💼Phase I to Phase II for Convention Center; College football: Who's going where; Groom in $59M wedding has court date.

Lockheed Aeronautics in Fort Worth has been awarded a $1.14B modification to a previously awarded, fixed-price incentive. This additional funding is to procure long lead materials, parts and components in support of 198 specified aircraft for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, F-35 cooperative program partners, and Foreign Military Sales customers.

The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Game Jan. 2 at Amon B. Carter Stadium will pit Rice (5-7) versus Texas State (6-6) at noon and will be broadcast by ESPN. TCU will match up with USC Dec. 30 at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. Texas will play Michigan in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Dec. 31. SMU faces Arizona in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego Jan. 2 and UNT plays San Diego State in the New Mexico Bowl Dec. 27 in Albuquerque. Here is the complete list of postseason games.

The 12-team College Football Playoff was announced and Indiana is the No. 1 seed after its conference championship victory over Ohio State. Big 12 champ Texas Tech is seeded 4th and has a first-round bye. Texas A&M and Oklahoma have first-round home games. Notre Dame, which lost its first two games, then won 10 straight, did not make the playoffs. See the playoff bracket here.

Argentina, England, The Netherlands and Japan are among the teams that will play first-round group matches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (renamed Dallas Stadium for the tournament) during the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. First game is June 14 between The Netherlands and Japan. 

This morning, Fort Worth will celebrate the completion of Phase 1 of the Fort Worth Convention Center expansion. Phase 1 was a $95-million project begun in 2023. Totaling 76,794 square feet, it includes upgraded food & beverage facilities, demolition of the annex, addition of a lightbox atrium southeast entrance and terrace, additional loading docks and realignment of Commerce Street to create a site pad for a future convention hotel. Plans for Phase II are due in February with construction scheduled to begin summer 2026. 

Tom Hicks, who owned the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars during extremely successful periods of the franchises, has died at 79. Hicks owned the Rangers from June 1998 to August 2010, winning the American League West his first two seasons. He hired Jon Daniels, Ron Washington and Nolan Ryan, the foundation of the 2010-11 World Series appearances. During his ownership of the Dallas Stars, the team won the NHL Stanley Cup in 1999.

The University of Texas at Arlington and D-FW International Airport are entering phase two of a multi-year partnership to improve stormwater management, environmental protection and long-term operational resilience at the airport. UTA’s Water Engineering Research Center received an additional $2.38 million to build on its previous work by shifting from assessment to solutions. D-FW has committed more than $4 million to UTA under the interlocal agreement.

The University of Texas at Arlington and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station opened a bio-manufacturing training and research hub at Pegasus Park in Dallas. The National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing satellite campus will provide training for students and industry partners, lab space, and support for biotech startups.

Information about "Trump Accounts" starting in 2026 have been released. Every child born would have $1,000 deposited in a U.S.-favored index account. The premise is that if it were left untouched until a person turned 60, it would have a value of about $500k toward retirement. However, it can be cashed out earlier. 

Why is Netflix offering $72 billion for Warner Bros. and HBO? It reasons that the combination could create more opportunity in Hollywood, turning Warner’s robust intellectual property into shows and movies that Warner couldn't afford to produce on its own. And it could widen HBO’s niche audience, giving it broader appeal and more funds to produce high-end content. President Trump said Sunday the deal “could be a problem”. CNN provides this analysis. 

It is official: The Sheraton Arlington Hotel off I-30 is closing February 15 at a cost of 110 jobs. The hotel is to be demolished and the 14 acres will include a $410-million, 500+room, Loews-branded hotel and convention center by 2028. Arlington had approved a public-private partnership in December 2023. 

Democrat Tarrant County Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons said she is running for county judge. Simmons, of Arlington, will face Lydia Bean in the spring and the winner will face Republican incumbent Tim O’Hare on the November ballot.

The Jeter Group, a multi-brand franchise team behind dozens of Wingstop and Crumbl locations, is betting big on drinks. The group has agreed to develop more than 120 Lola Beans drive-thru beverage shops across Texas, with a first wave of locations headed to Dallas–Fort Worth in 2026. 

The BNSF Railway Flight Operations Center in Fort Worth has been operational three months. It is the latest iteration of a drones testing program that is 10 years old. BNSF has about 30 drones that are set up to be piloted remotely. Network-wide, it maintains a fleet of about 200 drones that are operated by BNSF-employed pilots. RailPrime made a visit to Fort Worth for this report. 

Jacob LaGrone, the groom in the $59-million Paris wedding, faces up to 99 years in prison for firing a gun at police. His trial is set for January, though court documents obtained by news outlets show he previously was offered a plea deal of 25 years.

Cushman & Wakefield represented Brookfield in the sale of Lone Star Commerce Center at I-820 and SH-199. The logistics park is comprised of three shallow-bay industrial buildings totaling 380,020 square feet and is 100% leased. Jim Carpenter, Jud Clements, Robby Rieke, Emily Brandt and Trevor Berry represented the seller in the sale to Transwestern Investment Group.

Fort Worth-based TRP Infrastructure Services, which provides roadway pavement marking and traffic control solutions, acquired Highway Barricades & Services, a Corpus Christi-based pavement marking and traffic control firm. TRP is a portfolio company of Arlington Capital Partners, a Washington, D.C.-area PE firm focused on government-regulated industries.

The Parenting Center received an undisclosed dollar grant from the Texas Bar to fund expanded trauma-informed services that "reduce child abuse and neglect, strengthen family relationships and support justice-involved parents with tailored, impactful education."

Raccoon on the rocks: From the believe it or not department comes the story of a raccoon that broke into a Virginia liquor store over Thanksgiving weekend and was found unconscious in the bathroom. The boozy bandit’s beverage of choice was scotch.

Significant stat: $247.4 million = Number of iPhones Apple is projected to ship this year, a record, and surpassing its 2021 high.

Snippets:

• It is possible to buy status! American Airlines has introduced AAdvantage Pass, providing instant loyalty status and many other perks. The Pass is $5,000. 

• Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille has officially launched ShopPerrysWines.com, making its Perry’s Reserve wines available direct-to-consumer for the first time.

⚖️Notice to Tarrant County law firms: The January issue of our print publication will include a ranking of firms based on number of attorneys practicing in north Texas. Firms must have a minimum of five attorneys to be listed. The deadline to submit data is December 8; please contact [email protected] for details. There is no charge for the listing. 

Announcements: 

• Charles Schwab: Adds Cameron Roa as a Financial Consulting Partner. 

• Worthy Awards: Names the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of PRSA the Best in the Public Relations Society of America - Southwest District for 2025.

• Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County: Recognizes Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center as the region's 2025 Local Employer of Excellence.

• Goranson Bain Ausley: Promotes Cassidy Pearson and Clayton Bryant to Partner.

• Tarrant Area Food Bank: Names Nate Starner Director of Philanthropy. He had been Director of Community Engagement. 

• Recovery Resource Council: Adds Danny Stone as Grants Manager.

• OrangeNIL: Announces David Deering as co-Founder and Chief Business Officer.

• Simpli.fi: Hires Nicole Hardin as Associate Campaign Manager.

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