⚾Rangers set TV plans, launch company; Taxing IRS news for online sellers; Black Tie hangout in Granbury.

In addition to its deal with Victory+, the Texas Rangers launched Rangers Sports Network, which has TV agreements with DirecTV, UVerse and Spectrum. The Rangers also are planning a minimum 15-game, over-the-air package on CW 33. RSN will be part of Rangers Sports Media & Entertainment Company, which also will oversee REV Entertainment, a company focused on marketing, sports management, and event and production services. Rangers minority owner Neil Leibman is chairman of the newly formed company.

Ping-pong: The Trump administration paused federal grants and loans because of an across-the-board review of its spending, causing confusion and panic among organizations that rely on Washington for their financial lifeline. By afternoon, a federal judge in the District of Columbia blocked the order to freeze as much as $3 trillion pending a review.

Keller ISD may be looking for a Superintendent. The board agenda Thursday includes ‘voluntary separation agreement' with Superintendent Tracey Johnson because of its decision to consider splitting the district schools. 

Preparing for its IPO, FAT Brands will spin off Twin Hospitality Group (Twin Peaks and Smokey Bones Barbecue) at the close of the market today and will be listed on Nasdaq.

Ticket prices for Super Bowl LIX have sunk to a four-year low, reports James Dornbrook of the Kansas City Business Journal. The average ticket price for the Feb. 9 game between Kansas City and Philadelphia at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans is $7,233, according to TicketSmarter. That’s down from the record $12,121 for last year’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas. A ticket broker site called Gametime has a get-in-the-door price of $4,419 a ticket in the “nosebleed” area. Seat Geek has the highest at $641,200 for a ticket in a suite.

The Internal Revenue Service wants to know about your online side hustle. Anyone who earned more than $5,000 last year selling goods or services through an online platform, such as eBay or Etsy, can expect to receive a 1099-K tax form this month. Previously, the forms were only sent out to those earning $20,000 or more per year. This change is being phased in during the next three years. (WSJ)

Encore Oilfield Services, a provider of natural gas compression services, will break ground in February on its global headquarters near Fairview Road and Interstate 20. The move consolidates operations across Granbury to support its growing manufacturing capabilities and expanding workforce. Encore was founded in 2008 during the Barnett Shale natural gas boom. 

Black Tie Aviation is bringing its luxury hangars and jobs to Granbury Airport. The $60M project is projected to create 50 jobs within five years with an average salary of $72k. 

DeepSeek's announcement from China early Monday about its simplified, cost-effective AI platform set off a $969-billion crater of U.S. technology stocks' value in the S&P. By Tuesday, it was an $800B drop. 

An affiliate of Ad Populum, which works in the costume industry and sells pop culture merchandise, has agreed to buy the IP rights and wholesale business of Party City.

RSi Visuals, which makes visual products for flight simulators used to train pilots, has moved from Coppell to 99,100 square feet in the Genesis 121 development in Grapevine. The development was a joint venture between Bridge Logistics Properties and Clarion Partners.

Public Policy Holding Company has acquired Southlake-based PR company Trailrunner International for $33M. With offices in New York and Nashville, Trailrunner has more than 80 employees and is prominent with financial, legal PR, reputation management, sports and crisis capabilities. The deal includes Trailrunner Sports, a joint venture with Legends, the live events company.

M2G Ventures’ general partner equity fund, Grey Swan I, made its fourth investment since inception in 2023 with the acquisition of Northgate, a four-building 215,000-square-foot industrial complex at 10202 Miller Road in Garland. 

JPS Health Network birthed its TeamBirth maternity care program, designed to transform communication and collaboration during labor and delivery. TeamBirth is a proven, evidence-based model that empowers patients and their support teams to play an active role in decision-making throughout the birth process.

Texas A&M will drop undergraduate growth at the College Station campus to 15,000 students a year after having grown more than 30% in the past decade, more than double that of other Texas public universities.

Can the U.S. trust AI in nuclear command, control and communications? Self-driving cars get into accidents on highways, an environment for which there is abundant data to train algorithms, expert Paul Scharre said. “What is the training data set we have for nuclear war?”

Snippets:

• Texas athletics department topped $300 million in revenue and operating expenses in 2024. The profit was $6 million.

• The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ESG ruling in Spence v. American Airlines, Inc., has broader implications for ERISA plan fiduciaries. 

• Tarrant County College has received a $280,000 Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education grant for four healthcare programs.

• Insurers are increasing premiums or deciding not to cover Homeowners Associations (HOAs) because of extreme weather events and aging buildings.

Notable and quotable: "You either win or you learn. Win, lose, I always reflect on the things I could have done better."  —Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

Daily digit: Of those who got a year-end bonus, the average was $2,503, a 2% bump over the $2,447 paid out on average in December 2023, according to payroll and benefits platform Gusto Inc. The company analyzed data from 400,000 U.S. businesses.

Announcements:

• Profit, Inc.: Hires Madison Wanhanen as Associate. 

• Northern Trust: Adds Jeng Won as Sr. Specialist Regional marketer. 

• Camp Fire First Texas: Adds to its board -- Chris Butler, President and CEO of The Parenting Center; Schavion Graham, Tarleton State University; and Andrew Willard, Partner, Cobb, Martinez Woodward law firm.

• USA Basketball: Names TCU's Hailey Van Lith 3x3 basketball Player of the Year. 

• Grapevine-Colleyville ISD: Hires Ryan Smith as boys’ athletic coordinator and head football coach at Grapevine High School.

• TCU Football: Hires Tre Watson as safeties/nickels coach and passing game coordinator.

• Trammell Crow: Names Adam Nims Chief Investment Officer. 

• Texas Rangers: Promotes Jim Cochrane to Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer.

• Bourland Wall & Wenzel, P.C.: Adds attorney Mary Katherine Camp. 

• Trademark Property Company: Hires Marina Zuza as Vice President of Human Resources. 

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