👍🏻No merger, but BNSF & CSX to partner; Do UNT researchers have a first-ever? We 'own' Intel - would Cowboys be better?

💼Scheduling note: 817 Biz will not publish Friday, August 29 or Monday, September 1 in celebration of Labor Day.

Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway and CSX announced an intermodal partnership that will offer seamless domestic coast-to-coast service, plus a new service linking BNSF’s Kansas City terminal with CSX-served ports on the East Coast. Coincidentally, the move is three-plus weeks after Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern unveiled plans to merge into the first U.S. transcontinental railroad.

Significant stat: Since 1996, the value of the Dallas Cowboys has outgained the S&P 500 by more than double, increasing 47 times over to become the most valuable global franchise at $12.8 billion, according to Sportico’s latest analysis.

Researchers at the University of North Texas and Stanford Medicine say they have created the first mini hearts and livers with complete blood vessel networks. The stem cell–based breakthrough could make lab testing safer, reduce reliance on animal models, and advance heart disease research.

Gov. Greg Abbott is expanding the ongoing special session agenda to include three additional priorities. Most notably: punishments for lawmakers who break quorum by leaving the state. Abbott said the state cannot afford a repeat. Additionally, access to Ivermectin and water/aquifers are on the priority list. 

The Texas Senate approved, 18-11, the House's congressional map gerrymandered to maximize Republican representation, sending the plan to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature. The revamped districts map was a prime reason for the special session and positions the GOP to net up to five additional seats.

President Trump said the U.S ( that means us, too) has taken a 10% stake in Intel. Why not? We are using $11.1 billion that already has been given or awarded to Intel as grants. We, along with the U.S., owned banks during the crash 15 years ago. The President said the U.S. (us, again) will not seek direct representation on Intel's board and (we) pledged to vote with the current Board of Directors on matters requiring shareholder approval, "with limited exceptions," according to a joint release with Intel. (Editor’s note: We invested $11.1 billion in Intel. The Cowboys are worth $12.8B. Maybe the U.S. should have invested in the Cowboys?)

Why couldn't this be us? An Arizona shopper bought a $13 card pack from GameStop, which happened to include a Bitcoin bonanza. Amidst the collectible trading cards was 1 BTC card, sparking a crypto treasure hunt. Total value is $115k. 

Base Power expanded its home battery service and operations into north Texas with 10 employees, and opened an office and warehouse at 4055 Corporate Dr. in Grapevine. Zach Dell, CEO and co-founder of Base Power, is the son of tech magnate Michael Dell. Base will serve Dallas, Irving, North Richland Hills, Coppell, Arlington and Plano, in addition to its operations in Austin and Houston.

The I-30 widening project in Arlington -- from Cooper Street to the Dallas County line -- officially is part of Texas' $146-billion, 2026 Unified Transportation Plan.

The University of North Texas announced a $2.15-million gift from alumnus Vikas Sinha and his wife, Anuradha, to create the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science. In 2024, an initial $3-million donation established the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science, along with endowments for scholarships, professorships, research and special initiatives. 

A MESSAGE FROM ELEVATE WINDOWS AND DOORS:

Grand Prairie-based Elevate Windows and Doors is one of the top manufacturers of contemporary, energy-efficient windows and doors for the residential housing market. Elevate believes success lies in delivering well-designed products on time with exceptional service. Its new on-site glass tempering reduces lead times and improves quality. Read more here.

Click4Corp, a traditional digital marketing agency, has expanded into Fort Worth and opened at 1300 Summit Avenue, Suite #520, Its offerings include web design, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and social media management.

A nutty nightmare: Blue Bell has recalled certain half-gallon containers of Moo-llennium Crunch ice cream after they were accidentally packaged in Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough containers that did not list nuts.

You won't believe everything the TSA is bringing to airport screenings the next 12 months in advance of 20 million 2026 FIFA World Cup visitors.

“Nacho” average delivery: Restaurant chain Chipotle has partnered with autonomous delivery system Zipline, to offer a new service called Zipotle — to fly digital orders to guests’ locations. The service kicked off August 21 in Rowlett ahead of a broader service launch in the coming weeks.

Believe it or not: A Croatian free-diver just broke the world record for the longest-held breath by nearly five minutes, staying underwater for 29 minutes and 3 seconds. For context, that’s twice as long as a bottlenose dolphin can hold its breath. 

Daily digit: 31 years = Approximate age of an embryo that developed into a baby boy, making it the oldest baby ever. The adoptive father was a toddler when the embryo was first donated.

Snippets:

• Water, infrastructure and funding are key issues on a busy Fort Worth council agenda Tuesday. 

• Ian Kinne, director of logistics and innovation at Hillwood, talks about the mobility zone and why Fort Worth is tops in U.S. for autonomous development.

• McDonald's believes prices are high and is asking franchisees to trim prices ... and it wants to help out. 

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Announcements: 

• Fort Worth Opera: Names Ryan Latham Director of Development. 

• KemperSports: Hires Jason Sands, former sports tourism lead for Visit Fort Worth.

• Northern District of Texas: District Judge Reed Charles O’Connor became the chief judge, the first Fort Worth-based judge to hold that position since 1972. 

• Kelly Hart: Adds attorney Will Baskin to its real estate practice area.

• The Reality Lab powered by CME Consulting: Launched by Christie and Kayla Eckler.

• Paceline Equity Partners: Names Carol DeBellis Finance Operations Manager.

• Star-Telegram: Names Jim Barnes Sports Editor. 

• International Economic Development Council: Honors Arlington Economic Development team with a Gold Award for its general purpose website and a bronze for the LiftFund Interest Buydown program in the Innovative Financing category. 

• Sabre: Hires Kerri Ressl as Director of Business Operations, and Learning & Development. 

• Dunaway: Hires Shannon C. Bearden as a Vice President and Associate Principal.

• Texas Trust: Promotes Robert Underwood to CIO. 

• Brite Divinity School: Awards Red Goldstein an honorary Doctor of Divinity, recognizing the 12 years he served on the school’s Board of Trustees.

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