This Week's Hot Headlines

New downtown speakeasy sneaks into this week's 5 hottest Dallas headlines

Dr. Larry Gentilello's lawsuits against UT Southwestern Medical School and Parkland Memorial Hospital preceded the numerous state and federal investigations that have found fault with the storied insitutions.

Photo by Conner Howell

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best St. Patrick's Day festivities? Find that list here.

1. Downtown Dallas boutique hotel reveals speakeasy bar with secret entry. Pssst, a downtown Dallas hotel has a secret. Sova, a boutique hotel with mini-rooms that opened in 2021, has debuted a new bar that embraces one of the buzziest trends in bars right now: the speakeasy. Called Room 520, it's a secret bar tucked between hotel rooms, open limited hours with a small menu of specialty cocktails boasting Japanese flavors.

2. 2 Dallas companies clock in as the top employers in Texas, says Forbes. Dallas reigns as the capital of Texas when it comes to the best big and small employers, according to Forbes magazine. New rankings from Forbes put University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas at No. 9 among the country’s best large employers in the country and Dallas-based life insurance platform Bestow at No. 16 among the country’s best startup employers.

3. Yellowstone's Kevin Costner and his Modern West band saddle up to play Grapevine gala. A Dallas-area nonprofit has wrangled the biggest star from the hottest show on TV as its headlining act: Kevin Costner and his country rock Modern West band will be the featured entertainers at Emily's Place 20th anniversary gala. The event will take place Saturday, April 23 at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine.

4. Dallas mansion in Lakewood with colorful vintage bathrooms up for sale. A historic Dallas home is for sale, built in 1929 with only two owners and blessedly few updates. Located in Lakewood just west of White Rock Lake, it's a French Eclectic mansion on a 1.07-acre lot, known as one of the most well-known historic estates in Texas. The property is at 7030 Tokalon Dr. and is listed by Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate agent Rob Elmore for $2.5 million.

5. 3 Dallas bars where Troy Aikman will personally pour you a beer. Does beer taste better when it's been poured by a celebrity? Local beer drinkers got to find out on March 9-10 when ex-Dallas Cowboy Troy Aikman hit six bars across Dallas-Fort Worth in a cross-town guest-bartending wave. Aikman was not pouring just any beer: He poured Eight Elite Lager, the new light lager for health-minded drinkers, which he co-founded and launched in February.

You need to know the 411 to get into this space.

Sova Hotel

You need to know the 411 to get into this space.

craft-beer hot-headlines home-for-sale celebrities galas forbes openings

Media News

Dallas Morning News is acquired by media company Hearst

Photo courtesy of VishwaGujarat.com

undefined

Dallas' daily newspaper The Dallas Morning News has been acquired by New York-based Hearst, where it will join a portfolio of 28 daily and 50 weekly newspapers.

According to a release, the announcement was made on July 10 by Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst, and Grant Moise, CEO of DallasNews Corporation and publisher of The Dallas Morning News.

Hearst's portfolio includes ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, and ESPN; 35 television stations; newspapers across the U.S., including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, and Times Union (Albany); digital services businesses; and more than 200 magazine editions around the world.

The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, is expected to close during the third or early fourth quarter. It will also include Medium Giant, DallasNews’ marketing agency.

Upon closing, The Dallas Morning News will join Hearst Newspapers, the operating group responsible for Hearst’s newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories, which publishes 28 dailies and 50 weeklies across the United States.

The acquisition of the DMN will give Hearst nearly a complete set of Texas newspapers: In addition to the Houston Chronicle, it also owns the Austin American Statesman and the San Antonio Express News, as well as smaller Texas newspapers such as the Plainview Herald, the Midland Reporter Telegram, the Laredo Morning Times, and the Beaumont Enterprise. The only one missing is the Fort Worth Star Telegram, which is owned by McClatchy.

Jeff Johnson, president of Hearst Newspapers, stated, “Hearst Newspapers is committed to supporting The Dallas Morning News’ continued success through smart investments in their digital strategy, compelling journalism and expanded audience reach. This move aligns squarely with our strategy of backing trusted, high-impact local media brands in growth markets. We’re looking forward to working with the teams at The News and Medium Giant.”

Robert W. Decherd, DallasNews Corporation’s former board chairman, president and chief executive officer during a career spanning 50 years, and current owner of a majority of the voting power of DallasNews Corporation stock, said, “The News’ 140-year commitment to distinguished journalism has been extraordinarily important to the evolution of Dallas as one of America’s greatest cities. We have generations of News employees to thank for this. I’m confident that the path forward with Hearst Newspapers assures The News’ ability to continue informing and strengthening North Texas for many years to come.”

DallasNews shareholders will receive $14 in cash for each share of common stock - a premium of 219% based on the closing price of DallasNews’ common stock of $4.39 per share on July 9, 2025. The deal is valued at $79 million, according to the DMN. Upon closing of the transaction, DallasNews Corporation will become a private company and its shares will no longer trade on Nasdaq.

media