🎁Goosehead owners make $101M gift; Texas wins $286M from Purdue settlement; $100M starting salary for AI at Meta.

Texas House Bill 1481 was signed into law, banning K-12 usage of cell phones, tablets, smart watches and other forms of personal communications devices in schools with the goal of improving students’ mental health.

A small donation in memory of a friend evolved into a $101-million donation to Montana State University from the owners of Goosehead Insurance in Fort Worth. Mark and Robyn Jones gave the money to construct new buildings for the nursing program and establish a nurse-midwife program for rural Montana.

Fort Worth approved an ambitious $1.7-billion, mixed-use, public-private development expected to transform the northeast corner of University Drive and White Settlement Road, once the site of the FWISD administration building. The project, led by FW Westside RE Investors, is to include nearly 900,000 square feet of Class AA office space, 238,000 square feet of retail, a 175-room, full-service hotel, and 1,785 multi-family residential units.

Tarleton State said the recent legislative session set aside $5 million in non-formula support for the proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine (applicant status — seeking accreditation). More than $17 million has been committed to Tarleton State to enhance rural healthcare across the state. The college -- 150 students -- could have its first class by 2028.

Fort Worth delays it's vote until Aug. 5 on cutting its DEI department, which could risk the city $277 million in federal funds. Establishing an alternative business opportunity program appears to be the new goal.

Online travel services are big business. Last year they netted $600 billion, and by the end of the decade, that number will be closer to $1 trillion annually. So, what happened when Southlake-based Sabre and others got together for a weekend hackathon?

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that 55 attorneys general, representing all eligible states and U.S. territories, agreed to a $7.4-billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, which "fueled an opioid epidemic that devastated Texas families and communities,”  Paxton said. Texas’ state and local governments will receive as much as $286.6 million from this settlement during the next 15 years.  

The PGA of America and American Airlines announced an expansive multi-year partnership establishing American as the Official Airline of the PGA of America and PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), as well as the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup USA through 2027. The deal includes several perks for AAdvantage members. 

Tariffs be damned: President Trump approved a 165-mile autonomous freight system to streamline U.S.-Mexico trade. Permits from Mexican government must be obtained.

Visa and MasterCard gained final approval of a $197.5-million settlement with consumers who accused the card companies of inflating fees at ATMs. The settlement will see Visa pay $104.6 million and Mastercard will pay $92.8 million. Attorneys will receive $49 million. 

Thirty employers headquartered in Texas made it onto U.S. News' 2025-2026 "Best Places to Work For" list. Several have locations in 817-land including Frost Bank, H-E-B and Men’s Warehouse. Food and beverage distributor Ben E. Keith was the only Tarrant County-based firm to be recognized. The distributor of Anheuser-Busch products was founded in 1906.

Real estate brokerage company Compass has sued Zillow over the home listing website’s recently introduced policy requiring homes to be posted on the platform within 24 hours of hitting the market or face a permanent ban.

Italian restaurant Buonissimo plans to open in late July at 150 Throckmorton St. #140, in the City Place Center development. Owner Ervin Cibaku has partnered with chef Ferdinand Plaku, who is co-owner at Acquario in Keller. The restaurant will feature authentic Italian dishes, with a special focus on cuisine from northern Italy.

Fort Worth councilman Michael Crain sued his former Northern Crain business partner Will Northern in a dispute about a Woodhaven land deal, according to Bob Francis of the Fort Worth Report.

Mill Creek Residential announced construction has begun at Modera Walsh Heights, a mid-rise community in the Walsh master-planned development in Fort Worth. Modera Walsh Heights will feature 296 apartments that are anticipated for spring 2026. It’s the second multi-family development by Mill Creek within Walsh.

Fort Worth-based Paragon Energy Solutions has entered into a strategic agreement with NuScale Power Corporation, a provider of proprietary advanced small modular reactor nuclear technology and the only provider with design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Paragon will supply its CoreVision Neutron Monitoring System technology and its Highly Integrated Protection System to NuScale. 

The Texas Supreme Court ruled the Southwest Airlines pilot union can sue over the Boeing 737 MAX crashes. 

Fort Worth awarded seven different contracts to four different organizations to help address homeless strategic initiatives. Read where the money is headed.

Gov. Greg Abbott called a special session, ordering state legislators to tackle six bills that he vetoed shortly before the deadline late Sunday. Among them is Senate Bill 3, which would have banned the sale of hemp products containing THC in Texas. Abbott said the 30-day special session will begin July 21; he can add items to the call list. 

Significant stat: The average annual cost of caring for a child reached $13,128 in 2024, up 29% since 2020. A married couple earning the median income in their state is spending 10% of its earnings on childcare, while a single parent is spending 35%. In 45 states (and D.C.), childcare for two kids costs more than a mortgage, and in 49 states (and D.C.) it costs more than rent.

The start of college football’s 2025 season is fewer than 70 days away, and Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassen has predicted where all 136 teams rank. Two Texas teams are in his Top 20. See the rankings here.

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Announcements:

• TCU College Advising Corps: Hires Danyatta Harrell as Director. 

• American Warrior Association: Hires former Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes as Chief of Strategic Advancement.

• Crowley ISD: Names Dr. Artis McKinley Assistant Principal within the Quinnite Schools Network.

• UT-Southwestern: Brad Phelan, Associate VP of Technology, Commercialization and Business Development, is leaving July 11. 

• Trademark Property Company: Hires Sarah Uren as Vice President-ancillary revenue.

• Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives: Selects HEB Chamber of Commerce’s Mary Frazior as Marvin Hurley Award winner for lifetime achievement. 

• LOGIX Fiber Networks: Promotes Tony Obas to Major Account Manager/Channel Sales Manager. 

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