🏈Cowboys, Packers tie, 40-40, after overtime; Judge ruling hurts AA in Chicago; $11B Sikorsky contract lifts Lockheed.

A federal judge has sided with United Airlines and the city of Chicago in their dispute with American Airlines over gate allocations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. American had sued the Chicago Department of Aviation, asking for an injunction to block the city's plan to allocate five more gates to United and take away four of American's gates, effective in October. 

Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky division landed its largest contract for the CH-53K King Stallion helicopters—a nearly $11 billion, multi-year deal to deliver up to 99 units for the Marine Corps. It gives Lockheed a huge runway of confirmed business stretching into the next decade. 

In the second highest tied score in NFL history, the Dallas Cowboys played more inspired in battling the Green Bay Packers, 40-40, through four quarters and overtime. Receiver George Pickens, playing without CeeDee Lamb, stepped up with eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Micah Parsons, returning to Cowboys Stadium for the first time since the recent trade, was credited with one sack. 

Governor Greg Abbott appointed Megan Deen, CFO of the Fort Worth Zoo, as the new President of the Trinity River Authority Board of Directors, a key agency overseeing water resource management across the state.

Naterra, a 102-year-old, family-owned company that creates personal care and baby care products such as Tree Hut and Baby Magic, opened its manufacturing facility in AllianceTexas. Naterra projects to eventually create 1,000 jobs with an investment of $120 million.

Fort Worth-based Bell Textron Inc. has been awarded a 5-year renewable option contract of $359,868,570 for H-1 aircraft modification support for the Marine Corps. The performance completion date is Sept. 28, 2030.

Texas aviator Russell Armstrong, once a devoted fixed-wing pilot, now honors Vietnam War veterans with his restored “Outlaw Huey.” By offering flights in the iconic Bell UH-1H, Armstrong brings history to life and gives veterans a powerful, emotional welcome home.

Fort Worth’s fiscal year 2026 budget includes $64.8 million for IT Solutions operations and $12.9 million for capital funding, a 13.5 percent increase over last year. This budget consolidates public safety communications and emergency preparedness into an Emergency Management and Communications Department. 

Texas Woman's University and Carroll ISD agreed to a memorandum of understanding that includes offering automatic admission to qualifying Carroll ISD graduates and providing dual-credit opportunities for its high school students.

Westlake-based ECI Software Solutions released AI Assist for MobileTech, a service call resolution solution for the office technology industry. Embedded directly in the MobileTech mobile app, AI Assist enables service organizations to resolve equipment issues, addressing key challenges such as declining first-time fix rates, rising labor costs and widening technician skills gaps.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents unanimously voted to authorize a settlement with former Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III. Details won't be announced until it is negotiated and signed.

Move over/slow down! Texas has enacted a law to enhance the safety of those working to protect our four-legged companions. Texas has extended its law to encompass Animal Services vehicles and officers. It mandates drivers decelerate to 20 miles per hour below the existing speed limit and, when feasible, to change lanes when passing Animal Services vehicles that are stopped on the roadside with lights activated or while officers are attending to duties on the road.

Wallet Hub is out with a ranking of cities for people with disabilities. Plano at 19 was the highest ranked in Texas, followed by Austin. Much farther back was Fort Worth, which did manage to finish ahead of Dallas. 

The Torlonia Collection, at the Kimbell Art Museum through Jan. 25, 2026, is the most important private collection of Roman marble sculptures in the world. It is comprised of more than six hundred works and a wide range of sculptural types and subjects. The Kimbell is one of three exhibition sites in North America and The Dallas Morning News offers an assessment. 

Believe it or not: For the first time in 22 years, Merriam-Webster is releasing a revised edition of its hard-copy Collegiate Dictionary. The edition adds more than 5,000 new words including “cold brew,” “dad bod,” and “side-eye”.

 Snippets:

• After nearly 30 years, "icon" Rebecca Low has sold her Camp Bowie Boulevard gallery and will retire Nov. 1. 

• Colleyville approves four economic development plans, including gift cards, grants and paid advertising. 

• If Six Flags were a REIT, as an investor suggests, would the stock be FUN for everyone? 

• Fire Swarm 2 in Fort Worth demonstrated the future of autonomous wildfire response during which manned and unmanned aircraft can work together to fight fires.

Daily digit: 75 million = number off tracks that Spotify removed from its library that it characterized as “spammy,” a reaction to the generative AI-produced music that has flooded streaming platforms.

Significant stat: 41.1% = SharkNinja’s market share in vacuums, up from 28% in 2020. The home appliance company has racked up serious market share in a number of home staples. SharkNinja has a 28.7% market share in air cleaners since its launch in 2020, a 34.9% market share in blenders and a 20.9% market share in fryers, skillets and woks.

Announcements: 

• The Cliburn: Elects Michelle Marlow as Chair of the Board of Directors.

• Cantey Hanger: Attorney Harry Bartel, 83, passes away after 59 years with the firm. 

• Cassco Management Company: Hires Andrew Pirtle as Director of Tax & Accounting.

• International Downtown Association: Honors Fort Worth’s T&P Passage Project with the Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence.

• Independent Bankers Association of Texas: Elects Brad Giddens, Director of Sales for the Financial Institutions Division at Integris, as Chairman of the IBAT Associate Member Advisory Council.

• North Texas Commission: Elects Jackson Walker partner William H. Hornberger to its Executive Committee.

• Larry Wilson: Long-time adjunct professor launches consulting company.

• Modern Healthcare: Honors James L. West Center for Dementia Care with Innovation Award for AI-driven strategy.

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