🧲MP Materials delivers for GM; 5 Tarrant companies on growth list; Prescott sets record in victory.

The job two-step: Texas added 5,600 non-farm jobs in August to reach 14,469,300 positions. The state added 159,400 jobs in the past year for an annual growth rate of 1.1 percent, outpacing the national rate by 0.7 percentage points. Go here for a comprehensive employment by city chart.

In a move that would have tremendous impact on National Institutes of Health grants, President Trump asked for an order to be drafted to bring health research funding under his control. The move came after the NIH director refused Trump’s request to cut Harvard grants. NIH distributes $35-$38 billion a year with an annual budget around $47 billion. 

MP Materials in Fort Worth has delivered its first domestically produced rare-earth magnets to General Motors for its electric vehicles. MP gets its raw materials from California and transforms them into finished neodymium-iron-boron magnets used in vehicles such as the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Silverado EV. 

Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes -- two each to Jake Ferguson and Cee Dee Lamb -- and became the Dallas Cowboys' all-time TD pass leader in a 37-20 victory over Washington. The Commanders lost QB Jayden Daniels to a serious elbow injury on the final play of the first half. Dallas (1-1) plays Baltimore (1-1) in Brazil Sunday at 3:25 p.m.

President Trump said 50 states will join the administration's Medicaid drug-pricing model, tying the price of select drugs to the lowest rates paid in other wealthy nations. The White House says the change will save states billions.

The Dallas Business Journal ran a list of D-FW’s fastest-growing companies and five Tarrant County firms made the list. The criteria were independent businesses and the last three full years of revenue. Data was ranked on percentage growth from 2023 to 2025. Others on the list of 45 had outlying headquarters.

• Whitley Penn — Fort Worth

• G.L. Hunt Foundation Repair — Fort Worth

• KP Staffing — Fort Worth

• ERW Site Solutions — Fort Worth

• AVID Electrical Contracting — Roanoke 

A book featuring political prisoners and dissidents by former President George W. Bush is scheduled to be published March 9. Included are 44 full-color, oil-painted portraits with biographies. An exhibit is also planned.

Some Texas Senators are discussing whether placing money on "prediction markets" is illegal gambling in disguise. 

Prasad Reddy, a soft-spoken engineer from India, is not your typical cowboy. Nearly 20 years ago, he took over Twisted X Global Brands when the Decatur-based western footwear business was bankrupt. Today, nearly two decades later, Twisted X generates nine figures in annual revenue. D Magazine has the story of how an engineer transformed a quintessentially American industry.

An upgrade for the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter's engine passed a crucial design review, teeing up the program to move into subsequent testing and eventually production. “It means that the design is solid. It means that we’re ready to move forward from an industrial base as well,” said Jill Albertelli, President of Pratt, a manufacturer of military engines.

Lockheed Martin was awarded an $871,243,964 modification contract to be completed by Feb. 2031 with 10% of the work in Fort Worth. This modification adds capacity for support equipment under the F-35 Lightning II land and sea site activation and hardware non-recurring sustainment effort for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, program partners and foreign military sales customers.

Ride and Thrive is Saturday as Texas Harley-Davidson in Bedford partners with Midwest Food Bank and Open Door Food Bank to fight hunger in the community. Go here for information. 

Well, we don't own Greenland, but... President Donald Trump said we have a permanent, total-control security agreement with Greenland (and Denmark) that gives America a bigger say in the Arctic territory’s affairs and expands our military presence. Trump said no adversary country would be allowed to have a base there.

A Texas political action committee is targeting Democratic House candidate Ericka Lomick over her federal criminal history and other financial allegations, according to the Dallas Express. She is running to represent Tarrant County’s House District 93. 

Dillard’s says “y’all” and will join the TXSE. The Dallas-based stock exchange secured one of the country’s largest fashion retailers for its primary listing. Dillard’s share price has climbed more than 400 percent the last five years and boasts a market cap of nearly $10 billion.

Goodwill North Central Texas is expanding westward into Parker County with a 15,000-square-foot retail store and donation center in Hudson Oaks. Construction has begun at 2049 Cinema Drive, with an early 2027 target date to open. Approximately 20 jobs will be created.

Starting in 2028, Fort Worth households will get an additional $3 fee tacked onto the monthly water bill, money that will go toward fixing city streets. The fee is flat, not based on water usage.

American Airlines is targeting its most infuriating delays, the rolling delays that drag you to a gate with no plane. It is testing in Charlotte a procedure that will estimate boarding based on the inbound aircraft’s definitive arrival.

Will Fort Worth-based Elbit America's re-brand to Twenty Six Defense change the Israeli company's stock narrative?

Snippets:

• Van Ormy, a city with about 1300 people in south-central Texas, voted to return to no property taxes. 

• The U.S. Justice Department ruled the federal ban on handgun sales to 18-20-year-olds is unconstitutional and can't be criminally enforced.

• Better re-check your flight details. American, United and Southwest Airlines are scaling back their schedules because of the surge in fuel costs. 

Did you know? A new app uses AI to teach users how to pose for photos. You simply take a selfie, and the app will generate four poses to try and mimic. Co-founder Melody Chu said that the idea came about because her husband was hopelessly unable to take a good photo of her. (This could be a game changer for people who suffer from “what do I do with my hands” syndrome.)

Today in history: 1969 = Roger Staubach made his NFL debut at the Cotton Bowl, throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Lance Rentzel as the Dallas Cowboys beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 24-3. The 27-year-old rookie had joined the Cowboys after fulfilling his Navy commitment and would eventually lead Dallas to two Super Bowl championships.

Significant stat: The rising fuel prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran aren't just impacting you at the pump — they're also impacting how much you'll pay for your next flight. American Airlines claims the latest spike added $1 billion in jet fuel costs in the fourth quarter of this financial year.

Daily digit: Milk production in the U.S. has doubled since 1975, but people are drinking 48.6% less milk now than they did back then. Where’s the other half of the milk going? Yogurt - and other dairy products. Today, people eat more than seven times the amount of yogurt than they did in 1975.

Announcements:

• Berkshire Hathaway: Warren Buffett is handing the chairmanship of Berkshire Hathaway to his son, Howard Buffett. The farmer, philanthropist and sheriff has served on the company’s board since 1993.

• University of Texas - Arlington West: Selects Joshua Friend as Director of External Relations. 

• D CEO Magazine: Selects Higginbotham’s CEO Rusty Reid as 2026 Private Company Leader of the Year. 

• Fort Worth: Sarah Odle has retired after 31 years as a Neighborhood Development Coordinator. 

• First Bank Texas: Hires Michael Ramirez as Market President for Fort Worth.

• Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare: Selects Wendy Farmer Chapa as Regional Director of Clinical Partnerships.

• Surety Capital Corporation: Names Bradley White Chief Executive Officer. 

• Kathy Whitworth’s KW88 Gift Award: Honors young professional golfers Riley Rennell and Gracen Blount.

• Texas Early Learning Council: Governor Greg Abbott appoints Jan Lacina, Ph.D., Jennifer Vincent, and Jennifer Warren, Ed.D., to the council. Lacina, of Fort Worth, is the Bezos Family Foundation endowed chair for Early Childhood Education and a professor at TCU. 

• Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts: Selects Guy Vanderpool as Director. He most recently served as Director of Development and Communications at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

• StraCon: Adds Jon Wingler as General and Operations Manager, and Brittany Nelson as Management Analyst. 

• Ameriflight: Hires Jackson Hall as BE-1900 Captain.

• Lionheart Children’s Academy: Hires Tony Howard as Chief Financial Officer.

• American Heart Association: Hires Kelsey Anderson as Development Coordinator.

• ASCE - Texas: Honors Parkhill with Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement in Texas for its work on the National Medal of Honor Museum. ​Partners on the project included Rafael Viñoly Architects, LandTec Engineers, Linbeck Group, Jack Hill and Dennis Irvine. 

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