Court affirms college athletes are employees; A very large Pickleball court; Vending machines with bullets.

College players in Division I revenue-generating sports can't be categorically excluded from U.S. labor protections, a U.S. appeals court ruled. The decision rejects long-time NCAA arguments that athletes aren't working but playing when they compete for their schools.

Henry Schein, Inc., the world’s largest provider of health care solutions to office-based dental and medical practitioners, has opened an 811K-square-foot Southwestern Distribution Center in AllianceTexas.

Pickleball Kingdomannounced plans to open its largest venue in far north Fort Worth. The location at 5650 Kroger Drive will have 17 courts across 48,000 square feet. It is expected to open in early 2025. Another location is expected to open late this year at the Dallas Galleria. In April, the company announced plans to open a franchise location in Haltom City. Dan Jenkins, the entrepreneur behind Pickleball Kingdom, said he plans up to 20 locations in north Texas.

Fort Worth-based HTeaO continued its rapid pace of growth in the first half of 2024 and set out expectations for the year. It has recently expanded into Louisiana and Missouri and opened another market in Florida. For the year, the company has opened 23 franchises, and 40 more are scheduled by year-end.

American Rounds, a Dallas-based company, has installed computerized vending machines to sell ammunition in select grocery stores in Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. The company’s machines utilize an identification scanner and facial recognition software to verify the purchaser’s age.

The proposed Kroger-Albertsons merger could mean the sale of 10 stores in Tarrant County. The merger has been challenged by federal regulators, claiming it could potentially eliminate competition and lead to higher prices. To prove that the merger would not result in a monopoly, Kroger and Albertsons have agreed to sell 579 stores to Wholesale Grocers. A hearing is set for July 31. Of the stores in Texas that are potentially affected, 26 are in North Texas, of which 10 are in greater Tarrant County:

• Albertsons — 6220 U S Hwy 287, Arlington

• Albertsons — 301 SW Plaza Shopping Ctr, Arlington

• Tom Thumb — 1701 W Randol Mill Rd, Arlington

• Tom Thumb — 2755 N Collins, Arlington

• Albertsons — 1155 N Main St, Euless

• Tom Thumb — 612 Grapevine Hwy, Hurst

• Tom Thumb — 1000 Keller Pkwy, Keller

• Market Street — 3145 E Broad St, Mansfield

• Albertsons — 1201 N Saginaw Blvd, Saginaw

• Tom Thumb — 101 Trophy Lake Dr, Trophy Club

A GOBankingRates household income study ranked Southlake at No. 13 among the wealthiest American suburbs, with an average household income of $360,078 and a typical home value of $1.24 million.

Shoot Smart, a locally owned gun range and retail store, opened its 5th North Texas location at 8240 West Fwy. Owners Jim and Roxanne Laney cater to all levels of expertise and have a proprietary training curriculum beyond just teaching firearm safety and proficiency. An open house is July 27-28.

A Fort Worth car wash business is using license-reading technology to market to customers.

That twin-engine Bell 412 helicopter flying over Milwaukee before the Republican National Convention is "equipped with radiation-sensing technology". The surveys are part of standard public health and safety preparations.

HSC Health has been selected by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to participate in a Medicare alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. Nearly 400 participants will build dementia care programs, working to increase care coordination and improve access to services and support. HSC Health is the clinical enterprise of The UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth.

Fast-food favorite Whataburger is serving more than burgers in the wake of Hurricane Beryl. Instead of ordering food, folks are using the San Antonio-based burger chain's app to track power outages in the Houston area.

Money magazine’s 2024 ranking of the best colleges in America includes TCU, Tarleton State University, and the University of Texas-Arlington.

Co-working is on the upswing. Based on number of spaces, inventory expanded 7% during Q2, with Dallas-Fort Worth beating out Manhattan for the first time and becoming the second-most populated metro.See where other cities rank.

Foodie news: Fried chicken sandwiches appear on 47% of restaurant menus; burgers are on only 41%. People still order burgers twice as often as chicken sandwiches, but restaurants have figured out that a fried chicken sandwich is a draw, bringing in customers who might not want a burger but aren’t looking for a salad, either. 

You’re gonna need a bigger boat. Jaws…in a Jiffy is the title of a 90-second mini film (watch here) as part of LEGO’s unveiling of a JAWS plastic brick set. The “brick-buster” video features several scenes from the 1975 movie, re-created using stop-motion LEGO bricks and characters. The 1,500-piece set was unveiled last week but will not be available for purchase until August.

Significant stat: $76 billion - the amount of finalized contracts that ESPN, NBC and Amazon have with the NBA to broadcast the next 11 seasons. Legacy contract holder TNT has only days to come up with a better offer (or a legal maneuver) to preserve its relationship with the NBA.

Snippets:

• A turnaround appears near and American Airlines might strike a contract deal with flight attendants.

• Will Dallas Stars' idea for free streaming work? Sports Business takes a look. 

• Fort Worth’s KWC Performing Arts will close after 35 years, according to the Fort Worth Report.

Announcements:

• Cawley, Gillespie & Associates: Adds Tim Hardman as Director of Business Development.

• Louis Vuitton: Hires Camille Dixon for client services.

• Service First Mortgage: Adds Alexandra San Martino team. 

• The Commit Partnership: Promotes Abby Mayer to Chief Operating Officer.

• Texas Lawbook: Hires Jeff Schnick as Editor.