🔑Trew greatness passes; Round 1: Musk vs. F-35; Will high school competitions be up for bids?

More development along Chisholm Trail Parkway is in the pipeline as Walton Global announced the sale of 27.3 acres known as Rock Creek Ranch West. The buyer was not identified, but Walton said it "opens the door for future community enhancements and commercial and residential opportunities."

In the midst of all the Elon Musk talk about getting rid of the F-35, the Pentagon awards Lockheed Martin an $11.8-billion F-35 production contract.

Could a bidding war start for Texas UIL high school championships? Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, filed legislation that would allow cities to be part of a competitive bidding process for hosting high school athletic, academic, and music competitions held by the University Interscholastic League.

Joan Trew, a leading Realtor for 44 years and co-founder of Williams Trew Real Estate Services, has passed away at 92. 

Carley Myers starts Monday as the SVP of Marketing for the Four Sixes Ranch and its entities. "I’ve known and worked with Taylor Sheridan since 2019 and he recruited me after seeing what I could do at the National Cutting Horse Association (E.D. Jay Winborn) and TX Whiskey. I never imagined myself having the opportunity to work for and with another visionary in the Western industry." She graduated from TCU with a business degree, majored in marketing and was on the equestrian team. 

Fort Worth law firms Forshey Prostok and Vartabedian Hester & Haynes merge. 

Fort Worth-based Brownlie & Braden has merged with Prairie Capital Management to gain access to the latter's planning and investment resources.

Fort Worth-based Alcon, the manufacturer of Systane eye drops, has issued a recall notice on a certain lot of the product sold in the U.S. A 25-count of Systane single-use eyedrops with Lot 10101 on both the vials and the bottom of the box should be thrown out or returned to your purchase point for a refund or replacement.

TGI Friday's has sold its five outlets in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and a handful of other corporate-owned restaurants for $34.5 million to Mera Corp. Reportedly, the five Friday's in the airport did more than $10 million in revenue. 

Weidner Apartment Homes has purchased Monterra Village, a 550-unit property in Fort Worth, from Hillwood Multifamily. The community is part of the 27,000-acre, master-planned, mixed-use campus AllianceTexas.

Arts Fort Worth, the organization that administers grants and oversees the public art program on behalf of Fort Worth, has announced the elimination of the role of Director of Public Art and phasing out of staff because of budgetary constraints. 

The FAA launched an investigation into why several drones collided and fell from the sky during a show in downtown Orlando, injuring a 7-year-old boy who required surgery. The show was permitted to Fort Worth-based Sky Elements through the FAA. From Sky Elements:  "Safety is our No. 1 priority, borderline obsessed. All of our systems are designed with backups and default to the safest possible fail scenario”.

The top federal prosecutor in north Texas will resign Jan. 19 — the day before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton has been at this job for the Department of Justice two years.

Meet the four artists selected for the seventh-annual Amon Carter Museum of American Art Community Artists program -- Kristin Boyer, LaShonda Cooks, Dizzy Orbit and Javier Sandova.

Nordstrom again will be a private company after it agreed to a buyout deal valued at $6.25 billion from its founding family and a Mexican department store. The retailer went public in 1971. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a victory for President-elect Donald Trump’s border-security agenda. A federal judge ordered President Joe Biden's administration to discontinue sales of the border wall for pennies on the dollar until Trump took office.

The Supreme Court of Texas dismissed the State Bar of Texas’ 4-year effort to discipline First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster. Attorney General Ken Paxton faces similar allegations from the State Bar in a separate case.

Incora, which provides supply chain management solutions, said the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has confirmed the company's Plan of Reorganization. The confirmation will allow Incora to emerge from Chapter 11 protection this month with significantly less debt. 

Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, 75, is retiring from the Texas Supreme Court as required by state law. And he’s made history: His 35 years on the high court is the longest.

Snippets:

• Car inspections are "gone," but not the $7.50 fee and emissions testing in Tarrant County. If you are registered in the county, don't expect much savings.

• Fort Worth surpassed Austin as Texas' fourth-most populous city, according to 2023 data released by the Texas Demographic Center.

• Grapevine-based 121 Community Church revealed its plans to open a worship location in Keller.

• Bishop TD Jakes returned to his Potter's House pulpit New Year's Eve after a health scare in November.

• The Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department has aligned the operating hours of its 117 city parks to 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Until 2025, some had been open until 11:30. 

• Americans have billions in unused gift cards. At least two in five have an unused gift card lying around.

Announcements:

• WBAP: Long-time Sports Director Steve Lamb has retired.

• TCU: Hires Mike Buddie as Athletic Director. He had been with Army. 

• Visit Fort Worth: Susan Alanis, UNTHSC, becomes board chair.

• Fort Worth Chamber: Brian Newby, Cantey Hanger, becomes board chair. 

• Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber: Selects Mario Valdez as the 2025 board chair.

• Tarrant County Bankers Association: Names Perry Ginn, Regional Market President for Tarrant and Johnson counties at American National Bank of Texas, as 2024 Banker of the Year.

• Keller: Appoints Aaron Rector as City Manager. He had been interim City Manager since February.

• TPG: Adds Rachel Armijo as Sr. Associate-Financial Planning & Analysis.

• Trebor Reverse Mortgage: Hires Mary Robb as Certified Reverse Mortgage Specialist.

• Geode Health: Names Michael Connors Sr. Director of Operations-Texas.

• RS: Names D'Mar Phillips Vice President of People and Culture.

• Pettit & Ayala Consulting: Changes name from David Pettit Economic Development to reflect the promotion of Natalie Ayala Moore.

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