Coors workers toast agreement; AA back-tracks; The Fool channels Buffett

Scheduling note: 817 Biz will not publish Monday, May 27 in observance of Memorial Day.

American Airlines back-tracked its defense one day after its lawyers argued a 9-year-old child acted negligently when she was recorded by a hidden camera in an airplane lavatory. The airline said in a statement about the filing: "Our outside legal counsel retained with our insurance company made an error in this filing. The included defense is not representative of our airline, and we have directed it be amended this morning. We do not believe this child is at fault and we take the allegations involving a former team member very seriously. Our core mission is to care for people — and the foundation of that is the safety and security of our customers and team."

Meacham Airport upgrade: The Federal Aviation Administration has selected the 56-year-old air traffic control tower at the Fort Worth airport for replacement as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law allocates $1.2 trillion in spending, including $5 billion designated for upgrading FAA air traffic control towers during the next five years.

Tarrant Regional Water District board members announced they will vote June 18 on whether to demolish baseball stadium LaGrave Field — closed since 2014 — as part of its plans for Panther Island. Community members will have a chance to weigh in on the demolition proposal. The board is seeking a consultant to help map the long-term strategy for LaGrave’s future. 

After more than three months on the picket line, Molson Coors Teamsters in Fort Worth voted to ratify a three-year agreement. The contract secures wage increases, improves benefits and restores retiree health care, according to the Teamsters' notice. The agreement covers 420 workers.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a bipartisan coalition of states and the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a civil antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ticketmaster LLC. The suit alleges monopolization and other unlawful conduct that thwarts competition in markets across the live entertainment industry.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned the Rosen-Durling test for assessing the non-obviousness of design patents. It adopted a more flexible test consistent with the Supreme Court's general guidance in KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc. Those seeking design patents should reconsider their filing strategies based on the updated framework.

Hub Baker, a leader in preserving the Stockyards as a historical district and the producer of thousands of rodeos at Cowtown Coliseum, has died at 78. Baker founded the Stockyards Championship Rodeo and was an original investor in Billy Bob’s Texas.

Restauranteur Jim Baron, who founded acclaimed concepts such as the Blue Mesa Grill chain (1988) with his wife, Liz Baron, passed away after a long fight with cancer. He was 76.

George Bond, a Colleyville city council member, resigned after he was arrested by Colleyville police on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, according to a news release from the city. He also was arrested Valentine’s Day on a charge of driving while intoxicated. 

Why go to Paris when you can go to Dickies Arena? Fort Worth is part of the run-up to the Paris Olympic Games when the city welcomes America’s top gymnasts from May 30 to June 2 as host of the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

Restaurant roundup:

• Delucca Gaucho Pizza & Wine has opened at 9574 Sage Meadow Trail at Alliance Town Center. The restaurant offers a 5-course, one-price menu with an endless selection of pizza slices. It is the third location in Tarrant County and the sixth in D-FW.

• Nation’s, a fast-casual restaurant from northern California, is expected to open this month in Arlington at 4180 S. Cooper Street. The diner-style restaurant is known for its hot dogs, oversized burgers, and a selection of more than 20 pies.

• Terra Lounge and Restaurant, located at The Terraces office complex in Westlake, has opened to the public. Previously, it was only for tenants of The Terraces, an eight-building, 1.1 million-square-foot office complex. Glenstar, the owner and property manager, opened it to serve neighboring office buildings and area residents. 

Below is a sampling of topics from this week’s Motley Fool column. To read all the Fool's gold, click here.

• This week’s stock pick is Facebook parent Meta Platforms. It dropped recently because of investments in AI. The stock may be volatile in the coming months, but this sell-off looks like a buying opportunity for long-term investors.

• The Fool shares comments from Warren Buffett from Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholders meeting.

• A reader asks about what age to start collecting social security benefits.

The Mavericks and Stars' success in the postseason has meant four performers had to reschedule concerts at the American Airlines Center. Melanie Martinez, Bad Bunny, Niki Minaj, and Pepe Aguilar's concerts had to be moved to later dates. Singer NF’s concert on June 1 could also be in jeopardy. The Mavericks play the Timberwolves on that date, if the series goes six games.

Today’s trivia: The NHL and NBA playoffs are down to their last four teams. It has been 25 years since the Dallas Stars hoisted the Stanley Cup (1999), and 13 years since the Dallas Mavericks won the Larry O'Brien Trophy (2011).

Significant stat: A study has documented a remarkable rise in Americans’ self-reported use of marijuana. In 1992, just 0.9 million Americans reported using marijuana daily or near daily. That number grew to 17.7 million in 2022, in the most recent survey, which was announced this week. It is the first time more Americans report using marijuana daily than they do drinking daily (17.7 million vs. 14.7 million).

Announcements:

• Movement Mortgage: Hires Joe Thompson as Regional Director for Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

• Northwest ISD: Promotes Jennifer Higgins to principal of Chisholm Trail Middle School.