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  • đź’ĽSkywalker is back - Gary, not Luke; Rapper bullied, then lifted by Lil Wayne; AI gives voice to TCU faculty member.

đź’ĽSkywalker is back - Gary, not Luke; Rapper bullied, then lifted by Lil Wayne; AI gives voice to TCU faculty member.

Plus, more bite-size news about business in Tarrant County.

The Bass House auction of the artifacts owned by Sid and Anne Bass got off to a strong start with a Mark Rothko painting going for $37.8 million. Andy Warhol's Ballet Slippers (above), bought directly from Warhol, according to Christie's, will be auctioned Thursday. (Image courtesy Christie’s)

North Texas homebuilder Landsea Homes, a publicly traded company, has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Apollo Global Management and will be taken private. 

After a brief hiatus, Arlington-based Skywalker Property Partners is back to buying, acquiring the nearly 233K-square-foot The Crossings office building in north Dallas for its newest fund, The Leverage Strikes Back LLC. It was 94% leased at the time of purchase.

"That Mexican OT is Buckin Insane," PBR captioned its video of a Texas rapper being hit numerous times by a bull at Cowtown Coliseum. Sunday may have been a migraine kind of day, but Mexican OT is feeling' alright this week with his release of a duo with Lil Wayne.

Trammell Crow Company broke ground on the first phase of Passport Park West, a seven-building, 180-acre industrial park located at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Euless and Irving. The company is adding adjacent space to its Passport West property.

A fall from a ladder in 2021 caused a traumatic brain injury. Two years later, TCU Neeley School of Business faculty member Ed Riefensthal is talking with help from AI. 

In case you missed it: NFL fans will need access to 10 different TV networks or streaming services to watch the entire 2025 season.

The Citizen Support Group for the Fort Worth Police Mounted Patrol has donated $350,000 to the FWPD earmarked for constructing a covered horse walker arena, according to the department's social media posts.

Legend Conversion signed a lease for 4209 Longhorn Dr. in north Alvarado, relocating from the mid-cities to the Mansfield sub-market. Legend took 6,000 square feet for its van conversion business. Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services handled the lease.

UT Southwestern Medical Center broke ground on its previously announced $177-million Radiation Oncology campus that connects to its Moncrief Cancer Center off Magnolia Avenue. The 65,000-square-foot facility, which will include Fort Worth's first MRI-guided precision radiation treatment, is projected to open in 2028.

Channeling George Jetson: Klein Vision last week unveiled a prototype of the world’s first mass-produced flying automobile. The AirCar is expected to become available in Q1 of next year at a sky-high price of $800,000-$1 million.

Neal Shipley and Blades Brown have been voted into the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge as Champion’s Choices. Since 1947, a commitee of former champions has choosen two promising young professionals who never have been eligible for the invitational event. 

If you are interested in an experiential part of the Charles Schwab Challenge tournament week, this Saturday is the annual Youth Festival at Rockwood Park Golf Course at 1851 Jacksboro Hwy. It's free for the entire family from 10 am – 1 pm.  There are driving range and chipping/putting challenges, food, live music and giveaways. 

Notable and quotable: "I know there is talk about the Mavericks trading this pick, that’s NOT happening. They WILL be taking Cooper Flagg, I can assure you of that.”

—ESPN’s Tim MacMahon after the Mavs on Monday won the NBA draft lottery. The odds of the Mavs landing the first pick were 1.8%.

Commercial Realtors could see an uptick if President Donald Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” makes it into law. The bonus depreciation policy allows businesses to deduct asset costs in Year 1. That’s an immediate 100% tax write-off for things such as interior improvements to property, and the bill carves out extra benefits for manufacturing facilities.

Tariffs, what tariffs? The Consumer Price Index for April rose 0.2% versus 0.3% consensus and -0.1% the prior month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On an annual basis, CPI was 2.3%. This was the slowest annual rate since early 2021.

Snippets:

  • Frost Bank has opened a financial center at 3000 Golden Triangle in the Alliance area.

  • Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government filed a lawsuit against Google for re-naming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." President Donald Trump's executive order applied only to the U.S. portion of the gulf. 

“Don’t you remember? We were at Herb and Sally’s, and Herb said he knew how to create fusion at room temperature, using only gin and vermouth.”

Believe it or not: In the 24 hours after Pope Leo XIV—a Villanova grad and avid basketball fan—was elected, his alma mater had more bets to win the 2026 men’s March Madness tournament than all other teams combined.

Daily digit: Taking just one computer science class in high school boosts a person’s wages by 8%, regardless of career path or college attendance.

Announcements:

  • Women’s Business Council-Southwest: Hires Sarah White as Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships.

  • KAI 360 Construction Services: Hires Senior Project Manager Keith Traywick.

  • General Motors: Hires Sterling Anderson as EVP of Global Product and Chief Product Officer. Anderson co-founded autonomous trucking company Aurora.

  • Landsea Homes Corporation: Names Shallott Cecchini as Director of Marketing for Dallas-Fort Worth.

  • Exchange Club: Honors Billy and Rozanne Rosenthal as winners of its annual Golden Deeds Award.

  • Junior League of Fort Worth: Elects Shay Gibson President. She is a Vice President with Goodwill North Central Texas. 

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