🔥Sellers burned by high hemp fees; Mortgage rates fall; $59M groom gets 7-year probation.

Businesses up in smoke? Texas state health officials have proposed raising licensing fees up to 13,000% for some hemp businesses. Industry members and advocates say raising annual fees for retailers from $150 to $20,000 and for manufacturers from $250 to $25,000 would shutter businesses. Supporters of the change say it’s necessary to strengthen oversight on an industry that they say has grown out of control.

Mortgage rates dropped by 22 basis points Friday to the lowest level in nearly three years as President Trump ordered the buying of $200 billion in mortgage bonds.

Finland is home to the world's most expensive fighter jet, Lockheed Martin's F-35A Lightning II. It costs about $82.5 million per jet; the engine alone is approximately $20.4 million. Lifetime cost is estimated at $2 trillion. This model is designed to combine the capabilities of several fighter jets — all meant for specific tasks.

Foreign-trained doctors wanting to work in Texas no longer will have to repeat their residency in the U.S. Texas, which is facing a doctor shortage, joins 17 others states in waiving the second residency requirement under a law designed to bring more doctors more quickly into Texas cities and towns.

The groom in the $59-million Paris wedding who was facing a possible 99 years in prison pleads guilty and is given seven years of probation.

If it hasn't already, Saks Global Enterprises is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to Bloomberg. SGE  -- owner of Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman -- does not have a restructuring plan, but expects one will come together in the next few weeks, sources told Bloomberg.

Vickery Energy Partners, located at 550 Bailey in Fort Worth, closed on the acquisition of Tribune Resources. The transaction includes assets located primarily in West Virginia, spanning a total of approximately 38,000 net acres with more than 200 million cubic feet equivalent per day of net production. Vickery is led by former executives of Tug Hill — Sean Willis as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Daniel Rowe as Chief Financial Officer.

How much do college football transfers earn in the NIL and revenue-sharing era? The going annual rate for top football players in the portal, according to Sam Khan Jr. at The Athletic: Quarterback: $1M-4M; Offensive tackle: $600K-1.3M; Wide receiver: $500K-1M.

Transwestern Real Estate brokers Bill and Gavin F. Behr announced two sales. The first is repping the seller of the Atmos Energy building in Boyd, Tx., a 9,790-square-foot commercial property located at 142 N FM 730. The other was repping the buyer on the purchase of a 4,080-square-for office building at 4838 White Settlement Road in Fort Worth. 

The Maples opened in Fort Worth with programming that supports adolescent girls with complex clinical needs, including medical instability, co-occurring psychiatric conditions, trauma histories, or significant family system challenges. Additionally, the program offers treatments for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID and other specified feeding and eating disorders.

Hungry Howie’s, the Flavored Crust pizza franchise, has its first Fort Worth location, owned and operated by 27-year-old entrepreneur Jatinder “Jay” Dhaliwal. The store is within a newly built complex that includes a gas station and liquor store at 3301 East Berry, directly across from Renaissance Square off Highway 287.

The Las Vegas Trail Workforce Development Training Program, a partnership between Cook Children’s, JPS Health Network, Tarrant County College and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, has its first class of graduates. The initiative equips adults with the essential skills for the medical administrative field, ranging from medical office duties to patient- and family-centered care. 

Allegiant Travel said it is acquiring fellow leisure carrier Sun Country in a $1.5 billion cash and stock deal. The transaction has an implied value of  $18.89 per Sun Country share, so shareholders will receive 0.1557 shares of Allegiant common stock and $4.10 in cash.

The Stayton at Museum Way launched a science-backed, on-site wellness experience for residents through a collaboration with Cooper Wellness Strategies, part of the Cooper Aerobics organization. For residents, it means convenient access to a robust, resident-focused approach to active aging.

Snippets:

• Skater Maxim Naumov makes the 2026 U.S. Olympic Team one year after his parents were passengers on the plane-helicopter crash near D.C. 

• Area Development publication gives a shout-out to Fort Worth and extols the benefits of its Economic Development Partnership. 

• February is the month for love and commuters on select American Airlines flights will be enjoying barbecue from Pecan Lodge, one of the state's most-loved restaurants.

A Gallup poll reveals that most U.S. adults expect unemployment, taxes, prices, and general economic difficulties to worsen in the new year — though 55% believe that the stock market will rise.

Milestone moment: Jason's Deli is 50 this year, founded in 1976 by Joe Tortorice Jr. in Beaumont. Today, it has 114 Texas locations and 235 delis in 27 states.

November data shows that Texas had its largest labor force in history at 15,938,500. It reached a high for Texans working, including self-employed, at 15,264,700, and gained 146,300 jobs from November 2024 to November 2025, more than any other state.

Significant stat: 18.7 million = Average number of viewers/game during the 2025 NFL regular season, up 10% from last year and the second-highest total in history (behind 1989).

Daily digit: 191 = Number of F-35s that Lockheed Martin delivered in 2025, surpassing the previous delivery record of 142.

Announcements:

• Fort Worth Public Library Foundation: Promotes Madison Owen to Market Manager. 

• HVJ Associates: Adds Jodi Bird as Business Development Manager.

• Fort Worth Sister Cities International: Courtney Garvey, Director of Community Engagement, steps away to be full-time mother. 

• Marti Conner: Retires as President of Kids Matter and joins Prysm iO scanner as a brand affiliate.

• National Auto Body Council: Adds Tim Bates, Executive Vice President for Solution Works, to its Changing and Savings Lives Foundation Board. 

• Raymond James: Adds Hope Caldwell as branch professional.

• Texas Wesleyan: Adds Beth Lamb as Adjunct instructor.

• One Safe Place: Hires Veronica Gary for Fund Development and Community Engagement.

• Civitas Living Center: Adds co-Founder Misti Powell to its Board. 

• UWorld: Selects Benjamin Rookey as Product Marketing Manager.

• Gardant: Adds Lisa McNamara as Regional Director of Marketing and Sales.

• PressGaney: Awards a Pinnacle of Excellence Award to Cook Children’s Health Care System for in-patient experiences.

817 Biz is formatted for viewing on mobile devices. If this email doesn’t look right, click the link at top right. Some links may expire after initial posting or be paywall-protected.