❎D-FW Airport loses vote, gets $24M; Roy Pope Grocery has new partner; North American Rail, EPI deal for growth.

American Track, a subsidiary of Fort Worth-based North American Rail Solutions, expanded its rail services by acquiring Queen City Railroad Construction, a Knoxville, TN., provider of rail maintenance and construction services for industrial and short-line customers. Thomas Lucario is CEO of North American Rail Solutions.

Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway has sent a letter to freight customers questioning the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern savings claims if their merger were to be sanctioned.

Grapevine-based EPI, a commercial foodservice equipment company, has a merger agreement with Burlis-Lawson Group in Lenexa, KS. The merger extends EPI’s footprint into Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and southern Illinois, and adds BLG’s deep manufacturer, consultant, dealer and end-user relationships. Bill Cassidy is CEO of EPI.

What would your price be? Three American Airlines passengers waited out airline offers until they received $4,500 to delay their trip one day from Philadelphia to Greece. 

Swiss artificial tears manufacturer Alcon -- its U.S. headquarters in Fort Worth -- is accused of false advertising in a consumer class action. The maker of two ophthalmic lubricant gels is accused of misleading consumers by marketing its eye drops as “sterile” without ensuring the products were free from potentially infection-causing bacteria and fungi.

Lockheed Martin won a $991.13-million Naval Air Systems Command order for F-35 modernization and retrofit support. The work includes 432 material modification kits focused on electronic warfare system upgrades and capability enhancements. The work will be executed in Fort Worth with an expected completion by March 2032.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking contractor bids to construct the North Bypass Channel of the Central City Flood Control Project (Panther Island). Bids are due by May 25 and a contractor is expected to be chosen in September.

The Texas Supreme Court unanimously dismissed a request from Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to expel Democratic lawmakers who walked out in 2025 to block redistricting legislation. The court ruled such disciplinary matters are for the House, not the courts. Chief Justice James D. Blacklock wrote that because a quorum was eventually restored, the judiciary did not need to intervene in this political, legislative dispute.

Yay, we're No. 1! Actually, that should be a boo. AirAdvisor analyzed cancellation rates, flights delayed by more than an hour, average delay times and total flight volumes for those flying to and through airports for the 2026 FIFA. D-FW International Airport ranked as the worst airport for missed connections. 

Westland Hospitality will partner with the owners of Roy Pope, an institutional grocer and eatery at 2300 Merrick Street in Fort Worth, to maintain the name and hospitality, and refresh the dining concept. Roy Pope opened in 1943 as a neighborhood grocery store and meat market. Today, Mark Harris is the owner. Bourke Harvey is Westland's Managing Partner. The menu will be developed by Gigi Howell, Operating Partner at Westland, and chefs Juan Rodriguez, and Levi Gardner. Westland's concepts include JD’s Hamburgers, Pulido’s Kitchen & Cantina, Margie’s Italian Gardens, Curly’s Frozen Custard, Magdalena’s Catering & Events, West Side Cafe, Westland Gardens and Westland Bar Co.

Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes closed its Loop 820 site in North Richland Hills after five years. The original restaurant in Decatur had closed last year. Owners, the Vinyard family, cited "many operational and financial challenges" facing the restaurant industry and said, "This is not goodbye; it is simply the beginning of a new chapter."

Lubbock family-owned HVAC business Robert Madden has expanded its reach into D-FW with the acquisition of AC Supply, which opened in the Fort Worth area 65 years ago. The acquisition includes five stores, with three in Tarrant County. 

The first co-branded Container Store and Bed Bath & Beyond opened Saturday at Hulen and 30 in Fort Worth’s Chapel Hill shopping area. The back story of how two became one is here.

Texas' Attorney General office secured a settlement over child transgender care that compels Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston to create the nation’s first “de-transition clinic” and pay the state $10 million. A clinic would offer medical care to patients “who were subjected to ‘gender-transition’ procedures.” In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation that bars transgender children from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapies.

Gary Grief, the former executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission, has been re-indicted in connection with a rigged jackpot following the dismissal of a previous indictment. This summons, exactly the same, was issued a day after the initial indictment had been dismissed by the Travis County District Attorney’s office.

Arlington's expanded bans on smoking have started. No indoor vaping as part of the city’s smoke‑free ordinance. No vaping within 15 feet of a nightclub or 50 feet of public park amenities, including playgrounds, bleachers, and athletic fields. Fines range from $25 to $200 for a first offense.

The Department of Transportation announced an $835-million investment for tech improvements at 41 airports in two dozen states. $24 million is headed to D-FW International Airport. 

The U.S. State Department approved a potential sale of 22 Bell 505 helicopters to the Philippine military, with Bell Textron as principal contractor.

Believe it or not: A ninth grader just earned his associate's degree from Tarrant County College. His plan is to also get a bachelor's degree before he graduates high school. 

Snippets:

• This bites! 2026's first West Nile-positive mosquitos have been confirmed in Tarrant.

• If you had a Fidelity account during a 2024 data breach, you may be eligible for $5,000. Go here to learn more. 

• Here is the bracket for the Big 12 baseball tournament that runs Tuesday through Saturday.

• Here is the bracket for the NCAA Women's Softball World Series tournament.

• The Junior League of Arlington folded after more than 50 years of service. 

Significant stat: A Wall Street Journal analysis of Polymarket and Kalshi shows prediction markets are heavily tilted toward the pros. Just 0.1% of Polymarket accounts (roughly 1,600 of the 1.6 million analyzed) took home 67% of all profits since November 2022, netting nearly $500 million. The winners are algorithm-driven traders — often teams of professionals — paying big bucks for premium data feeds and firing off tens of thousands of trades a day using software.

Announcements:

• University of North Texas System: Hires Lynda Oliver as Executive Director of Brand & Strategic Communications, supporting UNT, UNT Health Fort Worth, and UNT Dallas. 

• Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo: Hires Maggie Shori as Commercial Exhibits and Special Events Assistant. 

• Agency Habitat: Vice President Lindsay Lee Hendon announces she is leaving after 15 years. 

• Arlington: Names Jillian Cloud Deputy City Secretary.

• Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains: Names Jamie Williams Chief Executive Officer. She brings more than 20 years of experience across the non-profit and public health sectors, with a strong focus on strategy, revenue growth and community impact. 

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County: Loreana Chavez announces she is stepping away from her role of Director of Talent Acquisition to navigate motherhood. 

• Texas Center for Arts + Academics: Hires Liesl Gray Manone as Executive Director of Development and Marketing beginning June 1.

• Dallas Opera: Hires David Lorelei as General Director/CEO. He spent the past five years with the Santa Fe Opera.

• Project Transformation National: Selects Dr. Jasmine Collier as its President and CEO, effective June 1.

• Spark Biomedical: Hires Anja Kramer as CEO. 

• Arizona Western College: Hires Dr. Shadi Kilani as the entrepreneurial college’s Executive Vice President. Most recently, he was the division Dean of health, business and industry, and interim VP for Academic Affairs at Tarrant County College.

• UTA Student Affairs: Honors Lolin Martins-Crane with its Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the Director of the Career Development Center, which was selected as Department of the Year. 

• Rutter & Associates: CPA Donna Rutter announces new firm name and new location at Entrepreneur Park beginning June 1.

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