essential skills and improve patient care, especially to those living in underserved areas.

Bell and Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky helicopters helped prevent Los Angeles fires from being much worse. Read how they were able to help.

The Federal Reserve's first interest rate decision of 2025 is Wednesday. After three successive rate cuts to end 2024, the expectation is no action will be taken at this time. 

Bill Belichick's North Carolina football coaching debut will be against visiting TCU at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1 -- Labor Day -- on ESPN. TCU opened the 2023 season against Colorado and its new coach, Deion Sanders.

Did you know Fort Worth has a Memorial Bench Program? Yes, you can commemorate a loved one, celebrate a milestone, or honor a special individual. It's a lasting tribute that enriches Fort Worth’s parks and public spaces, though there is nothing about guarantees, such as "lasting." Cost? $3k. 

Restaurant roundup:

• Keke’s Breakfast Cafe opened two locations (9821 N. Fwy and 3000 S. Hulen) in Fort Worth. The chain was acquired by Denny’s in 2022, but operates independently. (menu)

• Eggsquisite Cafe, a locally owned chain, opened its third Tarrant County location, in Fort Worth at 9316 Clifford St. (menu)

• World of Beer Bar & Kitchen re-opened its location at 3252 W. 7th in Fort Worth. (menu)

Fort Worth-based American Business Systems, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs in establishing their medical billing businesses, has partnered with Abyde, a technology company specializing in automated HIPAA and OSHA compliance software. 

Stargate, a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle, will invest up to $500 billion in AI-related infrastructure in Texas. Our main grid operator predicts power demand will nearly double by 2030. How will we manage it?

The Conversation starts one on obscenity and freedom of expression about disputed Sally Mann photos at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. 

Westlake-based Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurster credits increased AI use with cost savings up to 25% in client relations.

The U.S. Army has awarded Fort Worth-based Elbit Systems of America a $139 million delivery order to continue producing Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular.

Tarrant's Southeast Connector project encompassing 820 East and I-20 is about halfway done. TxDOT and Tarrant Commissioner Alisa Simmons provided an update.

Citizens that organized last year against a landfill planned by BAP Kennor have won. Silver Creek area neighbors west of Lake Worth fought the application, and according to County Commissioner Manny Ramirez, won when BAP Kennor withdrew its application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Dr. Mia Hall has announced her campaign to succeed Fort Worth City Council member Jared Williams, who is not running again in District 6. Hall holds a doctorate in educational leadership. 

Southlake City Councilwoman Amy Torres-Lepp has resigned following a Dallas Express investigation reporting she voted for a development in which her husband owned the property being re-zoned.

Snippets:

• GOGO Charters launches luxury routes from D-FW to Waco, Austin and San Antonio.

• A regional advocacy transportation group has set aside $1 million for pre-emptive legal fees to support the high-speed rail project that includes Fort Worth and Dallas. 

• Teamsters Local 745 says it was forced to strike Hertz at D-FW International Airport, claiming the company failed to negotiate in good faith.

Notable and quotable: “It is not the size of your business that matters; it’s the size of your dedication and determination.” –-Dhirubhai Ambani (1932-2002)

Daily digit: 13 cents = cost to produce a nickel, according to the U.S. Mint’s 2024 annual report. A penny costs more than 3 cents to produce.

Announcements:

• Associated Bag: Adds Suzanne Hinman as Southern Sales Manager. 

• Dallas Wings: Hires Lauryn Turner as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and assistant coaches Camille Smith and Nola Henry. 

• AZZ: Kurt Russell moves from President and Chief Operating Officer of Precoat Metals to Senior Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer of the company.

• Avery Dennison: Hires Katherine Cromer Brock as Senior Global Communications Manager.

• IRS: Adds Erik Denend as agent.

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