🚨GM gets wrists slapped by FTC; UT-Arlington seeks buyouts, retirements; Changes at Trinity Metro, Near Southside.

The Federal Trade Commission finalized its ban that forces General Motors and its OnStar service not to collect and sell drivers' location and driving behavior details. Insurance companies used data from more than a million vehicles to raise some drivers' rates, including hard braking, acceleration, speeds over 80 mph, and late-night driving habits. These details were sold to data brokers, which packaged them into reports for insurance companies.

Near Southside President Michael Brennan announced he has taken the position of Vice President of Economic Development with Trinity Metro. After 20 years with Near Southside, he will lead efforts to advance economic growth, strengthen community partnerships, and unlock the full potential of transit-oriented development across the region. Near Southside announced soon thereafter that Cultural Director Megan Henderson will transition into the President’s role this spring. Brennan said Henderson is “the right person at the right time to steer the next era of the Near Southside.”

Fort Worth City Council member Michael Crain posted $750 bond and has been released from jail, according to a source. Crain was arrested early Saturday, facing charges related to driving while intoxicated, according to Tarrant County Jail records. The Texas Department of Public Safety made the arrest. City officials have not commented officially or as individuals.

Aviation Week reported to its subscribers Friday that Lockheed Martin has unveiled "Pitch Black," a ground-breaking, hypersonic missile defense system developed over three years, integrating advanced AI, space-based tracking, and multi-layered technologies to address emerging global threats.

The Navy is ready to deploy two of its medium-sized drone boats this year and even integrate one with a carrier strike group. The two drones — the Sea Hunter and Seahawk, dubbed medium displacement uncrewed surface vessels  —  are manufactured by Leidos, a Virginia company with three locations in Fort Worth mostly focused on technology and defense.

Houstonians Jason and Kisha Itkin, owners of Theorem Ranch, bought the 860-acre TR9 Ranch near Weatherford from Teton Ridge for an estimated $43.5 million. The Itkins announced several renowned hires for the breeding and training facility of western performance sports such as cutting and reining.

Inside Trump trading: White House disclosures show President Donald Trump reported purchases totaling at least $51 million between mid-November and late December. The filings indicate exposure to companies including Netflix, General Motors, Boeing, Occidental Petroleum and United Rentals, alongside municipal debt issued by U.S. cities, school districts, utilities and hospitals.

The University of Texas at Arlington announced it is offering voluntary buyouts and phased retirement before June 1 to faculty and staff because of "significant shifts in federal funding and policy.” According to UTA’s website, the new programs will provide “flexible options for those who may be considering retirement or other career decisions.”

Significant stat: 70% = The 5-year survival rate for Americans with cancer, a record-high according to data from the American Cancer Society.

Daily digit: $106 million = Gov. Greg Abbott’s war chest for his 2026 Texas governor’s race.

Equipped Sports and Life Outreach, a three-year-old non-profit, donated baseball equipment to nearly a dozen disadvantaged high school teams during an event hosted at Globe Life Field. Founder Stacey Hollinger came up with the idea for the non-profit while watching his son’s team, Colleyville Heritage, play Dunbar. Hollinger noticed the opposing Wildcats lacked basic equipment, including belts, and said the moment stayed with him.

The D-FW International Airport board approved a $582-million revision to the contract for Terminal F and Skyline Station that does not impact the anticipated opening of Phase 1 in 2027. The updated contract with Innovation Next+ is $1.7 billion, and extends the Terminal F completion 379 days to Aug. 29, 2028.

Texas hospitals incurred more than $1 billion in health care costs for patients not lawfully present in the U.S. during fiscal year 2025, according to data from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The figures were collected under an executive order issued by Gov. Greg Abbott in August 2024, which requires hospitals to report the cost of in-patient and emergency care provided to individuals in the country illegally. 

The Arlington Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee re-named its signature event and launched a scholarship to honor the legacy of former Arlington Mayor Elzie Odom. The gala, beginning with 2027, will be the Elzie Odom MLK Advancing the Dream Gala. The scholarships, enabled by a $50k endowment from Atmos Energy, will provide financial support to UT-Arlington students pursuing a degree in Public Affairs.

Good news for seniors: An additional $6,000 senior tax deduction in the Big Beautiful Bill signed in 2025 means a single filer could have up to $23,750 in deductions, and $31,500 for married seniors. There are some income limits starting at $75k adjusted earnings per individual. 

TRP Infrastructure Services, a Fort Worth-based provider of pavement marking and traffic control solutions, acquired Striping Technology, a Tyler-headquartered pavement marking contractor focused on east Texas. The deal is intended to accelerate TRP's expansion by strengthening local capacity, customer reach and field capabilities in a high-demand corridor for transportation.

Dr. Christopher Watts, Dean of the TCU Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences, has passed away. The college described him as a "compassionate leader (who) devoted his career not only to advancing our college with vision, integrity, and care, but also to deepening understanding and research in Parkinson’s disease ... He leaves a lasting legacy of leadership, scholarship and service."

LanCarte Commercial has repped a sale of a 5,014-square-foot medical office building at 6252 N. Davis Blvd. in North Richland Hills. The facility is half-leased and features a full medical finish-out and multiple sterilization areas. Finn Wilson and Sarah LanCarte represented the seller.

The North Texas Business Connect program is helping companies access procurement opportunities tied to major regional events and developments in association with FIFA World Cup™ 2026.

Openings:

• Grown Brilliance, a brand known for lab-grown diamonds and elevated in-store experiences, opened at The Shops at Clearfork. It also has locations in Dallas and Frisco.

• Announced in 2024, Fred’s Texas Cafe will open at noon Jan. 27 in Crowley, its first location outside Fort Worth’s two. The address is 101 N. Magnolia St.

• NeuroGlow, a provider of medically supervised psychedelic-assisted therapy, has opened a Fort Worth clinic at 4927 Byers Avenue. 

Snippets:

• Eighty-five percent of eligible employees of the non-profit, online newspaper Fort Worth Report have voted to form a union. 

• The U.S. economy is marginally improving but only because the rich are splurging on luxury items and holidays, according to the Fed’s Beige Book.

• D CEO announces the category winners of its 2026 Innovation Awards. 

Announcements:

• Baylor Scott & White All Saints Foundation: Hires Adam Bartel Baggs as President. 

• GTCR: Names Rohan Ranadive Chief Financial Officer.

• TCU: Selects Annie Cowden as Director of Donor Relations.

• Fort Worth Museum of Science and History: Names Barbara Lundgren its Human Resources Director.

• The Meadows Foundation: Hires Monica Christopher as Chief Philanthropy Officer.

• Higginbotham: Promotes Maggie Hadden to Senior Director EB & HR Technology

• JTaylor: Promotes Gabby Minton to Assistant Billing Director. Promotes Madalyn Fee to Assurance Manager. 

• Thirteen Twenty Two Advisors: Adds Mateson Guiterrez.

• GNB Global: Hires Kasha Hunt as Accounting Specialist.

• Business Facilities: Honors Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership with its Deal of the Year award for work on Wistron Corporation project. 

817 Biz is formatted for viewing on mobile devices. If this email doesn’t look right, click the link at top right. Some links may expire after initial posting or be paywall-protected.