Rangers play ball at White House; Is there gold in parking lots? TechFW has "Space" hookup.

Ryan Cohen, CEO of Grapevine-based GameStop, and his company RC Ventures are being sued by the company that used to be known as Bed Bath & Beyond, which wants to recover more than $47 million they allegedly made from insider trading in 2022. Cohen, also the founder of the online pet food retailer Chewy, is alleged to have had insider information as a statutory director of BBBY stock during 2022. 

A Merrill Lynch team generating around $6.6 million in revenue joined Raymond James & Associates. The team is led by Melinda M. Johnston and managed almost $1.5 billion in client assets. The group includes advisor Kristin N. Stanley and support staff Nicholas Olivarri and Judy Frank.

Arlington-based Aperture, a Trinity Hunt Partners portfolio company, has acquired NOVUM Consulting Group, which has been engaged in more than 200 major intellectual property litigation and complex business litigation matters. It also advises clients in patent acquisitions/dispositions, licensing, valuation, and/or financing arrangements.

The University of Texas at Arlington has the go-ahead to purchase two land masses of approximately 51 acres near the intersection of I-30 and I-20 in the Walsh Ranch development in west Fort Worth. UTA West is expected to be completed in 2028-9. 

The U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) program has reached the engineering and manufacturing development phase. Bell can begin work on detailed aircraft design and construction of six prototypes as part of the $1.3 billion contract.

Parkway Corporation, a real estate developer, investor and operator, has acquired two parking lots in downtown Fort Worth. JLL Senior Managing Director Pat McDowell and Vice President Alex Hrapkiewicz represented all parties in the sale. The two contiguous surface lots -- 1011 & 1021 Taylor Street -- total 110 spaces and are close to the Fort Worth Convention Center. 

Fort Worth and joint venture construction manager AECOM Hunt-Byrne-EJ Smith will have a topping out ceremony tomorrow morning of Phase I (2026) of the Fort Worth Convention Center expansion. 

Energy Domain, the tech-enabled online marketplace based in Fort Worth, has closed a $5-million Series A funding round. The funds will be used to finalize development of Energy Domain Data, a soon-to-be-launched second platform.

PRIM Construction has broken ground on a new Ford dealership in Gordon, Texas, set to be completed April 2025. The 26,000-square foot dealership is owned by Matt Johnson's Holiday Auto Group.

The School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts at Texas A&M University will partner with Synapse Virtual Production to build four virtual production stages as part of its emerging Virtual Production Institute. The programs will be in College Station and Fort Worth.

Shops at Clearfork has announced new retailers:

• BOSS is next to Tiffany & Co., offering men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessories.

• French-themed specialty market and cafe Le Marché Bleu is next to JOY Macarons.

• Aroma360 is next to Luna Grill, offering customized fragrances.

Correction: 817 Biz didn't medal Monday when we identified skeet gold medalist Vincent Hancock as Hampton. Vincent wasn't derailed; he followed up with a silver medal in team skeet shooting.

TechFW is partnering with The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), a state-funded program for Texas-based small businesses to receive technical assistance and speed the transfer of space technology to the private sector. Tyler Harrist has been hired by TechFW to cover north Texas for SATOP.

Attorneys for former Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald and the legal team for Fort Worth reportedly have agreed to a mediated settlement on his wrongful termination lawsuit, according to multiple reports. The agreement still must be approved and voted on by City Council members. Fitzgerald's attorneys filed suit June 6, 2019.

Last week, Texas whupped Facebook in court and won a $1.4b judgment. Yesterday, it won a round against Google in a district court. Texas says Google had a search monopoly and anti-competitive business practices.

Mercy Clinic, which offers check-ups, sick visits, dental needs, prescription services, and preventative care for more than 1,000 uninsured women in 76110 and 76104, is expanding its services to 76115.

Paralegals licensed in family law, estate-planning and probate law, and consumer-debt law will be allowed to provide limited legal services to low-income Texans under new amendments proposed by the Texas Supreme Court. Also, licensed paralegals and court-access assistants sponsored by approved legal assistance organizations will be allowed to represent low-income clients in justice-of-the-peace courts.

Nothing to do with business: The 2024 World Dog Surfing Championships took place at California’s Pacifica State Beach last weekend. See the photos.

Significant stats: During 2023, the federal government collected $4.5 trillion in revenue and spent $6.2 trillion, running a deficit of around $1.7 trillion. More than 97% of revenue came from some form of tax: 49% individual income taxes, 37% payroll taxes, 9.4% corporate income taxes, and 1.7% sales and excise taxes. The government spent the most on Social Security (22%), national defense and veteran support (18%), transfers to states (18%), and Medicare (14%).  (USAFacts)

Announcements: 

• Brennan Investment Group: Names Zane Smith Vice-President for Dallas-Fort Worth region. 

• Calvetti Ferguson: Appoints Dee Walker as Business Development Officer.

• Modern Luxury: Hires Julie Blacklidge Kinzie as Director, Business Development.

• Texas Digestive Disease Consultants: Adds gastroenterologist Dr. Menalee Hapuarachchi.

• Charter Communications: Adds Kevin Allen as Vice President, Regional Field Operations.