🍎TEA: Win some, lose some; Transgender suit to continue; What? FW is not 10th largest?

Scheduling note: 817 Biz will be off Friday and will resume publishing Monday, July 6.

The Texas education board approved a required reading list to begin in 2030 for elementary school students that includes Bible passages. Critics argued the titles lack diversity and blur the separation of church and state enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Supporters say Judeo-Christian traditions were fundamental to the nation’s founding and that should be reflected in the public school curriculum. The education board made Texas the first state to mandate such changes, and court challenges are likely.

The Texas Education Agency must spend up to $8.4 million in taxpayer money to correct roughly 4,200 errors and re-print learning materials. The cost includes printing and shipping new materials, and disposing of the current batch. The corrections include hundreds of copyright violations, formatting errors and typos.

American Airlines has made it easier for all AAdvantage member passengers (not just elite) to get meal vouchers when their flights are delayed. Its updated system can trigger an entire flight’s vouchers at once, rather than one passenger at a time.

Did you know? Texas A&M's supercomputer VISION debuted on the Top 500 list at No. 66, the nation’s highest ranked academic supercomputer, positioning A&M as a global leader in things such AI research, advanced computing and national security innovation.

Fort Worth-based Sports Entertainment Gaming Global Corporation (SEGG) filed a civil action in Texas against White Diamond Research and Adam Gefvert seeking $20 million in damages for business disparagement. Its action is based upon a published report filed by White Diamond on June 10, 2026, which SEGG alleges contains false, misleading and disparaging statements. 

From our grouchy grammarian: Fort Worth is not the 10th largest city in the U.S. (Objectors sit down!) It is the 10th most populous city. The top four largest cities by square miles are in Alaska, led by Sitka, which at 2,800 is eight times larger than Fort Worth at 350. Jacksonville is the largest city in the contiguous U.S. at 747 square miles. 

The Texas Supreme Court ruled it’s not too late for a woman to sue a therapist who recommended she get a double mastectomy as part of her gender transition, which resulted in complications from a surgery to remove both her breasts. Lower courts ruled Susan Aldaco’s lawsuit was filed five months too late, but the high court justices ruled the pre-suit notice Aldaco sent to therapist Barbara Wood and other providers was a timely initiation of legal proceedings. 

Hanging at the Schoelkopf Gallery in New York is a sensual nude, created by American painter Ben Johnson in 1957. It was not a painting celebrated while displayed in Fort Worth nearly 70 years ago. 

A Fort Worth author's scathing debut novel dissecting entitled heirs of the city's oil tycoons and cattle barons — which was subsequently suppressed by the same wealthy society — is returning to the spotlight, 85 years after its initial publication. The Inheritors, by Philip Atlee, will be published by Texas Christian University's TCU Press September 15. Cultural Map has a preview. 

Luxury bedding brand Peacock Alley, founded in 1973 by Fort Worth resident Mary Ella Gabler Bitzer, has turned local art into luxury linens. The company partnered with Fort Worth artist Joey Lancaster on the Ella Collection, its first artist-inspired line. The collection is based on Lancaster’s floral mixed-media work and was sparked after Bitzer saw her art at restaurant 61 Osteria in downtown Fort Worth.

Fort Worth-based Corvel launched Marketwise Repricing, a medical bill repricing solution designed to help employers, insurers and third-party administrators reduce medical costs by applying market-based reimbursement methodologies within existing bill review programs.

Senator Ted Cruz's proposed "Protect Sports Act of 2026" faces strong criticism for its approach to college athletics. One article in Forbes argues the O'Bannon v. NCAA ruling, which allowed NIL compensation, was based on a false premise of athlete exploitation. In the essay, the writer says the true change post-O'Bannon was athlete free agency, not new compensation, and that Cruz's bill is viewed as dangerous government overreach.

LanCarte Commercial secured a second location for Nationwide Prestige Warehousing & 3PL Services within the Great Southwest industrial sub-market. LanCarte's Mark Boone, Mark Ready, Lottie McCown and Parker LanCarte represented the tenant's lease of a 9,660-square-foot industrial facility. Mitch Cantwell and Brian Gilchrist of CBRE represented landlord First Industrial. Nationwide specializes in FDA-registered warehousing services. 

Nepal decided to accept six Bell helicopters offered by the U.S. under a Foreign Military Financing grant despite the country's preference for heavy-lift helicopters capable of transporting construction materials and disaster relief supplies to remote areas. The six helicopters are in addition to two Bell helicopters that Washington had previously pledged. 

The restoration of Boys Ranch Lake aquatic life continues. Recent habitat improvements in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife mark another step in the long-term effort to re-build the Bedford lake's ecosystem and fish population.

Deborah Jung, the founder and leader of Kids Who Care for 35 years, has started KidPower Leadership and partnered with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History on KidPower Camp in July ($825). The camp will culminate with an Aug. 1 performance of District XI: Believe in Me in the Jane and John Justin Foundation Omni Theater. The production will combine live theater with advanced visual technology.

Sept. 14-16, Fort Worth is hosting the 2026 United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) National Conference. The theme is Unstoppable: Achieving Success and Powering America's Growth.

Line up early: Curly's Frozen Custard on Camp Bowie Blvd. (Fort Worth) ups its game with an annual tie-in to the July 4th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championships. This year, on our country's 250th birthday, Curly's will serve 250 free Nathan's hot dogs. 

Celebrate America’s 250th at the Bush Center in Dallas this Fourth of July weekend with free museum admission July 3–6.

Snippets: 

• A coalition of 17 states, including Texas, says a California law would raise prices and burden interstate commerce. 

• Arizona 9-year-old chooses Black card pack, then sells rare baseball card for nearly $75,000. Who is the rookie worth so much? 

• Texas' private school choice boom leaves behind many kids in public school.

• Jeff Bezos told President Trump this was his worst investment... and it's hardly a surprise.

Today in history (2007): Apple’s original iPhone went on sale in the U.S. It helped reshape the phone business, mobile computing, photography, advertising, retail and the way companies reach customers.

Daily digit: The average yearly insurance costs for Texas homeowners have surged 79% in six years, said Texas Department of Insurance officials during a Senate hearing.

Significant stat: $13.14 trillion = Westlake-based Charles Schwab's reported total client assets at the end of May.

Announcements:

• Duane Morris: Selects Taylor Fant as Marketing & Business Development Specialist.

• DRC Solutions: Promotes Adriana Garcia to Housing Program Manager.

• Paslay Group: Hires Ari Davis as Marketing and Proposal Manager.

• Worth Credit Union: Adds Katie Turner-Carr as SVP - Chief People Officer.

• TTI, Inc.: Promotes Dennis Teed to Regional VP-Central Region. 

• Bank of Texas: Hires Liza Alonso as Vice President-Treasury.

• Polished Living Co.: Launched by Jayla Patterson. 

• BOK Financial: Michael Merritt, a Senior Vice President, has left for a new opportunity. 

• Texas Democratic Party: Elects Kendall Scudder, the incumbent, to a full term as Chair of the party convention.

• Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers: City of Bedford Communications Division wins five awards, including three first place.

• Southwest Ambulance Sales & Medic Built: Hires Dayne Reed as President. 

• Paychex: Hires Jay Bedse as Channel Sales Associate.

• Nation's Best Sports: Hires Melissa Wacasey as Director of Human Resources. 

• TCU women's basketball: Ruthy Hebard, who served on Mark Campbell's inaugural TCU coaching staff, is returning to Fort Worth as an assistant coach.

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