🍽️9th Wonder of the World on the way; Guess who gets $10M-plus bonus; Waygu, burgers and Blue Bell, oh my.

Texas slipped two spots to No. 4 in CNBC’s 2026 ranking of the Top States for Business. We ranked first for our workforce, second for the economy and third in technology and innovation. Our biggest drag (believe it or not): quality of life, where Texas ranked 49th. Ohio took the overall top spot.

Big tech is targeting Native American land for data centers because tribal sovereignty lets projects bypass the 3-10 year permitting delays common on non-tribal land. Oklahoma is “ground zero” with 38 federally recognized tribes, and the Caddo Nation is already in talks with Colusa Indian Energy to power a data center by year-end.

A food technology company founded by entrepreneur Marc Lore will make Montgomery Plaza and Presidio Junction its first two forays into Texas. Wonder, with 100+ northeast U.S. locations, offers multiple chef-inspired restaurant brands in a single delivery-first kitchen, including burgers and barbecue to sushi, pizza, salads, steaks and desserts in one transaction. The 3,345-square-foot finish-out at Montgomery Plaza is a $950k project, according to permit filings. Presidio Junction is about 25 percent larger and is estimated at $1.2 million. Other Tarrant County locations in development are Southlake Marketplace and Champions Park Shopping Center (Arlington).

Southlake has two new distinctive food offerings. A licensing partnership between Wicked Cutz x Cinnabon brings sweet bakery inspired indulgence to the meat snack category, starting with a bacon jerky. The line will roll out nationwide in convenience stores, grocery, and other channels throughout 2026. And a premier Kansas wagyu producer has opened Booth Creek Wagyu Market in the Park Village Shopping Center at 1161 E. Southlake Blvd.

The Tampa Bay Rays, picking second in the Major League Baseball draft, selected shortstop Grady Emerson, an 18-year-old high school senior who played at Fort Worth Christian (Manager: Rusty Greer). The No. 2 pick in the 2026 draft is slotted for a recommended signing bonus of $10,507,000. That’s a bonus, not the salary. 

Medicare has launched a temporary program offering certain GLP-1 weight-loss drugs for a $50 monthly copay. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge is available to adults with Part D drug coverage and a prescription, and is based largely on body mass index and certain health conditions. Covered medications include Wegovy and Zepbound. See eligibility guidelines and qualifications here.

Streams and Valleys Plaza is open in Trinity Park. The project, led by the namesake non-profit, provides a community gathering location at the landing of the Phyllis Tilley Memorial Bridge. Features include new tables and chairs, a wildflower meadow, Trinity Trails connections, and landscaping, including 63 trees. ​Read more.

The news is: It's July and hot out there. The commercial is: It's National Ice Cream Month and Blue Bell's newest flavor is Chocolate Lava Cake, which is the creamy classic vanilla ice cream with decadent pieces of chocolate cake, chocolate sundae sauce and a swirl of dark chocolate fudge. Anyone know Sid Bass, who saved the company in 2015 and has a sizeable ownership position? 

What’s Up Fort Worth, an online entertainment calendar, celebrates its 8th Fort Worth Burger Week August 17-23. What’s Up Dallas will produce its inaugural Dallas Burger Week. Approximately 30 participating restaurants per city offer a specialty burger for $8. In addition, there are daily Burger Week giveaways through Facebook and Instagram, and one Grand Prize — a Backyard Hamburger Party for 30 people, courtesy of The Hamburger Man. Greg Heitzman is the founder of What’s Up Fort Worth and What’s Up Dallas.

Boxes at 5100 W. Sublett Rd. on the Arlington/Mansfield border is a little different retail space. It is about 30 modified shipping containers for micro businesses, hobbyists and local businesses. The developer is Ron Sturgeon, a Fort Worth resident who also owns the DFW Car and Toy Museum and has a Boxes in north Fort Worth. 

Amped Fitness, a brand built around immersive training destinations and signature locations, including The Babe Cave®, Aura Pilates, Lunar Escape Room, Strong Pods, Sweat Cinema and Azura Cove Wellness & Recovery, has opened in Bedford at 1805 State Highway 121. 

After weeks of speculation about his absence, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he had a fall last month that landed him in the hospital. Now in a rehab center, he said he “won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet” but has “been working closely” with legislative staff.

Today in history (July 13): Fort Worth singer-songwriter Leon Bridges is born in Atlanta. He was raised in Fort Worth, where he worked restaurant jobs and performed at open-mic nights before signing with Columbia Records. His 2018 song “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” won a Grammy for best traditional R&B performance, and “River” at 2x-Platinum is his best-selling song. 

Did you know? Prediction markets like Polymarket are emerging as key engines for pricing championship probabilities. As of July 9, data from Polymarket shows France leading all contenders with a 39% implied probability of winning the World Cup, followed by Argentina and Spain at 19% each, and England at 16%.

Snippets:

• Forbes gives TCU an A+ for financial status, one of 103 private colleges nationally. 

• Why is Wall Street suddenly bullish about American Airlines? Did the Federal Aviation Administration provide a mini jolt?

• Nearly 73,000 Texas families received the first stage of funding in their Texas Education Freedom Accounts beginning July 1. Here's an update on the program.

• The airport in West Palm Beach, Fla., has changed its name to President Donald J. Trump International Airport. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home is in nearby Palm Beach. A stretch of road from the airport to the estate was re-named Donald J. Trump Boulevard earlier this year.

In memory:

• Greg Hawthorne, a Fort Worth Poly and Baylor football player who was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ No. 1 pick in the 1979 NFL draft, died at 69. 

• Loretta "Ret" Stansberger of Colleyville has passed away at 79. She moved to Texas in 1983, built a successful advertising company, Business Expressions, and was extremely active in community affairs, including serving as President of the Colleyville Chamber of Commerce for 18 years.  

• Sen. Lindsey Graham, an ally of President Donald Trump who traveled the globe to advocate for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy, died after a "brief and sudden illness," from what was likely a tear in his aorta, his office said Sunday. He was 71.

Daily digit: 82 cents = Cost to mail a letter, after the U.S. Postal Service raised the price of a first-class Forever stamp from 78 cents Sunday. The 4-cent increase will apply to other mail services, including metered one-ounce letters (78 cents) and domestic postcards (65 cents).

Significant stat: Arlington is enjoying strong economic gains from hosting nine World Cup matches. The first eight games generated $18 to $24 million for the local economy and a record $31 million in hotel revenue in June, with officials planning to finalize figures after Tuesday’s semi-final match.

Announcements:

• Robert Half (Fort Worth): Hires Barak Seguin as Practice Director and Jacob Finn as Talent Manager. 

• JTaylor: Promotes Abigail Berlin to Senior Manager in Tax. 

• CJ Group: Hires Tony Miller as Tax Manager.

• Built by Bloc: Hires Brandi Beall as Director of Human Resources. 

• Texas Rangers: Hires Keira Mircle-Telford as Fan Engagement Coordinator.

• Venti: Adds Todd Podell, VP & Chief Sourcing Officer at BNSF Railway, to its Board. 

• American Ceramic Society: Honors Warda Ashraf at UT-Arlington with its Early Career Award-Cement. 

• 6 Stones: Hires Lori Krouskos as Chief Development Officer.

• xTexas Trail Association: Names Laura Wood Executive Director.

• Presbyterian Night Shelter: Hires Barbara Clark-Galupi as Chief Growth and Strategic Initiatives Officer, expands the role of Daryl R. Ďavis to Chief Workforce and Enterprise Officer (includes UpSpire) and adds Brenda Shuttlesworth as Chief Philanthropy Officer. 

• Camp Fire First Texas: Promotes Melanie Marshall to Vice President of Youth Development.

• Dynamic Development Strategies: Hires Jacob Wright as a Senior Associate. 

• Bright Side Builder: Hires Jennifer Oliver as Operations Specialist. 

817 Biz is formatted for viewing on mobile devices. Some links may expire after posting or be paywall-protected.