✒️A&M President to resign over gender issue; FTC going after Live Nation ticketing; Six Flags Conquistador a sunken treasure.

Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III to step down after a week of turmoil over a viral classroom video. Calls for Welsh’s ousting intensified because of his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity discussions in a children’s literature class.

In the inaugural episode of the Fort Worth Innovates podcast, host Cameron Cushman interviews Mayor Mattie Parker about the importance of innovation, public-private partnerships, and the city's growth, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for entrepreneurs.

A federal jury ruled that American Airlines should pay $9.6 million for neglecting a passenger who suffered a mini stroke onboard a flight from Miami to Madrid in 2021. Jesus Plasencia suffered a stroke after takeoff, and according to his attorneys, the flight crew did not follow American’s policies and procedures when it failed to report his symptoms during flight.

The Federal Trade Commission and seven states sued Live Nation Entertainment and its Ticketmaster subsidiary for failing to stem the use of automated ticketing bots and large-scale resale operations. The suit claims the nation’s largest ticketing platform failed to enforce its purchase limits, which allowed resellers to buy up large numbers of passes for popular events.

The University of Texas at Arlington unveiled the Maverick Autonomous Vehicle Research Center, an outdoor netted drone facility to aid testing and development of autonomous technology. It is located at UTARI, the university's research institute in Fort Worth. The 120-by-150-foot structure is 40-feet high and is equipped with 26 motion-capture cameras, wireless internet and nighttime lighting. 

“TCU and Mystic have shaped and formed me into who I am today,” Caroline Cutrona said. “I have to trust that God kept me here for a reason.” Caroline earned her Master's in Education in the spring and was working as a counselor at Camp Mystic in Kerrville before her plans to travel abroad in the fall. This is her story about the places that shape us and the experiences that change us.

Westlake-based Schwab is adding 16 branches and expanding or relocating 25 existing locations to increase capacity and optimize real estate. With the build out, Schwab plans to hire for more than 400 branch-related roles.

The Conquistador, a swinging boat ride at Six Flags Over Texas, is going away after more than 40 years. The ride is in an area of the park under construction for a new ”dive coaster” to debut next year. “After exploring multiple options, we have decided that the Conquistador has officially sailed its last voyage.” said a Facebook post.

Hiley Automotive Group expanded its north Texas footprint with the purchase of Lakeside Chevrolet off I-30 in Rockwall. The store will be re-named Hiley Chevrolet and continue operating at 2005 South Goliad Street. Hiley, led by the founder's sons, Jason and Matt, has 14 dealerships across Texas and Alabama.

The National Institutes of Health awarded TCU’s Institute of Behavioral Research a $7.2-million grant for work with ‘deflection’ strategies that support local law enforcement and first responders as well as help people with unmet substance use needs. 

Tarleton State University math Professor Dr. Bryant Wyatt has received a $464,502 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the underlying causes of atrial fibrillation. Irregular heart rhythms, called atrial arrhythmias, often lead to stroke, heart failure and sometimes heart attacks. The most common type — atrial fibrillation — increases a person’s risk of stroke by about five times.

Salad and Go is going, going, almost gone: The one-of-a-kind salad chain that churned out low-priced salads in a drive-thru-only format, has plans to close 41 restaurants.

Those cemetery plots the city of Arlington wanted to sell? It is closer to fruition as 1,158 have been declared abandoned and could be sold as early as next month. The city contracted with Wade Funeral Home to manage day-to-day operations.

With all due respect, the real winner of Friday night's high school football game between Euless Trinity and the host Southlake Dragons might not be on the field. Grapevine-based Avondale Dealerships is sponsoring an event night with a chance for one lucky fan to win a Mercedes-Benz GLA 250, valued at up to $50,000. What are you doing Friday night? 

Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences scored an add-on Series C raise that values it at $10.32 billion. The company announced eggs are being laid in Texas to advance the "de-extinction" of the dodo bird — with a little help from the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closest living relative.

Fort Worth secured $6.2 billion in investments and 4,000 jobs in 2023, marking its strongest economic development year in more than a decade.

Fort Worth-based Neon Cyber is ready to market what it calls the first Workforce Cybersecurity Platform, which is designed to protect employees inside browsers with access to SaaS apps and enterprise systems. Earlier this year, Neon closed a seed round led by Austin-based Silverton Partners. Co-founder and CEO is Cody Pierce.

Tandy Leather Factory, which announced its headquarters move to Benbrook in February, is moving its Fort Worth store from SE Loop 820 to the Artisan Circle development in the West 7th district. 

Fore! Meadowbrook Golf Course in east Fort Worth is re-opening Oct. 3 after extensive renovations. 

Significant stat: $3.28 million = what seven gold coins that traveled aboard NASA’s space shuttle Columbia in 1999 sold for at auction. The orbited Earth for nearly two million miles.

Daily digit: 10% = share of the world’s adult population that used ChatGPT as of July. A study found that 73% of searches were non-work related, up from 53% last year. 

Announcements: 

• North Texas Commission: Awards Mike Berry, President of Hillwood, its Dan Petty Regional Visionary Award, the highest honor recognizing transformational leadership in the region.

• Mooring Disaster Restoration + Commercial Construction: Promotes CFO Kristin Whitley Smith to President. 

• Cattlemen’s Steakhouse: Hires Executive Chef Theodore Tom from Wynn Las Vegas.

• Kelly Hart: Adds associate attorneys Sarah Anderson, Destiny Morgan, Seth Paulger and Emily "Taylor" Terry.

• Valor: Hires Honor Goss as Accounting Manager.

• Stifel Financial: Hires Donna Campbell, Senior Vice President/Investments, and Meredith Campbell, Financial Advisor Associate,

• Texas A&M University School of Law Alumni Board of Directors: Adds Kelly Hart attorney Chris Ponder. 

• United Way of Metropolitan Dallas: Hires Marco Johnson as Senior Manager, Innovation Accelerator.

• StraCon: Adds Program Analysts Rachael Randolph and Shannon Aspinall, Computer Programmers Jiahao Yuan and Sebastian Reconco, Research Psychologist Rebecca Iden, Financial Analyst Jennifer Allshouse and Configuration Management Analyst Daria Butler.

• Payscale: Promotes Jessica McBride to Manager of Marketing Communications.

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