Axios Dallas

August 14, 2025
Happy Thursday! The task you dread will take less time than you think.
☀️ Today's weather: High near 96, but heat index values could be as high as 106.
🎵 Sounds like: "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind"
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios Dallas member Darla Baird!
📣 Situational awareness: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will compete against the Harlem Globetrotters on ABC's "Celebrity Family Feud" at 7pm.
Today's newsletter is 918 scalable words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Filmmaking booms in Fort Worth
Showbiz is buzzing in Fort Worth.
- The city already has Texas' largest film and TV production complex, and a major expansion is in the works, investors announced yesterday.
Why it matters: Film projects bring publicity, money and jobs. Texas' new incentives for filmmakers could turn Cowtown into a film production powerhouse.
The intrigue: Paramount Pictures, director Taylor Sheridan's SGS Studios and real estate developer Hillwood collaborated on a 450,000-square-foot production campus that opened this year in the AllianceTexas development in north Fort Worth.
- The campus can host four large-scale productions at once, offering spaces for both filming and finalizing projects.
The latest: The partners are now expanding the master-planned studio campus to attract top-tier productions with additional soundstages, post-production suites, vendor support and scalable infrastructure.
The upshot: "Texas offers something rare: the space to dream big, the freedom to build fast, and a community that still believes storytelling matters," Sheridan said in a news release.
- North Texas' airports and hotels were a key selling point, along with a wide range of sites for filming.
Case in point: "Landman" started filming its second season in March at two buildings that were adapted to the show's needs, including soundstages, mill space, wardrobe areas and green screen capabilities.
Follow the money: Producer David Glasser says over 15,000 jobs will be created out of four shows being filmed in Texas, including Sheridan's "The Madison" and "Lioness."
- "Landman" alone hired almost 3,900 people for its second season.
What's next: Sheridan's production studio is working with Tarrant County College to offer training for set construction, stage operation and other production-related jobs.
- They have trained 150 people so far through the partnership and plan to expand to 300 students.
2. ⚡️ AI could send power prices soaring

Texas electricity prices rose 4.4% over the past year — less than the national average — but experts say a surge in energy-hungry data centers could soon send costs soaring.
Why it matters: The AI boom could drive up power bills, adding to the financial strain as inflation hits household essentials.
State of play: After the passage of Senate Bill 6 in June, Texas is one of the first states to require emergency shutoff switches for data centers, giving the Electric Reliability Council of Texas the power to cut service during crises like heat waves or winter storms.
By the numbers: The national average retail price for 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity rose from 16.41 cents to 17.47 cents between May 2024 and May 2025, a 6.5% jump, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
- Texas' price increased from 14.84 cents to 15.49 cents.
Between the lines: Power prices vary by region and depend on a mix of supply, demand, fuel costs and infrastructure.
- Many analysts say energy-intensive data centers are a growing factor, especially in regions where they're booming.
Zoom in: In Texas, demand could double or quadruple by 2035, University of Houston researchers say. Without upgrades, that risks a 27– to 40-gigawatt annual shortfall.
The bottom line: Many of us are paying for the AI boom, whether we use the tech or not.
3. 🎉 Axios Dallas Weekender
🖼️ Delay bedtime. Play Street Museum in Plano is opening its kid-friendly play area for extended hours so working parents can have a chance to visit.
- 6:30-8pm Thursday at 5964 W. Parker Road, in Plano. $15 per child.
🏈 Catch the catches. The Dallas Cowboys are coming home for a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, hoping to rebound from their 31-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last weekend.
- 6pm Saturday at AT&T Stadium. Tickets
🎺 Get ener-jazzed. Join Bonton Farms at their "Reggae Meets Jazz on Canvas" event, where musician Eric Willis will perform while visual artist LaShonda Cooks interprets the notes with paint.
- 11:30am-1pm Saturday at 6911 Bexar St. Free, but tickets are limited.
🤠 Take stock. Founded in 1984, the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is one of the longest running Black rodeos in the country.
4. 🗞 Burnt ends: Bite-sized news bits
💰 The Dallas Cowboys remain the NFL's highest valued franchise, estimated around $12.8 billion. (WFAA)
💨 North Texas has had 15 days of unhealthy air quality so far this year. (Fort Worth Report)
📱 The Tarrant County GOP chairman called on federal officials to denaturalize and deport a Texas House Democrat after making anti-Muslim comments about him. (KERA)
5. 🐐 One goat video to go
More cities are replacing traditional landscaping equipment with a more environmentally friendly option: goats.
Driving the news: Billy and nanny goats recently helped clear 1.2 acres while feeding on shrubs along the Lake Arlington dam.
- The city posted a video of the goats on its Facebook page, showing before and after clips of their work.
What they're saying: "Goatscaping is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and arguably a more exciting option," the city said.
- The goats were not available for comment.
Editor's note: This newsletter has been corrected to say the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is one of the longest running Black rodeos in the country, not the longest running. It would be if Texas were its own country.
This newsletter was edited by Bob Gee.
Our picks:
👀 Tasha is reading this story about nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest at Texas' private schools.
💅 Naheed is listening to Taylor Swift on the Kelce brothers' podcast.
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