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🗞️NEWS OF THE DAY:

Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare highlights property tax cuts in his first State of the County address.

A judicial misconduct complaint was filed against the federal judge who ordered Southwest Airlines lawyers to take religious liberty training as a sanction for inadequately following a court order.

NASA and the Pentagon’s $500-million rocket gamble, via a contract with Lockheed Martin, is an important step to retain America’s space-faring glory. Super-fast and maneuverable, nuclear-powered engines are key to reaching more parts of the solar system. It also gives the U.S. an upper hand in space warfare. (Bloomberg opinion)

A pair of manufacturing projects are set to bring over 1,700 jobs and a combined investment of $585 million to Fort Worth. One of the projects would see Siemens AG create an advanced manufacturing facility to produce low-voltage switchgear and switchboards. Siemens' project carries an investment of $133 million and 715 total jobs by the end of 2026. Beverage manufacturer DrinkPak, meanwhile, is looking to open two new factories to produce energy drinks, hard seltzer, canned cocktails and alternative dairy beverages. The project includes a total investment of $452 million and would create 1,000 jobs

Southlake-based Sabre has made available Lodging AI, the first tool of its Sabre Travel AI capabilities for the sector. Lodging AI helps travel agencies improve hotel attachment rates, creating additional revenue opportunities and provides travelers with more personalized lodging options. It can analyze property attributes, customer trip segmentation, and traveler preferences to generate custom lodging options.

The Biden administration said last week that the U.S. and China would approve twice the number of passenger flights currently permitted between the countries. American Airlines told Reuters it would add three flights a week to reach daily service from DFW to Shanghai Pudong International Airport in January. The airline also announced it will add new service between DFW and Barcelona, Spain.

Almost one-third of American adults are permanently inked, according to a Pew Research Center poll. The increasing popularity of tattoos is expected to push the industry to a whopping $3.9 billion by 2030. Women (38%) are more likely to have tattoos than men (27%), including 56% of women between the ages of 18 and 29. Also booming is the tattoo removal industry.

Tesla scored huge victories for its charging technology in Texas. Electric vehicle charging companies must include Tesla's standard as well as the nationally recognized Combined Charging System (CCS) if they want to be part of a state program to electrify highways using federal dollars. Electric pickup truck maker Rivian, GM and Ford are backing Tesla and charger maker BTC Power says it will support the standard. The Biden administration is attempting to make CCS the dominant charging standard in the United States.

Remote work’s negative effects outnumber positive ones, according to business leaders in a Fed survey. Roughly two-thirds said remote work hurt workplace culture, cohesiveness and team environment, communication, and training and mentorship. The upside for employers: it helps with recruiting and retaining workers.

🩴🩴PEOPLE ON THE MOVE:

• Fort Capital: Promotes Steve Bailey to President FCP Management (property management)

• AccelerateFW Foundation: Adds Jillian Johnson as Office Administrator

• Private Health News: Hires Tricia Anderson as Director of Business Development

• Ducky Bank: Financial empowerment for children app launched by David Bernal

• Teach For America: Names Bibi Yasmin Katsev Executive Director

• Taylor’s Gift Foundation: Names Paige Anderson Executive Director

✂️SNIPPETS:

• Construction has begun on the Phase 1 expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center.

• Fort Worth-based insurance broker Higginbotham increases Houston presence, joins forces with Iscential.

• Saying hello to neighbors could boost your well-being, a new Gallup survey says.

• Fifteen books (out of 500+ entries) were selected for the Financial Times and Schroder’s 2023 Business Book of the Year.

• Being in good physical shape could reduce the risk of nine types of cancer, study finds.

• Michael Burry, the “Big Short” investor who became famous for correctly predicting the epic collapse of the housing market in 2008, has bet more than $1.6 billion on a Wall Street crash.