✅Bell delivers first of two prototypes; First Cash, Schwab hit high notes; $62-million+ Cooper Flagg era begins.

The Army accepted the first of two virtual prototypes for the replacement of the Blackhawk, which that will be assembled in Amarillo. Bell Textron will deliver the second virtual prototype of the MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft later this month to the Aviation Center of Excellence.

General Motors initiated a recall for 62,468 vehicles because of a potential defect in the brake pressure sensor assembly, which could lead to fluid leakage and potentially causing an electrical short. The recall affects certain Chevrolet Silverado models from 2019 to 2024.

Daily digit: $28 million = Sponsorship money that Cooper Flagg, who was picked #1 by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft, reportedly made as a college athlete last year at Duke. His first-year salary will be $13.8 million and he is expected to total $62 million his first four years, before endorsements.

UT-Arlington announced it has paused hiring and frozen salaries because of an expected decline in enrollment and funding.

The University of Texas at Arlington’s Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is a flagship school in an athletic conference to start in 2026-27. The United Athletic Conference (UAC) also will include Abilene Christian University and Tarleton State University from Texas, and the University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, Austin Peay State University, University of North Alabama and the University of West Georgia.

Walmart is closing a fulfillment center in north Fort Worth that handles online orders for its Sam’s Club. It confirmed the closure to Reuters but said it cannot determine how many jobs might be affected until employees make decisions about relocation opportunities. Operations will be transferred to a high-tech fulfillment center in Lancaster, and three other Dallas-area facilities.

MTU Maintenance Fort Worth signed a 30-year lease to expand its North American footprint at Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. MTU will invest $120 million to modernize and upgrade its 43,000-square-meter facility to offer maintenance, repair and overhaul services. The expansion is expected to bring 1,200 jobs and up to 2,000 indirect jobs in services, logistics and infrastructure.

Embraer opened its commercial maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) facility at Perot Field Alliance Airport in partnership with Fort Worth and the state. Embraer begins operations in an existing hangar, while building a second hangar that is scheduled for completion in 2027.

Fort Worth counts, too: Texas A&M is the No. 2 most recognized public university in the U.S. and No. 8 globally in the 2025–26 Global University Visibility Rankings by American Caldwell. A&M was No. 6 last year in the U.S.

Fort Worth-based First Cash Financial reached its all-time high price Thursday, $137.63 with a market capitalization over $6 billion. The six-month return is 27.20% with 8.57% dividend growth the past year. Charles Schwab stock also reached a 52-week high, hitting $90.61.

To address a mental health professional staffing shortage, Texas is creating a cheaper licensing exam for psychologists than the test offered by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards. Several mental health providers testified to the Texas board last year that they had spent thousands of dollars trying to pass the current exam.

Cerris Builders completed 121 Commerce Center, a 262,000-square-foot warehouse facility at 1800 SH 121 in Grapevine. Developed by GTIS Partners, the site will serve distribution, logistics and warehousing needs.

The Fort Worth Local Development Corporation extended the city’s two Main Street districts – Historic Northside and Polytechnic -- for two years. The pilot program launched in 2022 in partnership with Main Street America and is focused on building capacity for place-based community organizations and building community vitality.

'Yellowstone' director Taylor Sheridan has leased nearly 450,000 square feet of production space from Hillwood for as many as eight sound stages planned in two buildings at AllianceTexas.

Evergy is seeking more than $22.2 million in damages from Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway for what the utility claims is the railroad’s refusal to deliver enough Powder River Basin coal to power plants in Missouri and Kansas in 2022.

North American Rail Solutions, through its subsidiary Fort Worth-based American Track, acquired Rapid Track, which provides rail maintenance and construction services for industrial and short-line customers in the southeast U.S.

Competing with a few cities, Fort Worth has approved tax breaks to lure Wistron Corp, a Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer that would open two Fort Worth facilities to support Nvidia's artificial intelligence effort to build supercomputers. The company indicated it would invest $80 million for facilities and $411 million for equipment. Council members were told Wistron’s investment of $687 million would create 888 jobs.

Holy Grounds, a Christian coffee shop with faith-based items for sale, is closing in July after 20 years on Main Street in Grapevine. Snuffer's, known for burgers, fries and its brunch menu, closed this week in Colleyville after 10 years.

Grapevine-based GameStop has $2.7 billion in Bitcoin buying power after underwriters exercised their option to buy another $450 million of the company's convertible debt offering.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas awarded a total of $2 million to 84 community-based organizations across Texas that are focused on improving healthcare access and addressing social factors that impact Texans’ health. Tarrant County awardees were Fort Worth Area Habitat for Humanity and Community Healthcare of Texas. 

States can block the country’s biggest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid money for health services such as contraception and cancer screenings, the Supreme Court ruled. 

Snippets:

• A team of surgeons in Houston performed the first fully robotic heart transplant in the U.S.

• Federal student loan borrowers are missing payments at the highest rate on record, according to data from TransUnion.

• Bill Moyers, a Presidential aide and Public TV newscaster and host, has passed away at 91.

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Announcements:

• Fort Worth: District 2 councilmember Carlos Flores has been elected Mayor Pro Tem.

• Kelly Hart: Adds attorney Madelyn Corley to its Corporate & Securities group.

• Real Broker: Adds Realtor Carmen Hunt.

• JPS Health Network: Hires Amanda Hicks as Program Manager Post Acute Care. 

• Operio Group: Appoints Declan McLaughlin Chief Executive Officer. Former CEO Alastair Sanderson assumes the roles of Chief Business Development Officer and Chief Marketing Officer.

• Goodwill Industries International: Selects Ryan Osborn, Retail Operations Manager at Goodwill North Central Texas, its 2025 Achiever of the Year.

• Texas Wesleyan University: Adds Beth Lamb to Alumni Board of Directors.

• Lincoln Property Co.: Hires for its corporate advisory and solutions group — Will Burchfield as Business Development Director,  Madison Davis as Business Development Strategist, Joe Hartmann as Senior Business Development Manager and Andrew Dixon as Business Development Manager.

• XETX Business Solutions: Names Tom Martin Business Solutions Specialist.

• Passed: John Rangel, who during the ‘70s became the first Hispanic mayor of Tarrant County in Lakeside, dies at 97.

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