⚡Lockheed: Supersonic without the boom; Texas license plates that were rejected

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NASA and Lockheed Martin unveiled their new experimental X-59 QueSST, a “quiet” supersonic jet capable of traveling at 1.4x the speed of sound without creating a sonic boom. The elongated beak-like nose section does not have a forward-facing window, which helps reduce the sonic boom. Featured instead is a camera and a cockpit-mounted screen that offers pilots an augmented-reality view of what's ahead. Benefits of supersonic flight include rapid medical response, shorter shipping times, and faster travel - at 925 mph.

Amazon Prime and Diamond Sports, Bally Sports’ parent company, have reached an agreement that would take Bally Sports out of bankruptcy. The Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars and Dallas Mavericks have TV deals with Bally and those games are expected to move to Amazon Prime. The agreement will bring the teams an unknown portion of the money from their previous rights deals with Bally. There had been much speculation that the bankruptcy has hindered the Rangers' seeking free agents. Amazon has not said how it will price these additions to its Prime membership rates.

Charles Schwab Corp.’s shares tumbled after it reported declines in profit, new assets and deposits as it navigated a tumultuous year of interest rate hikes that dented the firm’s balance sheet. “No one at Schwab is kidding themselves that everything is perfect right now,” Chief Executive Officer Walt Bettinger said. “Perhaps it was the most challenging in my time at Schwab — certainly the most challenging since the bursting of the internet bubble in 2000.

Fort Worth-based Escalante Golf has pulled out of the Kelly Ranch Golf Club development project in Aledo, citing an inability to “reach a mutually beneficial deal structure” with the developer, Ryan Voorhees. Escalante recently announced the $100-million project at the 2,400-acre master-planned community.

Fort Worth's TPG Inc. is spending $228 million to acquire a majority stake in risk management technology company Sayari Labs Inc., a D.C.-based company that helps corporations, financial institutions and government agencies identify risk factors for fraud and national security threats. Sayari's clients include the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

Once again, American Airlines flight attendants have requested permission to strike. They now enter a 30-day cooling-off period. 

Tarrant County's second-longest serving Mayor -- North Richland Hills Mayor Oscar Trevino -- will not seek re-election. Trevino joined the City Council in 1999 and won the vote for Mayor in 2022. Grapevine Mayor William D. Tate has been in office since 1973.

The United Football League (UFL), formed by the merger of the XFL and USFL, is locking in North Texas offices for team operations as the league-centralized training camp in Arlington approaches. The UFL has leased 19,768 square feet of space at 3301 Airport Freeway in Bedford to house operation centers for the San Antonio Brahmas and Michigan Panthers, who will practice nearby at Bedford's Pennington Field. The UFL is exploring office spaces within D-FW for other teams.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles rejected more than 3,000 personalized license plates in 2023. Here’s a few that didn’t make the cut:

Help wanted: If you can “shoot the 3” or “D-up,” the TCU women’s basketball team wants to know. Hit by a massive string of injuries, the team seeks walk-on additions immediately, open to full-time TCU students with high school basketball experience. The team won its first 14 games before the injury siege. It has lost four straight and forfeited its two games this week.

College-preparatory school Fort Worth County Day has broken ground on a $25-million, 32,720-square-foot Annie Richardson Bass Lower School. With completion planned for spring 2025, the school will serve 350 students in grades 1-4.

Are Fort Worth and Kansas City the next innovation hubs for healthcare? Modern Healthcare takes its stethoscope and offers a diagnosis.

Openings:

• Coco Shrimp, which started as a food truck in Fort Worth and now has three locations in Tarrant County, announced an expansion during 2024 to 1240 E. Belt Line Rd in Richardson.

• Sprouts Farmers Market plans to open four stores in D-FW this year. One of those stores is in northwest Fort Worth and under construction at 4525 W. Bailey Boswell Rd. It will open in late June, according to a state filing.

• Bahama Buck’s is opening a new location on January 23 at 852 E Highway 114 in Roanoke.

Wild cards:

• Iowa man's 20-foot-long shark sculpture made out of snow becomes a local tourist attraction.

• Business in the front, party in the back: The movie The Iron Claw is helping lead to a resurgence in the mullet hairstyle.

• Kangaroo playing air guitar tops Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards.

Transactions:

• Restoration Solutions leased 14K square feet of office/warehouse space in RiverPark Business Center at 15600 Trinity Blvd. in Fort Worth. 

• Greysteel arranged the sale of Kings Landing, a 64-unit multi-family property in Mansfield. The seller is 1300 Dallas; the buyer is Tri-City Equity Group.

• Zale Properties has arranged a construction loan for The Grove at La Frontera, a mixed-use housing community in Arlington. The property will include 336 mid-rise apartments, 60 bungalow-style, single-family rental units and 10K square feet of ground-floor retail.

• Lockheed Martin has leased 136,175 square feet of industrial space at 3101 NW Centre Drive in northwest Fort Worth, according to real estate firm Holt Lunsford Commercial. The site is 7 miles from where the company produces F-35 jets and will be used as a storage facility.

People on the move:

• SketchDeck: Hires Bryn Townsend as Head of Digital Services 

• Fort Worth Report: Chief Development Officer Trish Terrell Rodriguez resigns effective end of January

• UT-Arlington: Assistant Director of Media Relations Herb Booth announces retirement

• Fort Worth Botanic Garden: Hires Lauren Reeves as Education Coordinator/ Database Manager

• Kelly Hart: Adds Isabelle Hutchinson to its Labor & Employment practice group

• New Day Services: Promotes Diane Davis to VP-FOCUS + Programs

Board announcements:

• Fort Worth Chamber: Announces executive leadership - Charles Campbell, Hillwood, as Chair; Brian Newby, Cantey Hanger, as Vice Chair; Matt Whip, EY, as Secretary/Treasurer: and Rosa Navejar, Past Chair

• Greater Fort Worth Association of REALTORS: Elects Blake Barry, Williams Trew Real Estate, as 2024 Board President

• FW Report: Adds David Palmer of PNL and Paul Greenwell of Luther King Capital Management

• Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council: Board of Trustees for 2024 from Tarrant County are Natalie Wilkins, VP Operations, Cook Children’s Health Care System; Juan Fresquez, President, Methodist Mansfield Medical Center; Chris Richard, CEO, Kindred Hospital Tarrant County Arlington  

Last issue poll results: Will you try McDonald’s new Double Big Mac (4 patties) when it comes out later this month? (Yes-65%, No-22%, Unsure-13%)