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- 🌽Hillshire's huge recall; Pie Five shrinking; A&M has a President, but Texas St. has Sheridan; Life of a Showgirl is setting records.
🌽Hillshire's huge recall; Pie Five shrinking; A&M has a President, but Texas St. has Sheridan; Life of a Showgirl is setting records.
Plus, more bite-size news about business in Tarrant County.
The Hillshire Brands Company in Haltom City has recalled approximately 58,000,000 pounds of corn dog and sausage on a stick products that may be contaminated with extraneous pieces of wood embedded in the batter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.
Texas-based SouthernPlex announced a strategic stake in AirProtect Group, which offers high-end detailing, protective coatings and maintenance services tailored to private airports and operators. SouthernPlex' stake enables AirProtect to rapidly scale operations. Preston Howell is the founder and CEO of SouthernPlex.
A Supreme Court term starts Monday and it will determine how far the conservative super-majority court is willing to go to accommodate President Donald Trump as he seeks to assert power over broad swaths of the U.S. government and policies from citizenship to tariffs.
TCU professor Andrew Ledbetter was queued up last weekend to listen to Taylor Swift's newest: The Life of a Showgirl. He is Chair of Communication Studies at the Bob Schieffer College of Communication and has studied the cultural and communication phenomena of Swift. These takeaways are not a review, but a continuation of his research.
Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album set the 2025 high for most single-day Spotify streams for an album in the first 12 hours, according to the platform. The Life of a Showgirl already had beaten the platform’s record for pre-saves at five million. In addition, a listening party movie featuring additional content from the album topped the weekend domestic box office with a haul of $33M from about 3,700 theaters, according to Comscore.
Movie and TV hit master Taylor Sheridan has bestowed a huge gift upon his alma mater. Texas State University’s Wittliff Collections in San Marcos will be the home of his creative archive, stretching from the earliest movie scripts to the current work on television.
It would take someone making $85,000 more than 1,900 years to make as much as the highest paid CEO in this year’s AP CEO compensation survey. Want to know how long it would take you to match the pay of CEOs at Apple, Netflix, Citicorp and other top global companies? Input your salary here and find out.
Deion Sanders came to Fort Worth with his Colorado football team this weekend. The loss to TCU was not the worst of it. Sanders was in extreme pain during the game and afterward said, “Cat’s out of the bag, all right. I think I got more blood clots ... I’m hurting like crazy. I got a doctor’s appointment on Monday ... I’m not getting blood to my leg, that’s why my leg is throbbing."
Rave Restaurant Group, the parent company of Pizza Inn, opened its first Pie Five in Fort Worth in 2011. Pie Five is a fast-casual restaurant that features customizable pizzas that can be made in five minutes. Once, it had 100 restaurants. Today, there are five in Tarrant and 17 in the U.S. For how long is anyone’s guess.
“Everyone is infatuated with the West, the free-spirited lifestyle, the wide-open spaces,” says one western retailer. “Last year was my best year ever, and this year will be better.” Cowboy boots are the hallmark of Western style, symbolizing freedom, independence, self-reliance and self-assurance. Bloomberg takes a look at what is spurring the dynamic growth of interest.
Former legislator Tommy Williams has been selected as interim President of Texas A&M, replacing Mark Welsh III. Welsh resigned during the fallout of a viral video showing an A&M student confronting a professor about a discussion on gender identity.
With an administrative vote to execute what has already been publicized, Berkshire Hathaway's board voted to separate the Chairman and CEO positions.
American Airlines has ended service between D-FW International Airport and Eugene, Ore. after four years. The last flight was August 5 and the route won’t return in 2026.
Tarleton State University is partnering with Communities In Schools of Greater Tarrant County to offer an additional location for the Purple Counseling and Wellness Clinic. The facility is located at CISGTC Center for Student Support in Westworth Village.
AS Storent Holding, one of the largest equipment rental companies in the Baltics, acquired a 70% stake in the Texas equipment rental company Connect Rentals. The transaction was completed with the assistance of Fort Worth-based companies Whitley Penn and Cantey Hanger.
The North Texas Nonprofit Institute released its annual North Texas State of Nonprofits and Philanthropy report, providing a comprehensive overview of the region’s nonprofit landscape. A free webinar is scheduled for Wednesday.
Texas Veterans Commission grants totaling $10,910,000 have been awarded to 37 organizations in the north Texas area. The funding will support direct services to an estimated 4,500 area veterans and their families.
Believe it or not: The oldest active American Airlines plane is an Airbus A320-200. According to ch-aviation, this aircraft is registered as N647AW, was first flown in December 1997, and was delivered in February 1998, making it 27.81 years old.
Daily digit: More than seven in 10 Americans distrust the mainstream media, according to a Gallup poll. It marks the first time in the poll’s 50-year history that overall trust in the media has dropped below 30%.
Notable and quotable: “Right now, if you're a 14- to 18-year-old and you're in not so good circumstances, you have access to the best professors and the best consultants. You can compete with anybody."
Snippets:
American Airlines is making a big change to its carry-on baggage rules —and you’re likely to benefit.
Meadowbrook Golf Course, a top-ranked, par-71 public course just east of downtown Fort Worth, has opened after a $38.7-million makeover.
A judge denies a request to temporarily block re-drawn Tarrant County precinct map.

“With three hours in costume still ahead of them, Mike was becoming increasingly dismayed as Ed wolfed down his third bowl of beans and cabbage.”
Announcements:
Tarleton State: Sidelines head basketball coach Billy Gillispie, who is under investigation.
JPS Health Network: Earns URAC Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation – recognition of the highest standards in specialty pharmacy services.
H-E-B Grocery: Advises President Craig Boyan will step down from his role, effective January, and retire at the end of 2026. H-E-B Chief Operating Officer Roxanne Orsak will take his place.
New Hope Equine Therapy: Names Dave Kershen Director of Operations.
Allied Solutions: Promotes Becca Pickern to Senior Compensation Consultant.
Lifewave: Adds Dave OLenick as Independent Brand Distributor.
Paychex: Hires Juan Carlos Torres as HCM Mid-Market Consultant.
Weaver Johnston & Nelson: Adds health law attorney Daniel Tatum.
Westwood Contractors: Promotes Jessica Ascencio to Human Resources Manager.
UT-Arlington: Announces the Debra and Jon Weidanz Tissue Engineering Laboratory.
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