☮️Will Iran-U.S. peace agreement close Friday? Lockheed FW gets $2.2-billion contract; Sorsby case headed back to court.

The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Sunday. Since its start, thousands of people were killed, including 13 American service members. The deal is expected to be completed Friday. 

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $2.293-billion contract to provide all initial setup services in support of establishing new operational sites — one-time setup of land-based and at-sea fleet support operations, including initial engineering and technical sustainment services — for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Air Systems for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign Military Sales customers, and F-35 Cooperative Program Partners. Eighty-five percent of the work will be performed in Fort Worth.

Dallas Federal Judge Ada Brown ordered mediation between Southlake-based Gateway Church and Church Mutual Insurance Company over a possible claim that could cause the insurer to pay up to $1 million for a defamation lawsuit tied to the church's founding pastor, Robert Morris. She also set a trial date for February 2028.

The NCAA is not giving up its pursuit of ineligibility for Texas Tech quarterback Brandon Sorsby, who has admitted to illegally gambling. It filed a notice of appeal with the court in Amarillo. One attorney listed as repping the NCAA is Fort Worth's Tom Williams, a Partner with Haynes and Boone. 

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross sits between Dallas and Fort Worth. His city has three stadiums, rollercoasters, and managed a huge parade of enthusiastic Dutch fans Sunday. Ross talked with Politico on the eve of yesterday's 2-2 Netherlands-Japan tie in the FIFA World Cup game in Arlington.

Believe it or not: At $60 million annually, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the highest paid player in the NFL. Billionaires Africa has a breakdown as to how he has turned it into an approximate $200-million personal valuation.

Gov. Greg Abbott told delegates to the Republican Party of Texas convention that “only Republicans will vote in Republican primaries” going forward. The declaration comes after Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced she will step down next month and nearly a year after her office became embroiled in a legal battle with the Republican Party of Texas over the issue.

Members of the Transportation Communications Workers Union/IAM at BNSF Railway’s Fort Worth headquarters ratified a five-year agreement. It covers 37 members and includes raises totaling 17.5% during the life of the contract (18.8% compounded), with retroactive pay to July 1, 2025. It also includes accelerated earning of vacation time and preserves health-care benefits.

C&O Assembly has acquired the manufacturing operations and assets of ATRON Group, according to Bob Potysman, the President and Founding Member of C&O. ATRON is a contract manufacturer specializing in complex electro-mechanical assemblies, wire harnesses and precision sheet-metal fabrication. C&O focuses on engineering-driven manufacturing and pre-fabrication for the construction, critical power, data center and infrastructure markets.

Defense industry roundup:

• Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin company, Stratford, Connecticut, was awarded up to $525 million to provide specialized, non-recurring engineering, integration, and flight-test support for the development and modernization of the Y/CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter program. Fort Worth will have 4.79% of the work. 

• On the day Poland phased its first F-35A Joint Strike Fighters into its Air Force, the country’s defense minister announced the goal of buying two additional squadrons worth of jets. Each squadron includes 16 jets; that would double the initial order from 32 to 64 total. Kosiniak-Kamysz said the funding is in the classified Armed Forces Development Program, which covers defense priorities by 2039.

• Approximately 5,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 776 in Fort Worth, who build the F-35, voted Sunday to ratify a contract with Lockheed Martin. This group of IAM members delivered 142 aircraft, shattering the company's previous delivery. See the new deal here. 

• Bell Textron completed the assembly of two wing structures for the MV-75 Cheyenne, a milestone in the development of the next-generation aircraft. The tiltrotor wing is a key piece of structure for the MV-75. It provides the structural backbone of the aircraft with robust strength, optimized stiffness and enhanced survivability. 

Perimeter Access Security Solutions, a commercial perimeter security platform backed by Halle Capital, announced three acquisitions, including Haltom City-based Communication Concepts as it continues building a nationwide platform.

Construction started on a luxury master-planned community in Mansfield of hundreds of "executive" homes from Irving-based Realty Capital Management. The first phase of Westhill Park, a 600-home community at 1791 Newt Patterson Road across a 300-acre development, features a 100-acre park, fishing ponds and an extension of the Walnut Trail to be built by the city. Plans are for approximately 200 lots with homes priced between $650,000 to more than $1 million ready by next spring. 

Meta announced it will donate Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses to every blind veteran in the U.S. The gift will provide hands-free AI assistance to help veterans navigate daily life more independently. The smart glasses combine Ray-Ban design with built-in cameras, open-ear speakers, microphones and Meta AI.

With more online traffic and less in store, Grapvine-based GameStop is expected to eliminate its reward points benefits tied to its Pro Membership program, a feature customers employed to save money on future purchases. The rewards system was established to give members an incentive to buy physical games, collectibles and accessories.

The Department of Justice has approved Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, but the $110-billion deal could still face challenges from state attorney generals. Networks coming together would include CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports, TBS Sports, TNT, HBO Max, Paramount+ Showtime, truTV, Discovery, Food, OWN, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central and others. 

Arts Fort Worth will meet with Fort Worth staff today to discuss additional details about the project to turn what had been the future home of the downtown Fort Worth Library into a space for the arts organization. Glasstire offers a tour of the building and how it could be re-purposed for Arts Fort Worth. 

In Saturday's election results, Jason Shelton in Arlington and Jarrett Armstrong in Keller won city council races. Derek Weathers will be Cleburne's next Mayor. 

Republican Party of Texas Vice-Chair D’Rinda Randall will be the next chair of Texas’ majority party, after current Chairman Abraham George conceded the race to her. Randall ran with vice-chair candidate David Covey.

Good morning. Today on TODAY,  we mourn the death of our long-time friend and co-host, Gene Shalit. He passed away at 100. 

Snippets:

• Interesting new contract terms and buyout clauses for Texas A&M basketball coach Bucky McMillian, who took the Aggies to the 2026 NCAA tournament in his first season. 

• The Fort Worth Zoo is looking for a name for its baby giraffe. You can vote here for Kumi, Honey or Iris, and learn the meaning behind each candidate name.  

• A new speaker registration process for Fort Worth City Council meetings goes into effect June 23. Go here for details. 

Today in history:

• 1844: Charles Goodyear received a U.S. patent tied to vulcanized rubber, a key step in making rubber useful for tires, industrial goods and consumer products.

• 1911: Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. was incorporated in New York. The company was re-named International Business Machines, or IBM, in 1924.

• 2005: Batman Begins opened in U.S. theaters, launching Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and helping reset the superhero-film business.

Daily digit: 84% = D-FW public relations and communications professionals who report using AI tools for their work. Only 31% report having clear organizational guidelines in place. 

Significant stat: $1 billion = Fiscal year 2026 sales of Uncrustables PB&J sandwiches by JM Smucker.

Announcements:

• National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics: Awards The University of Texas, led by Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, its 5th Learfield Directors' Cup as the best athletic department in the nation. The considerations are the results of all of a school's men's and women's teams. 

• North Central Texas Council of Governments: Recognizes Marty Wieder, Arlington Economic Development Corporation Executive Director, with the William J. Pitstick Award.

• Unleashed Brands: Brings back James Franks as Chief Franchise Officer for the Bedford-based company's brands, including Urban Air Adventure Park, The Little Gym and Sylvan Learning.

• Sabre: Roshan Mendis announces exit after 29 years to join Insight Partners as an unidentified portfolio company CEO.

• Energage: Honors Bedford with two 2026 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Awards for Professional Development and Work-Life Flexibility. The awards are based on employee feedback. 

• Texas Capital: Promotes Lauren Cook to Vice President - Chief of Staff to Rob Holmes, Chairman, President & CEO. 

• Yum Brands: Tracy Skeans announces she is retiring as Chief People & Culture Officer, and COO later this year,

• Canyon Partners: Appoints Thomas Hansen as Partner and CFO, and lead in finance and operations.

• Trinity Park Conservancy: Names Brian Kilpatrick interim President and CEO.

• Go Capital: Hires Laura Albor as Business Development Manager, representing Hilton.

• Texas Rangers Baseball: Hires Sergio Silva as Venue Operations Manager.

• Kimley-Horn: Hires Kevin Nguyen as Environmental Science Analyst. 

• MAG Capital Partners: Names Daniel Castaneda Managing Director. 

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