💐Mayor, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger dies at 83; 'Investor' jailed 9 years, fined $8M+; Big debuts for Spider-Man, Lioness 3.

Kay Granger, former Congresswoman, has died at 83. Granger, who rose from Fort Worth City Hall to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, represented Texas’ 12th Congressional District for 28 years. Across more than three decades in elected office, she became the first woman to serve as Fort Worth mayor, the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Texas and the first Republican woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee.

Fort Worth, Arlington and Haltom City challenged a non-profit housing finance corporation's acquisition of tax-exempt properties inside their municipal borders over lost tax revenue and won in lower court. But a Texas Court of Appeals ruled that lost tax revenue constitutes economic damage that can be recovered or quantified, meaning it does not qualify as the true "irreparable harm". The case was sent back to the lower court. 

Ryan Raybould, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said former attorney William Thomas Engle, 68, of Southlake, has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for defrauding small business owners out of more than $8 million by promising them assistance in obtaining loans. Engle also was ordered to pay $8,274,980 in restitution and forfeit a Jeep Wrangler and several pieces of jewelry.

No charges… yet, but the unraveling of the real estate empire of Southlake’s Tie Lasater and his brother, Shiloh, is uncovering financial and property mismanagement throughout Texas.  

The National Science Foundation has awarded Fort Worth-based Adom Industries $10 million to establish a Programmable Cloud Lab Node. Adom describes a Cloud Lab as: "Software fails in seconds. Hardware fails in months. We're making hardware fail as fast as software." It is building an AI-native cloud factory for prototyping and testing electronics remotely. The award follows Adom’s $10 million pre-seed round, bringing the company’s total funding to $20 million. It is located at 4400 Alliance Gateway Freeway. 

The Big Ten and SEC agreed to support Texas Senator Ted Cruz' bill that seeks to regulate college sports, ending a break-neck week of negotiations that saved what appeared to be certain defeat. Presidents from the schools voted to back the bill after receiving concessions regarding third-party, Name-Image-Likeness deals and the so-called "associated entities" that often broker the arrangements between players and schools. 

And just when you thought the NCAA was trending up, a federal court dealt a chaos-inducing blow to its new eligibility rule that declared all high school class of 2022 athletes (Covid) who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility in the spring are eligible for a fifth season in 2026-27. Judge Charlotte Sweeney's ruling, expected to be appealed, undercuts the NCAA's plan to have the so-called "five-for-five" rule go into play starting with athletes who enroll in college in fall 2027.

American Airlines now requires tickets to be purchased at least seven days before departure to qualify for a full refund if the booking is canceled within 24 hours of purchase. It previously had been two days. The change aligns with policies from JetBlue, Southwest and United, but is stricter than Delta’s.

American Airlines is extending its suspension of flights to Tel Aviv and Qatar through March 28, 2027.  It is the only one of the top three carriers (Delta and United) that will not fly there starting in September. American is the only one not to fly to Tel Aviv at all since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Gaza. It will renew a daily flight from New York to Israel in January. 

General Motors expects to replace Google’s Gemini AI in its vehicles with a proprietary system that is more directed and integrated for its vehicles and its owners. According to CNBC, the GM AI assistant is expected to have greater telematics information that combines conversational AI with GM vehicle information and OnStar intelligence.

Taylor Sheridan, Fort Worth writer, director and executive producer of multiple hit TV series and films, takes a rare acting role in his Lioness, which premiered episode 1 of its third season yesterday. He is reprising the role of Cody Spears, a CIA operative who had a cameo appearance in season 2.

Fort Worth-based Creative Solutions in Healthcare, founded by Gary and Malisa Blake, has renewed its partnership with Quality Rehab Management for three years. Under the agreement, QRM provides therapy management, clinical expertise, operational support and reimbursement guidance. 

Jeffrey Yarbrough and Camille McDonald, who worked together to help open Teddy Wongs in the Near Southside, announced they would open La Pistola Kitchen + Saloon in September in the former Taco Heads spot on Montgomery across from Dickies Arena. They describe it as old-world Italian with the spirit of the American West. 

Yelp Elites — the platform’s most active and trusted reviewers — say two Tarrant restaurants are among the top 25 Mediterranean restaurants in the U.S. Olive Kebab and Gyro, at 4550 Basswood Blvd. in Fort Worth, is No. 12, and Truva Mediterranean Bar and Grill, at 1205 Church St. in Colleyville, is No. 25. 

Mansfield-based Master Meter, a subsidiary of an Israeli company that provides advanced water measurement technologies and smart water solutions, is expanding. The company agreed to an exclusive distribution partnership with ETNA Supply, which provides additional access to six Midwest states and parts of Michigan. 

Today in history: 1977 = Fort Worth-based Tandy Corp.’s Radio Shack unveiled the TRS-80 Model I, one of the first computers marketed to ordinary consumers rather than hobbyists. Priced at $599.95, it greatly exceeded expectations, generating 10,000 orders in its first month and helping make home computing a mass-market business.

EDENS has acquired Village at Camp Bowie, a 179,376-square-foot retail center at 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd. that is anchored by a Sprouts Farmers Market. JLL Capital Markets brokered the deal on behalf of the seller, Dunhill Partners.

The University of Texas at Arlington is asking for submissions of your best FIFA World Cup photos and videos for a special digital collection that will preserve the historic moments that occurred in the D-FW area.

Snippets:

• Holy, Batman!: A GameStop customer purchased a $4.99 used copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum on Xbox 360 and got quite a surprise. 

• Dick's House of Sport, a new concept from the sporting goods retailer, is open at The Parks Mall at Arlington.

• This is nuts! Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver taunts Buc-ee’s with ‘Buc-Off’ merch after the Texas chain sues numerous companies with animal mascots.

Significant stat: 6,376 = HOA-related foreclosure filings on U.S. properties in the first quarter of this year, up nearly 40% from two years ago. Money is getting tighter for homeowners associations, prompting many to take a harder line against residents who fall behind paying dues.

Daily digit: 45% = Renter households in Texas that are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent, per a report from the Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers.

Announcements:

• Parkhill: Adds Rachel Marker-Tate as Client Advocate/Associate.

• American Airlines: Hires Rebekah Terry as a Senior Product Designer. 

• Kauffman Foundation: Honors Texas Women’s University Center for Women Entrepreneurs as its West Region FastTrac Rising Star Award winner.

• Lewisville: City hires Leila Peeples as Director of Human Resources. Previously, she worked with MedStar and Fort Worth.

• UT-Arlington: Hires Caleb Westfall as assistant baseball coach.

• CBS 11 News: Traffic anchor and reporter Lauren Crawford is leaving the station

• Capital One: Promotes Stewart Clancy to Vice President - Global Corporate Compliance Audit.

• Bryant Grain: Hires Karen Hale as Director of Human Resources & Office Administration. 

• Tekmetric: Adds Raymond Ferguson as Payments Sales Manager.

• Truist Bank: VP-Wealth Private Bank Advisor A.J. Hinojosa announces he is leaving.

• GoVision: Jake Terrell, Implementation & Project Manager announces he is leaving. 

• Formation Real Estate: Adds Derek Scott as an Associate. 

• CI Search Group: Adds Jadyn Johnson as Executive Recruiting Consultant. 

• AirPower Foundation: Selects Chuck Wright, Commissioner of the Texas Veterans Commission, for its inaugural Patriot Award. 

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