🐾Panther Island, Exxon plans in view; Bush Center "all in" on sports history; Fidelity releases huge numbers.

Governor Greg Abbott's second special session convened Friday afternoon, without most of the protesting House Democrats. Abbott's office outlined the priorities of this session. The Democrats are expected to return to Texas in time for today's work sessions.

Fidelity Investments, which has a large campus in Westlake, reported that its administered assets soared to $16.4 trillion, putting more trillions between itself and Nos. 2, 3 and 4 – BlackRock ($12.5T), Vanguard and Westlake neighbor Schwab. The gain for the 12 months ended June 30 was $2.3 trillion or 16%. 

A Urban Land Institute advisory services team and the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber met in July to discuss potential displacement in the Historic Northside neighborhood with the development of Panther Island. Here is an analytical review of the conversations.

During July, downtown Dallas’ crime score was nine times higher than downtown Fort Worth’s, based on calculations of crimes tracked by both cities. In Dallas, there were six times more thefts, eight times more assaults and 33 times more drug violations.

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $4.23-billion modification to a U.S. Army contract for production of the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System. The total cumulative value of the contract is $13.26B.

Switzerland may cut its order of 36 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters after failing to push through a fixed-price deal with the U.S. government. Tariffs could drive up the cost by as much as $1.6 billion. 

ExxonMobil’s former 290-acre office campus in Irving, a 360,000-square-foot campus made of granite and glass, is still for sale. However, the Dallas Business Journal reported that owner Capital Commercial and a JLL leasing team are taking inquiries from prominent corporations. Exxon Mobil sold the property at 5959 Las Colinas Blvd. to Capital Commercial in a sale-leaseback deal, allowing Exxon to remain on-site temporarily while relocating to a campus in Spring, a suburb of Houston.

Believe it or not: A book has been returned to the San Antonio Public Library nearly 82 years after it was due. What were the late fees?

The George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas opens an exhibit Sept. 6 — Game Changer: United by Sports, presented by Garry Weber. He brings to life the power of sports in shaping our nation’s identity and inspiring change beyond the game through more than 50 artifacts and memorabilia – from gold medals to Jackie Robinson paraphernalia. It runs through Jan. 2027. 

Texas Tech's Masked Rider was involved in a rare riding incident during a campus event. The student rider, Rose Rosas, is expected to make a full recovery and remains in good spirits. Centennial Champion, the horse that carries the Masked Rider each game day, was secured without injury.

A cozy restaurant with great views sits inside the Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington and you can eat there without paying to enter the museum. See 1861 Cafe’s menu here.

The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Texas Health Resources Foundation for extensive renovations at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. The grant leads a $9.7-million project that escalates the level of care available for women engaged with the Breast Center and Women's Center. 

Taipei Taiwan airline STARLUX is partnering with American Airlines, using Phoenix as its gateway hub to connect with prominent U.S. cities American serves. Single-ticket booking and through-checked luggage is available for Dallas-Fort Worth, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami and many others. 

Leasing has begun for Meadowlark at Wildflower Ranch, a collection of 129 single-family rental homes within the 1,100-acre Wildflower Ranch master-planned community in Justin. Meadowlark offers three-bedroom homes ranging from 1,600 to 2,066 square feet, with rents starting at approximately $2,595.

D1 Training, which employs a sports-science backed training regimen, has opened in Alliance at 9308 Sage Meadow Trail. D1 is backed by high-profile athletes, including NBA star Chris Paul, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, and former NFL players Kylie Fitts and Jordan Gay. This franchise is is led by entrepreneur and competitive youth sports coach Colbey Ryan, a Fort Worth native.

Is Dallas wrangling for some Sheridan love? Southwestern Medical Foundation announced 11 new members to its board of trustees, including philanthropist and “Texan by choice” Nicole Sheridan, the former model and actress who is married to Taylor Sheridan.

Silver Lining Collision, performing auto body and collision repair since 1984, has opened full-service shops in Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston. The Fort Worth location is 8904 S. Freeway in 76140.

Months after a fatal April house fire, the death of Pro Rodeo hall of famer Roy Cooper has been ruled accidental.

Fort Worth-based The Best Place for Working Parents has debuted the Employee Survey, Solutions & ROI Assessment. The tool is designed to help businesses understand and address the impact of workforce child care challenges, and provides employers with actionable insights and tailored strategies to support working parents while driving measurable return on investment.

Trivia time: Why were tennis balls changed to (optic) yellow in 1972? Planet Earth presenter David Attenborough has the answer.

Daily digit: 11.3% = Decrease in tourists in Las Vegas in June compared to last year, or ~400,000 fewer visitors.

Significant stat: $1 billion = How much fraudsters allegedly stole from U.S. bank customers because of security flaws in the digital payment service Zelle. The big banks behind the service are now being sued in New York.

Announcements: 

• First Bank Texas: Hires Mark Drennan as Chief Lending Officer. 

• First Horizon Bank: Hires Gilbert Little as Private Banker.

• PNC: Hires Haley Morton as an Asset Management Analyst.

• Gateway Church: Commissions Daniel Floyd as Senior Pastor. 

• Workforce Solutions for North Central Texas: Adds Craig Driggers, Director of Manufacturing at L3Harris Technologies, as Vice Chair of the Board.

• North American Rail Solutions: Hires Wyatt Cox as General Counsel.

• Quorum Architects: Adds interior designer Lupe Vega.

• MarTech Breakthrough Awards: Selects Simpli-fi as Best Overall AdTech company.

• National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs: Re-elects Dr. Terri O'Neal as President. She is Assistant to the President at Tarrant County College-Northeast.

• Arkansas State University: Hires Dr. Amanda Dickerson as Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management. She previously worked at UT-Arlington and Tarleton State.

• Board Build: Adds Dan F. Barrios Jr. as Director of Development and Customer Experience.

• Startup Grind: Adds Najm Saqib as Co-Director.

• Grapevine Faith: Hires 12-year Major League Baseball player Jonathan Lucroy as a coach. 

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