🔎Ex-Gateway Church leaders investigated again; New AA coffee wouldn't have helped flight attendant; Survey says Tarrant has top 2 ISDs.

Bloomberg News reported PE firms Blackstone and Fort Worth-based TPG are in late-stage talks to acquire Hologic in a transaction that could value the cancer test maker at more than $17B, including debt.

Gateway Church and its founding pastor, Robert Morris, are facing allegations regarding federal racketeering laws. Among other things, plaintiffs say mail fraud and wire fraud were committed by "falsely representing that 15 percent of all tithe dollars would be distributed to global missions and Jewish ministry partners" and by claiming that people who tithed could receive a return of their funds.

Despite limited geographic reason, a Judge ordered that X and xAI’s lawsuit accusing Apple and OpenAI of trying to maintain monopolies in artificial intelligence be held in Fort Worth. But, there was a caveat: Judge Mark Pittman, in a sharply ironic four-page order, encouraged the companies to relocate their headquarters to Fort Worth, given their preference for the antitrust lawsuit to be heard there.

The Fort Worth Report says Tarrant County College has put the TXU plant north of downtown on the market as Fort Worth’s Panther Island re-development starts.

Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis resigned after having been placed on administrative leave the past month, the city announced. The resignation takes effect Oct. 31, ending his lead role since 2018. Raymond Hill, an assistant chief, will remain interim Chief.

Airline coffee? Blah! American Airlines may change all that. Starting early 2026, it will introduce premium Italian coffee brand Lavazza on all cabins and at American’s Flagship and Admirals Club lounges across the system.

This guy went from American Airlines to Alcoholics Anonymous in a flask...err, flash. A drunk AA flight attendant rushed a gate before his pants fell down. He was carted off like Hannibal Lecter.

Carroll ISD came in at No. 1 and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD at No. 2 in Niche's annual ranking of the top independent school districts in D-FW. The ranking is based on an analysis of statistics and reviews from students and parents. Factors include the quality of colleges that students consider, student-teacher ratio, scores on state tests and more. Data is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education, Niche users and the schools directly.

With $7,500 federal tax savings gone from the purchase of electric vehicles, General Motors is expanding its charging and home energy solutions to enhance EV adoption and revenue. GM expects a $1.6 billion hit with the loss of the tax credit.

Westlake-based Charles Schwab blew away its quarterly projections with total net new assets up 48% year over year to $134.4 billion. Daily average revenue trades jumped 30% to $7.42 trillion.

The Dallas Cowboys are middling/good/bad on the field, but Men's Journal says their fans are No. 1 in one area.

Elbit America, an Israeli company with U.S. headquarters in Fort Worth, showcased its SkyStriker Block 4 unmanned munitions system. Elbit called it a significant step forward in aerial warfare with the tactical autonomous platforms equipped for precision strikes.

If you missed the program, click here to hear President and CEO Adam Powell outline United Way of Tarrant County's plans in hopes of making a greater impact. 

World Travel Inc. agreed to a multi-year expansion of its strategic partnership with Southlake-based Sabre to adopt SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace across its remaining business. After moving a majority of its operations to Sabre in 2024, WTI cited 10% year-over-year growth. 

Lockheed Martin company Sikorsky says its new S70 UHawk is a Black Hawk without the pilot. “Basically ...we have taken a Black Hawk, and using our MATRIX autonomy system, have turned this aircraft into a UAS (unmanned airship),” said Erskine Bentley, director of strategy and business development for Sikorsky Advanced Programs. 

TCU PhD. professor Anne VanBeber says there are benefits to eating the banana AND the peel. Take 60 seconds to watch how you and the planet might be healthier. 

American Airlines is hiring Hebrew-speaking flight attendants, which might signal the potential of resuming flights to Israel. The airline has not operated flights to Israel for more than two years.

Snippets:

• Melt Ice Creams has set up a Grapevine location within Chicken N Pickle.

• University of Texas at Dallas researchers are developing a material to protect spacecraft in low Earth orbit from harsh environments.

• Early voting for the Nov. 4 elections starts today. Tarrant County shares what you need to know. 

Believe it or not: $2.5 billion = Cash that OpenAI reportedly burnt through in the first half of the year, though the company did bring in $4.3 billion in sales over the period.

Significant stat: Almost two-thirds of products sold at Walmart are produced in the U.S. and new categories of products are being built domestically. Read more here.

Announcements: 

• U.S. Dept. Of Transportation: Hires Brenna Jefferies as Press Secretary.

• CG Group: Hires Maggie Estes for strategic communications consulting beginning in January. She spent the past 15 years as The Cliburn Director of Communications. 

• Tarrant County Bankers Association: Selects Martin Noto, President and Chief Lending Officer at Ciera Bank, as its 2025 Banker of the Year.

• Kelly Hart: Adds associate attorney Eliza DeWalt to its Appellate and Litigation practices. 

• Dallas Regional Chamber: Hires Brad Cheves as President and CEO. He had been with SMU. 

• Texas Instruments: Dallas-based company said Board Chairman Rich Templeton will retire at the end of the year after 45 years in the role. CEO and President Haviv Ilan will become the Board Chairman.

• Texas: Governor Greg Abbott appoints Brandon Simmons as the state's first higher education ombudsman.

• Texas Racing Commission: Said Executive Director Amy Cook will be stepping down at year-end. No reason was given. 

• U.S. Lege: Names Rebecca Montgomery, Founder and CEO of Montgomery Strategies, its Female Powerhouse of the Year at Texas Capitol.

• Dexian: Adds Amanda Ray as Social Media Manager.

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