Go West, young man? Not on 20 or 30 tonight; SI coverage of TCU hoops 🏀 is eye-opening! Ex-Brit PM gets rude Texas awakening.

Eagle Venture Fund, located at 550 Bailey Ave. in Fort Worth, has closed the Eagle Freedom Fund at $18 million with Tim Tebow as an investor. Eagle says it is the first investment fund dedicated to investing in tech innovation to fight human trafficking. The fund has invested in 16 for-profit technology companies that prevent, detect, or respond to labor and sex trafficking incidents.

A Spanish family of five on an aerial sightseeing tour of New York City died along with their pilot when their single-engine Bell 206 helicopter crashed upside down into the Hudson River. Two adults, three children and the pilot died, four at the scene.

The breakout star from this year's NCAA women's tournament will be joining the WNBA next week. But first, TCU Horned Frog Hailey Van Lith dazzled as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model.

Data center development is booming in Fort Worth and throughout Texas, potentially over-taxing ERCOT. Legislation from the Senate could change the rules of how developers can acquire the power needed to build these facilities.

About the time Tuesday that CyrusOne broke ground on a data center in Fort Worth, the City Council agreed to provide tax incentives for ACS Group on a five-building data center near Saginaw. The deal reduces ACS Group's tax liability for 10 years. In exchange, the company promises to invest $2.1 billion in the property and employ 37 people.

Creation acquired a 38-acre site that will be developed into a three-building, Class-A industrial campus with adjacent ground-up retail at the corner of Loop 820 and Marine Creek Parkway. The project spans 451,032 square feet and is being developed in partnership with a real estate fund advised by Crow Holdings Capital. The first phase is expected to break ground this summer. Creation also is developing The Shops at MC820 on an adjoining six-acre site.

Sorry mate: Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was bitten by an ostrich at a wildlife park during his Texas trip with family. His wife breaks the news. 

Fort Worth's MTU Maintenance, which provides service solutions for aero engines, is expanding its maintenance, repair and overhaul services portfolio to include the CFM LEAP and GEnx engines. MTU's site will transition from an on-site service center into a full disassembly, assembly and test facility.

LIV Development has approval from Fort Worth for a 238-unit apartment complex and 55 build-for-rent houses across 17.23 acres on Championship Parkway. The plan calls for two- and three-bedroom houses. 

Conti Federal Services completed the renovation of Maintenance Hangar Building #1643 at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base. It's a milestone for the 301st Fighter Wing, as it transitions from the F16 Fighter Falcon to the F35A Lightning II model.

Southlake-based Sabre Corporation has an agreement with payment orchestration outfit CellPoint Digital that it expects will transform the airline payments landscape. The deal is for airlines using SabreSonic and Radixx. 

Restaurant report: The Rosebud Steakhouse (from Chicago-based Creative Hospitality Concepts) is now open in Southlake at 2102 E. State Hwy. 114, Suite 119. Hint: Try the bone in ribeye and truffle parmesan tater tots.

More than $2.1 million was allocated to six agencies by Fort Worth to Crime Control and Prevention District-based programs. The initiatives are expected to benefit Fort Worth residents by providing funding to local agencies that supply services to the community.

American Airlines is launching a pilot initiative for passengers arriving in the U.S. on an international flight. They no longer will claim their checked baggage in Customs and re-check their luggage before proceeding to their connecting flight. Instead, passengers will go to a TSA checkpoint and onto their connecting flight — no fussing with checked baggage required. 

All lanes of eastbound and westbound I-20 will be closed at 7 p.m. tonight from the I-20/I-30 split to Markum Ranch Road for bridge construction activities.  The interstate will be re-opened by 6 a.m tomorrow. Motorists will be detoured through a route using I-30 and I-820 West Loop. The detour map is linked here.

The field for the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is set with 30 pianists from 17 different countries and regions competing in Fort Worth May 21-June 7. The initial pool of applicants was 340 and 77 auditioned before a screening jury during March.

The University of Texas at Arlington and Girls Inc. of Tarrant County have partnered to empower college-ready youth in Tarrant County with opportunities to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in college and beyond. The collaboration will connect youth with UTA students and faculty to foster academic achievement and critical reasoning.

WeightWatchers is preparing to file for bankruptcy as part of a plan to hand control of the business to its creditors, the Wall Street Journal reported. Shares of the company tumbled more than 50% to 19 cents Thursday. The weight management firm has been struggling to stay relevant as highly effective GLP-1 weight-loss drugs soar in popularity.

The Association of Chief Executives for Sport (ACES) has chosen Fort Worth to host its annual conference March 2-4, 2026.  The Fort Worth Sports Commission helped secure the event, which is expected to include more than 100 Olympics and sports leaders. Approximately 50 National Governing Body CEOs will attend. 

The Q1 2025 housing report for Tarrant County showed double-digit increases versus Q1 2024 in active listings (25%), days on market (23%), and months of inventory (12%), while median prices edged up slightly (1.4%). The number of closed sales in the quarter declined 4.1%.

The Greater Fort Worth Association of REALTORS® announced its annual awards during the spring luncheon: Charles McMillan REALTOR® of the Year to Bart Calahan, Roots Real Estate; Marie and Dayton Sheridan REALTOR® Spirit Award to Eddie Forte, TD Realty; Affiliate of the Year to Sherry McKenzie, American Home Shield; A.L. Purvis Distinguished Service Award to Gaye Reed, Coldwell Banker; Charles D. Tandy Award for highest professional standards to Michael Karol, Compass Real Estate; and the inaugural Joan Trew TREPAC Legacy Award to honor long-time GFWAR member and business leader Joan Trew, who passed away in December. She is the first recipient of the award. In addition, NAR REALTOR® Emeritus status was extended to 40-year professional Robbie Renfro, Achievers Inc. Property Management.

Announcements:

• Visit Fort Worth: Hires Kimber Foster as Vice President of marketing and communications.

• Buxton: Promotes Peter Healey to SVP-Strategic Accounts. 

• Go Fish Digital: Adds Lauren Lyster as Senior Vice President of Social Media.

• Quorum Architects: Hires Jessica Perez for Interior Design.
  Northern District of Texas: Appoints Kelly Hart attorney Austin Franklin to Court Advisory Committee.

• Tarrant County Bar Association: Adds Heidi Angel of Jackson Walker to its Board for 2025-2026.

• Dynamic Development Strategies: Adds Dr. Katie Lazarowicz as grant writer.

• The Hotman Group: Hires Lora McCall as Business Development & Client Engagement Manager.

• Informa Markets: Promotes Jillian Taylor to Event Operations Associate Manager.

• Grapevine-Colleyville ISD: Hires Aleshia IIic as Principal for Glenhope Elementary School, effective July 1.

• Bravos Safety Systems: New name of Fort Worth-based company formerly called Truth Data Insights. It provides flight data monitoring and flight operations quality assurance analytics and technology.

• JPS Health Foundation: Introduces Jazmin, its Virtual Engagement Officer.

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