🔑GM raises $2.33B by unloading European brands; Cheers on cheesy news; AA test nabs out-of-order boarders.

General Motors is getting rid of a perennial money drain — its European operations — gaining essential cash that it can use to reward shareholders and invest in future technology, including electric cars and ride-sharing. GM sold its European Opel and Vauxhall brands to French carmaker PSA Group for roughly $2.33 billion. It said more sales in unprofitable markets could be forthcoming.

The huge lithium deal last week was not the last investment General Motors is making in the minerals space for its electric vehicle needs. 

Ben Franklin's electric motor is making a comeback and FedEx Supply Chain in Fort Worth is among the testers in conveyors at their distribution center.

The Social Science Research Council has welcomed TCU to the College and University Fund for the Social Sciences. It’s an 86-campus consortium of research-intensive colleges and universities working together to advance innovation in delivering critically important public goods and services. 

ResiXperts, a residential services company looking to broaden its Texas presence, has acquired Fort Worth-based Hart HVAC and Electric, owned by David Hart.

G. Malcolm Louden passed away last week at 79, leaving a legacy of developing Walsh Ranch and supporting TCU. As president of Walsh Holdings (Howard and Mary Walsh) for decades, he helped manage their ranching property and philanthropy. A 1967 graduate of TCU, he was a long-time member on the university's board and was elected trustee emeritus in 2020. TCU's indoor/outdoor baseball practice facility is called the G. Malcolm Louden Player Development Center for TCU.

The Texas Longhorns, after issuing an apology earlier Sunday, were fined $250,000 by the Southeastern Conference for fans throwing trash onto the field after a controversial pass interference call during Saturday's 30-15 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. The loss dropped Texas from No. 1 to No. 5 in the poll. 

Last year was no fluke! The Texas A&M School of Law again ranks No. 1 in Texas with the highest July Bar Exam pass rate. Graduates taking the exam for the first time passed at a rate of 97.42% - the highest rate for the July exam in school history. Located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas A&M Law’s combined February and July Texas bar exam pass rate of 95.71% is the highest in Texas the last decade. 

American Airlines flight 2587 to Austin had a near-miss with a 1979 Cessna R182 that passed it with about 400 feet of vertical separation. The Boeing 737 had been alerted to the traffic, but lost it descending into fog. The pilot responded to a traffic collision avoidance system alert as the Cessna flew directly into its path, almost right below. The Cessna, registration N738PG, ultimately landed about 65 miles south in Gonzales, Texas.

American Airlines is testing technology that will assist gate agents in enforcing boarding order, according to View from the Wing.

American Airlines is offering status match to executive clients of other airlines. 

X (Twitter) is introducing new terms of service about lawsuits, the Austin-American Statesman reported. The new terms require any lawsuits against the company be filed in Texas courts, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, or Tarrant County state courts. X’s headquarters, in Bastrop, is in a different court district.

Westlake-based Core-Mark Operating Company President Jason Nevin was awarded the 2024 Mike Roach Leadership Award at the International Foodservice Distributors Association’s Solutions Conference. The award recognizes the outstanding participant from each annual class of the IFDA Executive Development Program.

Notes about votes:

• Early voting begins today and ends Friday Nov. 1. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Here is everything you need to know about elections in Tarrant County. 

• For the first time since 2009, voters will be casting their ballots at AT&T Stadium on Election Day. County Commissioners approved the re-opening of the Cowboys’ stadium for voting.

• 18,623,931 Texans are registered to vote between now and Nov. 5, according to Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson. That is 5% higher than in November 2022 when 17,672,143 Texans registered to vote. Tarrant County has 1,309,456, 158k fewer than Dallas. 

Monday mansion: What can you get for $10M+? A French Country Manor on a 63-acre estate called T4 Farms. Included are 4 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a wine room, a pool, a custom greenhouse, a raised bed garden, a chicken coop, and a guest apartment above the garage.

Former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson and 27-year-old YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul will fight Friday, Nov.15 at AT&T Stadium. Netflix is releasing a three-part documentary Thursday, Nov. 7. It also released a slick trailer for the upcoming fight with Ludacris as the narrator.

The parent company of Chuck E. Cheese filed for bankruptcy four years ago, and after a $350-million investment, it is back on its feet. A grown-up menu, interactive dance floors, and a new management team have re-invigorated the 47-year-old brand. A promotion last month offered unlimited monthly membership to Chuck E. Cheese for $7.99, and recently some 350,000 Summer Fun Passes were sold.

Cheesy agreement: The Texas Rangers Baseball Club and Ricos Products have a multi-year extension agreement that keeps the family-owned brand as the ‘Official Nacho Cheese of the Texas Rangers’.

Snippets:

• Elon Musk offers $1 million a day to entice swing state voters to sign petition.

• Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott announces engagement with help of 7-month-old daughter.

• Country music superstar Lainey Wilson to perform at the Dallas Cowboys' halftime show on Thanksgiving.

• His daughter was murdered. Then she reappeared as an AI chatbot. (WaPo)

Announcements:

• Amphibian Stage: Names Elizabeth Kensek Managing Director.

• White Settlement Police Department: Adds officers Max Holly and Brian Leal.

• Brighter Outlook: Selects Susan Karkoska Medina and Rosa Navejar as the Lillie M. Biggins and Roy Charles Brooks Trailblazer honorees. 

• Caterpillar: Adds Nazzic S. Keene, former CEO of Science Applications International Corp., to its Board, effective Nov. 1.

• Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association: Honors Fort Worth's Transportation & Public Works Department with its Gold Award.

• Avodah: Adds Jonathan Malex as Chief Technology Officer.

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