💰Fort Worth betting on Cowgirls; All bets are off for lottery director; Bet you didn't expect this $60m auction.

Cintra, the owner and operator of the North Texas Express TEXpress tollway, reached a settlement with the family of a young mother who died when her vehicle was crushed by an 18-wheeler in a 130+ vehicle pileup on Interstate 35W during a February 2021 ice storm. Terms were not disclosed.

Bass House, the Fort Worth residence of Sid and Anne Bass, is a masterpiece of art. May 12, Christie's will auction off a collection of works for an estimated $60 million.

Ryan Cohen, the billionaire chief executive of GameStop, must face a lawsuit by the company once known as Bed Bath & Beyond that wants to recoup $47.2 million of Cohen’s profit from trading its stock before the home goods retailer went bankrupt. Cohen and his RC Ventures must defend against a claim that they bought and sold more than 10% of the Bed Bath stake within six months, making them liable as insiders to repay "short-swing" profits.

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame will receive up to $6.5 million from Fort Worth -- contingent on availability -- to complete its $19.7-million expansion project. The museum’s building is owned and leased by the city. The Cultural District museum is dedicated to honoring diverse women of the West.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department finalized the purchase of 1,100 acres in Lampasas and Burnet counties, completing the second phase of an acquisition to create a state park. The property is across the river from Colorado Bend State Park and includes 1.5 miles of Yancey Creek, limestone bluffs and several natural springs. Combined with the recent acquisition of 2,020 acres in Burnet County, the state park will comprise more than 3,000 acres.

The Charles Schwab Challenge and the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, to honor America's military forces, are gifting up to two complimentary general admission tickets and on-course hospitality to active and retired military members for the May 22-25 Colonial. U.S. active-duty, reserve and retired military members are eligible; the ticket includes admission into the private Patriots Outpost on No. 10 fairway for complimentary refreshments. Go to charlesschwabchallenge.com.

Headwall Investments, a real estate investment and development firm specializing in multi-tenant strip/convenience shopping centers, has acquired River District Plaza in Fort Worth. The 20k+ square feet at 133 Nursery Land includes Wingstop, No Place Like Home Furniture, and Rustic on the River. 

Westmount Realty Capital sold the 164-unit Forest Oaks multi-family property at 2408 Forest Oaks Lane in Arlington. Westmount owned the Forest Oaks for nine years and made extensive interior and exterior updates to reposition the property. The buyer was not disclosed. 

Bell Textron earned its first purchase agreement for the SUBARU Bell 412EPX in Europe for commercial operations. Austrian air carrier, Kitz-Air GmbH, will use the 412 for aerial work, transport flights and forestry operations.

MedStar filed a layoff notice for 589 employees, effective July 1, amid a change of emergency medical services from the EMS to Fort Worth. But most employees have jobs with the city. And those that don't are being encouraged by MedStar HR to review city job postings and if qualified, to apply.

Texas Lottery executive director resigns as lawmakers’ scrutiny mounts. The Texas Lottery Commission did not clarify why Ryan Mindell chose to resign, though lawmakers have discussed abolishing the lottery. 

Lockheed Martin received a contract modification worth $180 million from the Department of Defense to convert three F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft into flight science test platforms.  

Lockheed Martin reported first quarter net sales of $18 billion, up 4% from 2024. Net earnings for the quarter were $1.7 billion, or $7.28 per share, a 13% increase year over year. Total revenue for the quarter was $17.96 billion.

Fort Worth-based AZZ had full-year sales growth of 2.6%. Metal Coatings segment delivered sales of $665.1 million, and 30.9% EBITDA margin, and Precoat Metals delivered sales of $912.6 million and 19.6% EBITDA margin.

Charles Schwab is extending its long-standing partnership with National 4-H Council, which annually reaches nearly six million young people 8-18. The new grant enhances 4-H's national online platform and digital learning resource, with teacher and educator tools and materials and creates three activities that focus on entrepreneurship, with personal finance at the forefront.

The legacy of the late Scott Simmons, a renowned Southlake builder and founder of SCH Homes, will continue to shape the future of north Texas construction through a new scholarship fund at Tarrant County College.

Dr. Tausif Malik, founder of RiseBack — an affordable edtech platform — announced the registration and establishment of RiseBack’s Global Headquarters in Arlington. RiseBack offers IT certification programs starting at $250 and full university degrees (undergraduate and graduate) from $800 to $3,000.

The University of Texas at Arlington, with 23 patents granted in 2024, helped propel The University of Texas System to No. 3 among U.S. universities awarded utility patents. Only the University of California system and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology earned more.

Daily digit: 4. The number of Dow 1,000-point single-day drops since this month’s U.S. tariff “Liberation Day". There have been 11 such drops in history. 

Snippets:

• TCU announces its tenure and promotions for 2025. 

• Check out who is buying former GameStop stores and attempting to build "community."

• “Tiger King” star Joe Exotic marries fellow inmate while serving time in Fort Worth prison for murder-for-hire plot.

• Sellers of secondhand clothes expect tariffs to give their businesses a boost.

Announcements:

• Washington Legal Foundation: Adds Roger Nober, former EVP and chief legal officer at BNSF Railway, to the advisory board. 

• Cook Children’s: Selects Christy Rippin as a Visual Communication Specialist.

• Happy State Bank: Adds Richard Queen as loan officer.

• Transwestern: Names Lyndon Todd Vice President-Industrial Services.

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