🍎Kennedale going to 4-day school week; Forbes says FW tops in Texas for this; Baby's nickname is Glaze, not Sprinkles?

Kennedale ISD will switch to a Tuesday-Friday, four-day school week starting in spring 2026. The district is actively working to set up childcare options for Mondays. The school day will be 15 minutes longer to meet the minimum hourly requirement for Texas public schools.

Tarrant County College celebrated the decade-old Erma C. Johnson Hadley Northwest Center of Excellence for Aviation, Transportation and Logistics talent magnet by moving it to a 163,500-square-foot facility next to Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. The center offers training for high-demand, aerospace-focused professions.

An American Airlines passenger was due a $1,000 credit to an American Express card and got $100,000 instead. The passenger reported the error to the airline but had trouble getting AA to believe that the credit had been processed incorrectly. To blame was a currency conversion error when the ticket, which had been purchased outside the U.S., was refunded. Unfortunately, as part of the “fix,” American Express sent the customer a bill for $28 million. 

Better fix this or lose recruits! Revenue sharing with college athletes is on the horizon pending the approval of the U.S. House versus NCAA antitrust settlement, but current Texas law prevents public universities from engaging in direct payments to athletes. Texas House Bill 3220 aims to update the state’s name, image and likeness (NIL) law to conform with portions of the national settlement.

The groom in the viral-wild, $59-million wedding of locally connected Jacob LaGrone and Madeleine Brockway has a November court date that could end in jail for life. 

They’ve greauxn: Fort Worth-based J&M Hospitality — John & Meggie Schissler — has acquired three Chicken Salad Chick stores in Lafayette and the greater Baton Rouge area in Louisiana. It is the Schissler’s first expansion outside of north Texas. They have five CSC restaurants in Tarrant, one in Burleson and one in Midlothian. 

Arlington-based Forestar, a division of D.R. Horton and a large single-family community developer, has a deal with Streetleaf, a solar panel streetlight company. The agreement allows Forestar to streamline its process to incorporate solar-powered streetlights into its new communities. 

Fort Worth-based FGM-Fabral, a metal post-frame materials manufacturer, has launched Fabral Solar to supply premium steel racking for panel installation. John Cummings and Larkin Canington will lead the effort. 

The Benbrook Economic Development Corporation has broken ground on a restaurant park and partnered with MAD Concepts Group and Blue Plate Network to bring Jakes Burgers and Tacos & Avocados in as tenants. The site is the southwest corner of Benbrook Blvd. and Westpark Drive.

The Peppa Pig amusement park opened Saturday near NRH20 on Highway 26 in North Richland Hills. There's a lot of oinking going on in the treehouse, greenhouse, balloon ride and rollercoaster.

Southlake-based Sabre, a global travel technology company, reached a milestone moment, signing its 100th Network Planning & Optimization deal with Air India Express.

Amtrak's Request for Qualifications (RFQ) late last week suggests the Houston-to-Dallas, high-speed rail project is slowly moving forward. 

Fort Worth, at No. 5, leads three Texas cities in Forbes' top 10 for entrepreneurs. 

Who was Thomas Plaskett and why was his idea in 1982 so important to American Airlines' past, its COVID-19 bond sales and its plans for the future? 

Westlake-based Virbac has added four vaccines to its U.S. range of products for cattle. All four protect against key respiratory viruses, while two additionally offer bacterial protection against leptospirosis.

Green thumbers, Fort Worth has a mobile tool shed and you can use equipment for free. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with labor. 

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said higher education public schools would get less funding -- up to $400 million in one proposal -- if they don't “kick DEI out."

Believe it or not:  An Alabama woman gave birth in a Krispy Kreme parking lot when roads and businesses were closed during a record-breaking snowstorm. Krispy Kreme’s management offered the family free donuts for a year and hopes to host baby Dallas’ first birthday party. To top it off, the couple nicknamed its baby, “Glaze.”

Snippets:

• Arlington continues its Top 10 climb with the No. 4 listing in WalletHub's ranking of most diverse cities in the U.S.

• The Fort Worth Public Library presents its annual report and there is more than books to brag about. 

• Theresa Brillhart, a community volunteer, advocate and mentor passed away at 73.

• U.S. consumer confidence fell in February by the most since 2021.

Announcements:

• Tarrant County College-Northeast: Hires James Kumm, former UT-Arlington Military and Veteran Services Executive Director, as Vice President of Student Affairs. He starts next Monday.

• Westwood Contractors: Promotes Matt McBride to Director of Project Management.

• Keller: Names Corie A. Wood Human Resources Business Partner II.

• Keller Fire Department: Adds Charlie Skaggs as Deputy Chief. 

• Menalon Capital: Names Dean Tetirick President. 

• Riverside Co-Working: Adds Rhea Jackson as Co-Working Manager. 

• Range Resources Corporation:  Appoints Christian S. Kendall to its Board of Directors. He was Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Denbury before its acquisition by Exxon Mobil.

• Arts Fort Worth:  Heart of Gold winners are -- Gracey Tune, Lifetime Achievement; Kathleen Culebro, Trailblazer; Autobahn Fort Worth, Philanthropy; Megan Coca, Arts Administration; Ebony Johnson, Education; Ariel Davis & Laura Hunt, Working Artist/Performer/Writer; and Shavonne Davis, Advocate.

• Champion's Fight: Launched by founder/therapist Nick Young.

• YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth: Hires Osiris Estrada and Eddie Norgard as District Executive Directors. Estrada will lead the Northpark and Northwest YMCAs, and Norgard will oversee the Amon G. Carter, Jr. Downtown YMCA, the Ryan Family YMCA and the sports complex.

• Fort Worth Digital Diary: Launched by Courtney Dabney.

• National Defense Industrial Association: Selects GM Defense's Infantry Squad Vehicle for the 'Red Ball Express Award 2024' for advances in tactical vehicles. 

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