AA still has Jet Blue interest; F-16s used for target practice; What happened to Alexa(s)?

President Biden issued directives by executive authority that block migrants’ access to the U.S. asylum system when illegal border crossings are high. The restrictions are in effect as long as illegal entries remain above an average of 2,500 per day. The administration will send migrants deemed ineligible to their home countries or Mexico unless they express a convincing fear of persecution that would qualify them for exemption. These actions are not permanent. They will be discontinued if border operations can be managed effectively and safely.

Brian Byrd, 53, who previously served on Fort Worth City Council, has been named Tarrant County Public Health Director starting July 1. The public health department oversees community health, vaccine records, restaurant safety standards, respiratory diseases and more. He is the Medical Director for Palm Primary Care; previously, he founded and ran Texas Family Medicine for nearly 25 years. Byrd is an Executive Pastor at Christ Fellowship Fort Worth.

A subsidiary of Waste Management will acquire all outstanding shares of Stericycle, Inc. for $62.00 per share in cash, representing a total enterprise value of approximately $7.2 billion when including approximately $1.4 billion of Stericycle’s net debt. The transaction could close as early as the fourth quarter of 2024. Stericycle is a regulated waste disposal company. Both organizations have operations in Tarrant County.

American Airlines told an appeals court it would consider a new arrangement with JetBlue Airways if it wins a ruling reversing a 2023 decision not to enter into any agreement focused on aggressively enforcing revenue sharing, or for coordination of routes or capacity similar to the Northeast Alliance over the next decade. AA lawyer Greg Garre said the ruling prevents the airline "from entering into any similar arrangement and that gives the district court continuing jurisdiction over this case for at least 10 years."

Arlington and the Arlington Economic Development Corporation are partnering with SCORE to provide up to 18 Arlington business owners the opportunity to participate in a series of tailored workshops to advance their company’s growth. The program will consist of six classes and three one-on-one mentoring sessions with a SCORE representative as part of the program. Find out more here. 

The Environmental Protection Agency has $500k for Fort Worth to help the city tackle potentially contaminated brownfield properties.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the U.S. Department of Labor to stop a final rule issued "that violates the law and attempts to usurp authority not granted by Congress." The rule would increase the salary thresholds determining employee eligibility for overtime pay exemption and establish automatic salary threshold increases every three years.

Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals between Boston and Dallas are in Dallas next Wednesday and Friday nights. Tickets a week out on TicketIQ were running between $956 to $4,158.

HVAC business owner Jeff Bond couldn't find the qualified tech candidate he wanted on name-brand job boards, so he launched his own.

Insight LPR, a Fort Worth tech company that provides proprietary license plate recognition (LPR) software, hardware, and data products, has launched its next generation of fixed cameras.

Texas has launched a data privacy and security initiative that is focused on aggressive enforcement of state privacy laws. The initiative, housed within the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of Attorney General, will focus on the enforcement of Texas’ privacy protection laws, including the Data Privacy and Security Act, the Identify Theft Enforcement and Protection Act, the Data Broker Law, the Biometric Identifier Act, the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and federal laws. 

The Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities has published a research article based on data from Fort Worth's TimelyCare that shows virtual care can significantly enhance access to mental health care among college students across racial and ethnic groups. Data from 113 colleges and universities revealed that Asian, Black, and multi-racial undergraduates accessed virtual mental health services at a higher rate than would be expected based on the demographics of these institutions.

Snippets: 

• When a lifetime subscription isn’t for life: Readers thought they were set until death. Rolling Stone changed its mind.

• Holy, Lockheed! The U.S. Air Force is taking retired F-16s and using them for target practice. 

• Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The U.S.A. turned 40 yesterday. The Boss has said the album’s eponymous title song “is the furthest thing from a nationalist anthem." 

Daily digit: Over 6,000 baby girls in the U.S. were named Alexa in 2015, a year after Amazon released its voice assistant with the same name; last year, that number had fallen to 490.

Significant stat: Marijuana dispensaries in Arkansas passed the $1 billion sales mark in late 2023. The first dispensary opened in May 2019 in Hot Springs. Last year, state tax revenue from medical marijuana collectively totaled $31 million from a 6.5% state sales tax and 4.0% privilege tax.

Announcements:

• BNSF Railway: Announces August retirement of Chief Marketing Officer Steve Bobb and his successor, Tom Williams, who serves as group Vice President - consumer products. Jon Gabriel, Vice President - service design and network strategies, will take over Williams' previous responsibilities.

• GaylerSmith Group: Launched by Managing Partner Mike Gayler. 

• Agency Habitat: Wins four Telly Awards for work on Buddle Skincare, Braver Together and Goodsprout. 

• Xite: Promotes Chance Miller to Senior Associate. 

• Forvis Mazars: Names Chris Clark Managing Partner for D-FW, and Rob Opitz as assistant managing partner to oversee Fort Worth.