📢Wesleyan facilities: opens Moritz, launches Devlin; Court says Tarrant district maps are OK; Lockheed invests $50M in Saildrone.

Dr. Phil has lost control of his Merit Street Media company located in AllianceTexas. A bankruptcy case involved allegations that he plundered the company to set up a new venture. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott Everett turned down a bid to keep the case in Chapter 11, which would’ve allowed Dr. Phil to steer the bankruptcy. It will proceed as a Chapter 7 liquidation. 

A federal appeals court upheld Tarrant County's 2025 re-districting map, dismissing claims it violated the Voting Rights Act and the 14th and 15th Amendments, and discriminated against Black and Latino voters. The court found that the plaintiffs did not show that the Commissioners Court acted with race as a motivating factor.

The X-59 quiet supersonic jet, built for NASA by Lockheed Martin, successfully completed its first test flight in California, paving the way for faster commercial air travel. The aircraft is designed to travel faster than the speed of sound, while reducing the sound produced when an object breaks the sound barrier to a gentle thump.

Lockheed Martin will invest $50 million in Saildrone, a California-based developer of unmanned surface vehicles. The companies will collaborate to equip Saildrone’s USVs with Lockheed Martin’s defense payloads, including the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile Quad Launcher system. 

The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo announced the winners of its Vine to Wine International Wine Competition. The Grand Champion award went to Fairwinds Estate True Colors Reserve Malbec, Mt. Veeder, 2021. The Reserve Champion was Champagne Pommery Brut Royal from France. 

The Fort Worth Stockyards' second gateway (welcome arch) will open with a ribbon cutting Wednesday November 12.

Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, established in 2023, has reached several milestones, President and CEO Robert Allen said during the 2025 Annual Meeting. "Since the EDP was founded, Fort Worth has attracted 11,000 new jobs representing $9.7 billion in new capital investment."

Terry Montesi's Fort Worth-based Trademark Property Company secured approval for the development of Shivers Farm, a 40-acre, mixed-use development in Southlake. Plans call for a mix of restaurants, office space, a grocery store and 37 single-family residential lots in a subdivision called Willow Meadows.

Moritz Fieldhouse has opened at Texas Wesleyan University. The facility is designed to support multiple teams, including football, flag football, soccer, and track and field. John David Moritz, president of Moritz Dealerships, is the namesake benefactor.

Golf coach Kevin Long and Texas Wesleyan University are launching a capital campaign for The Devlin Center, a planned indoor golf facility and community center for east Fort Worth. Lead CBS Sports golf producer, Lance Barrow, a Colleyville native, hosted an all-Aussie panel of golfers that included Bruce Devlin, David Graham and Greg Chalmers for the launch meeting. 

Warren Buffett, who had announced he's handing over the CEO reins to Greg Abel at the end of the year, also is passing to Abel the writing responsibility for the company's widely read annual letter, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Texas State Parks Day is Sunday and entry to all 89 state parks is free. Fort Worth Report rounded up north Texas parks less than — or just upwards of — an hour’s drive from either Fort Worth or the Tarrant County area.

Believe it or not: British brothers who have been growing gargantuan gourds for more than 50 years finally set a world record when they harvested a pumpkin that tipped the scales at 2,819 pounds, 4 ounces. Twins Ian and Stuart Paton, 64, started growing super-sized squash in their early teens.

Fort Worth-based FirstCash Holdings, international operator of more than 3,300 retail pawn stores, announced record revenue and earning results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30. The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.42 per share and authorized a new $150-million share repurchase plan.

General contractor Adolfson & Peterson Construction has begun work on a Cook Children’s Primary Care Clinic in Arlington. The 6,734-square-foot clinic, located at 451 Highlander Blvd., will feature 15 exam rooms, lab and treatment areas, and a waiting room with a play area. The project, designed by E4H Architecture, is expected to be completed by January.

Field Commercial Real Estate launched to serve Southlake, Grapevine, Keller and the greater east Tarrant County market. The founder is Phillip Maxwell, a commercial real estate executive and former Global Director of Flexible Workspace.

Fort Worth-based CienOne, a provider of non-emergency, long-distance medical transport, has added dedicated bedside-to-bedside services. The offering is designed to improve the continuity of care for patients requiring long-distance transportation, particularly bariatric patients and seniors.

Mansfield approved a request from Blazing Hospitality for a zoning change for two drive-through eating establishments, one car wash and other general commercial uses on 3.65 acres at 1840 Cannon Dr. and a portion of 1850 Cannon Dr.

Sunday is the last chance for the unique ice cream at The Original Rainbow Cone in Hurst. The Chicago-based chain at 460 Grapevine Hwy. serves ice cream in colorful "slices," but is closing.

Significant stat: $5 trillion = market value reached Wednesday by artificial intelligence company Nvidia, a Wall Street milestone.

Snippets:

• Commercial trucking company Aurora Innovation has launched its second driverless route from Fort Worth to El Paso and announced expectations for 2026.

• The Federal Reserve lowered the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point to 3.75 to 4 percent. Here is its reasoning behind the difficult decision. 

• Prince Andrew has been stripped of his Royal title and home. The extraordinary moves cap his fall from grace over ties to the convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Announcements: 

• Whitley Penn: Adds Brandt Schaars as Managing Director in its Deal Advisory practice.

• Fort Worth: Names Allison McNamara General Manager of the Will Rogers Memorial Center. She had been interim GM the past 16 months. 

• Tarleton State University: Transitions University College to the College of General and Applied Studies and names  Dr. Rusty Freed as its inaugural Dean.

• Texas: Governor Greg Abbott announces and congratulates Arlington as a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community by Travel Texas.

• Tarrant To & Through (T3) Partnership: Awards JPMorganChase the inaugural T3 Champion Award for its commitment to workforce development and economic mobility extending beyond philanthropy.

• Center for Transforming Lives: Adds three board members — Dr. Joann Sanders, Melissa Harris and Trina Pecina — and selects Dr. Catherine Oliveros as Board President.

• WestWind Building Corporation: Names Rick Stanford Business Development Manager. 

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