🤠Chapa coming, Donati leaving; GM's China loss is $5B; Forbes rollin' with "under 30" TCU grads.

Jay Chapa, a former Fort Worth Assistant City Manager and deeply involved with the Texas A&M University team in Fort Worth, is most likely to become the city's next City Manager, according to an announcement from the city. It reported that council members would vote on his selection Dec. 10. 

South Carolina's board of trustees approved the hiring of athletic director Jeremiah Donati, who is leaving Texas Christian University, where he served in that position since December 2017 and had been with TCU's athletic program since 2011.

The poor performance of General Motors’ Chinese joint ventures is forcing the company to write down assets and take a restructuring charge totaling more than $5 billion in the fourth quarter of this year.

Tarrant County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution requesting Texas provide funding for a mental health facility for its residents. Tarrant is the largest county without a state mental health facility and commissioners say an average of 331 inmates are in the jail waiting for competency restoration. County Judge Tim O’Hare told Texas Scorecard that, without state help to create a mental health facility, the county may be forced to consider a billion-dollar jail expansion.

TCU alums make Forbes 30 Under 30: Austin Patry and Sophia Karbowski, co‑founders of Realsy, earned a coveted spot on the Forbes North America 2025 list. The duo launched its clean snack brand in 2022, focusing on minimally processed, planet‑friendly snacks that are as convenient as they are healthy. What started as a passion for wellness at TCU now projects to hit $1.5 million in revenue this year.

Southwest Airlines will end all diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices after a federal civil rights complaint filed by America First Legal.

EVA Air, a Taiwan-based airline, is expanding its service to the U.S. by adding non-stop flights to D-FW International Airport. No airline flies from D-FW to Taipei. A connecting flight takes nearly 20 hours, four hours longer than EVA's non-stop.

A Fort Worth federal judge rejected a deal that would have allowed Boeing to plead guilty to a felony conspiracy charge and pay a fine for misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of its planes crashed, killing 346 people.

Irish fashion retailer Primark announced plans to open its first D-FW store at Grapevine Mills in 2025. Primark sells clothing, houseware and accessories exclusively at brick-and-mortar stores.

Texas General Store on Main St. in Grapevine will close Jan. 31. The store, which celebrated 10 years in August, sells unique gifts, apparel, decor and food items that are made in Texas or have a Texas flair. 

Judge rules against pawnshop chain First Cash's defense with regard to earlier Cash America ruling, which now is part of First Cash.  

Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division, in collaboration with the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) Rapid Capabilities Office, has successfully conducted a live data-sharing exercise involving the F-35 aircraft with a non-US Command and Control system for the first time.  

Texas filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court requesting it uphold a state law requiring pornography websites to use age verification measures to prevent the exposure of sexual material to minors. The court will hear arguments from Texas January 15.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) officials said extreme cold this winter presented a greater risk of outages, but power generation added to the grid the past year has lowered the probability of emergency outage conditions.

Bitcoin traded over $100k for the first time Wednesday evening and stayed there Thursday. It is up close to 50% since Election Day Nov. 5. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Paul Atkins, a crypto-friendly former regulator, to take the helm of the SEC.

After a contest, Fort Worth street sweepers have names. Check them out here; our fav is Baby Got Vac. 

Single-game tickets for the Texas Rangers' 2025 season go on sale today at 10 a.m. Tickets to all home games, excluding Opening Day, can be purchased at rangers.com.

The number of Americans wanting to switch jobs hits a 10-year high. With opportunities harder to come by, more workers feel stuck — and detached. (WSJ)

Sabrina Carpenter’s hit "Espresso" was the most-streamed song of the year, Spotify said in its annual year-end rankings. Taylor Swift was the most-streamed artist in the world for the second year in a row. She's been either No. 1 or No. 2 for four straight years.

JPS Health Network wins twice and Methodist Mansfield has the top volunteer among D Magazine's Healthcare Awards. 

John Pinkerton was President and CEO of Fort Worth's Range Resources for 22 years. Since 2016, he has been Executive Chairman of Encino Energy. Pinkerton has been enshrined in Hart Energy's 2024 Hall of Fame.

Trending: Guinness, the beer of Irish pubs and Irish men, has endeared itself to chug-happy Americans eager to “split the ‘G.’” It is the fastest-growing imported beer in the country based on bar, restaurant and brewery sales over the last year, according to Nielsen. 

Daily digit: #9 – Ranking of TCU women’s basketball on the AP Top 25 poll, its highest ever. TCU (9-0) is the top-ranked team in the Big 12 Conference. Sunday, the Horned Frogs play No. 3 South Carolina, the defending national champion, at Dickies Arena.

Significant stat: The top 1% of income-tax filers provided 22.4% of all reported earnings and 40.4% of tax revenue in 2022, according to IRS data. The top 10% of filers carried 72% of the tax burden.

Believe it or not: 52% of Americans define “success” as making at least $270,000/year or having a $5.3 million net worth, according to a survey by Empower. However, Gen Z has the highest standard for success, at $588,000/year and a net worth of $9.5 million. The average U.S. salary in 2023 was $67,000.

Nothing to do with business: A South Texas cheerleader went viral after her dad posted a video of her shadowboxing moves while on the sidelines at AT&T Stadium. 14-year-old ‘Mighty’ Mia Pinney is the top-ranked boxer in the nation for the 75- and 85-pound weight classes.

Announcements:

• Fort Worth Chamber: Hires Delayne Hyatt as Vice President-Government Affairs.

• Cadence Bank: Hires Mark Nurdin as Executive Managing Director to lead its Fort Worth-based corporate banking team. 

• Sonar Software: Promotes Georgette Lopez-Aguado to Vice President of Client Relations.

• Finch: Adds David Valentine as Chief Revenue Officer and Partner.

• Dairy MAX: Names Keira Lombardo of Southlake Chief Executive Officer. 

• Cooksey: Promotes Kate Jeffries to Senior Vice President.

• PBK: Adds Sheleah D. Reed as the Director of PreK-12 Engagement and Partnerships.

• TA: Appoints Miguel Perez as Senior Director of Cross-Border Operations and Solutions. 

• Neighborly: Names Stacy Lynn Bourgeois as its Chief Marketing Officer.

• 2024 Corporal Rich Barrera Award: Selects White Settlement Police Chief Christopher Cook and Corporal Laura Gonzalez for their commitment to service and community.

• Poets & Quants: Honors Abbie Shipp and Michael Sherrod of TCU's Neeley School of Business among the Top 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2024.

• National Association of Town Watch: Selects Arlington No. 1 for National Night Out Award.

• Inc. Magazine: Recognizes TimelyCare on Best of Business 2024 list of higher education's most trusted virtual health and well-being providers.