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  • 🕰️Lockheed F-35 upgrades delayed; Crestline & its $17B in assets acquired; Re-issue of Beatles' Anthology planned.

🕰️Lockheed F-35 upgrades delayed; Crestline & its $17B in assets acquired; Re-issue of Beatles' Anthology planned.

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

The F-35 modernization effort is delayed at least another two years until 2031, and a total of at least five years from its original timeline, according to the Government Accounting Office. Lockheed Martin has the contract.

Fort Worth-based Crestline Partners, which has approximately $17 billion in assets under management, has agreed to be acquired by Rithm Capital, a global alternative asset manager. Together, they are $98 billion in asset management. Crestline, founded in 1997 by Doug Braxton, will keep its offices in Fort Worth, New York, Toronto, Tokyo and London. 

Coming this fall is a re-issue of The Beatles' Anthology project, a four-volume set available as eight CDs and 12 LPs. The Beatles broke up 55 years ago, yet Luminate, which began tracking sales in 1991, says the group has sold 74.1 million albums in the U.S., more than any musical figure or group during that period. Since 2021, The Beatles have racked up 11.9 million equivalent album units in the U.S., on par with active streaming-first artists, and more than any band.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April mandating English proficiency for commercial driver’s license holders. Texas' Department of Public Safety just got a strong reminder from Gov. Greg Abbott to enforce the fluency requirements.

Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation barring summer camps from having cabins in flood plains in response to floods in Kerrville that killed more than 130 people in July. Existing cabins in flood plains no longer can be used. New cabins in flood plains won’t be allowed.

The Texas Legislature finished its second special session without adopting a proposed age limit of 21 to buy or sell intoxicating hemp products. The inaction by lawmakers means Texans of any age can still legally buy hemp-derived cannabinoids.

How safe are our bridges? University of Texas-Arlington engineering professor Suyun Ham is using sensors to bridge the gap between guessing and diagnosing.

Southlake-based Sabre said its agreement with next-gen corporate booking platform Travelin.Ai opens a $1-trillion window for travel bookings capabilities.

After having been closed nearly two years, Ranchman's Ponder Steakhouse has been sold and will re-open, according to the Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy.

More Texas universities are turning to politicians to lead their systems, preferring political clout over academic credentials. The Texas Tribune takes a look.

A MESSAGE FROM BURT LADNER REAL ESTATE:

This meticulously maintained garden home at 5065 Pershing Ave is in a gated community just off Camp Bowie Blvd. An open-concept design features soaring ceilings in the main living areas. The primary suite and a flex room are on the main level, while the upstairs landing overlooks the living area and leads to an additional bedroom and bath. Offered at $575,000 by Laura Ladner and Suzanne Burt.

Fort Worth music will be showcasing the city at AMERICANAFEST in Nashville Wednesday through Friday. Fort Worth is the official Spotlight City Showcase, featuring local artists, a special guest and a recognition of Fort Worth's Delbert McClinton

Fort Worth singer-songwriter Leon Bridges gives back to his hometown with a charity show as part of the Auberge Resorts Collection Concert Series presented by Bilt, taking place at Bowie House hotel on Tuesday, October 7.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told President Donald Trump that the tech behemoth (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, Threads) plans to spend “something like at least $600B” through 2028 on data centers and other infrastructure in the U.S.

Bear market defined: From September 2020 to September 2025, shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop have increased 1,935%.

Notable and quoable: “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well. I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.”

—Jeff Bezos, founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon

Significant stat: $1.5B+ = The amount AI-company Anthropic PBC will pay to resolve an authors’ copyright lawsuit because it downloaded millions of pirated books (intellectual property).

Daily digit: 32% = Number of new hires that plan to quit soon; if their onboarding was poor, it jumps to 48%, according to this study.

Believe it or not: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary led an investor group that broke the record for spending on a single sports card: $12.932 million for a 1-of-1 Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant card.

Snippets:

  • He loves the ketchup at Whataburger. So Whataburger shows the love by surprising his transplanted Texas family in Indiana with a trip to Corpus Christi. 

  • American Airlines is launching a 3x-a-week international route -- Miami to Bimini (Bahamas) -- which is just 64 miles. 

  • Royal Jordanian plans to offer four flights a week between Amman and D-FW International Airport beginning May 2026.

  • Paramount has dropped the trailer for season two of Landman, which premieres Nov. 16. 

  • James Patterson's new initiative gives emerging authors up to $50,000 to finish their books.

The bittersweet meeting of perception and reality.

Announcements: 

  • Rattikin Title: William Jackson Rattikin Jr., 90, passed away.

  • TechFW: Promotes Caitlin McMinn to Executive Director.

  • Pham Harrison: Promotes attorney Spencer Mainka to Partner. 

  • Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association: Adds Kelly Hart attorney Kirsten McIntyre to its Board.

  • Aspen Wealth Management: Promotes Tony Fore to Director of Engagement.

  • True North Advisors: Adds Zak Kuhlman as Senior Director of Wealth Management.

  • Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber: Selects Realtor Juan Manuel Acosta as Hecho en Fort Worth Businessman of the Year and media CEO Silvana Rosero as Hecho en Fort Worth Businesswoman of the Year. 

  • Texas Wesleyan University: Hires Quentin Perez as wrestling head coach.

  • R.D. Howard: Names Sultan Cole as Senior Program/ Project Manager Consultant.

  • CMC: Hires Megan Dixon as Labor and Employment Counsel. 

  • ecoATM: Hires former GameStop CEO Matt Furlong as its CEO.

  • The Educator Collective: Names Dionne Matlock Director of Strategy and Operations.

  • Shalini Kodial: Hires Erik Denend as tax accountant intern..

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