Toys R Us, Silver Hill, solar industry, Deep Ellum: Wednesday's Business Briefing

Your lunchtime look at D-FW business [Your lunchtime look at D-FW business] January 24,  2018 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Follow us on Twitter [@DMNBiz](. A woman shops at a Toys R Us store in Alhambra, California, in 2017. (Getty Images) the big story Toys R Us to close 180 stores including 6 in Dallas-Fort Worth Toys R Us has asked the bankruptcy court to close 180 stores, or about 20 percent of its store base, including eight in Texas. The Texas stores are mostly in North Texas leaving large spaces empty in high-profile Dallas-Fort Worth shopping centers [Stores will close in Allen, in Dallas just north of the Galleria, Irving, Lewisville, Hurst and next to Hulen Mall in Fort Worth.](The area still hasn't absorbed all the Sports Authority and Gander Mountain stores that closed the past two years. The shopping center with the Allen store was just sold. The six local closings will leave Toys R Us with 14 other stores in Dallas-Fort Worth. -[Maria Halkias]( And: [7-Eleven completes purchase of 1,030 Sunoco stores after FTC review excludes 59]( Plus: [Find more retail news that affects North Texas]( SUBSCRIBE NOW [Get unlimited digital access for $2.99 per week]( The Latest - Technology: [AT&T]( cuts ties with USA Gymnastics after sexual abuse. - Health care: Abbott asks Trump to approve [federal funding]( for Texas women's health. - Airlines: Airline stocks plunge after [United](unveils growth plan. - Restaurants: [Starbucks](boosting pay, giving stock grants because of tax law changes. - Health care: Another [Garland medical center]( is set to close next month. Advertisement A view of West End station as a long exposure show a DART Rail train crossing Lamar Street in Dallas on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) technology Dallas' West End is getting 'smarter' with free Wi-Fi, parking sensors Free Wi-Fi and high-tech parking lots are debuting in the West End, a downtown Dallas neighborhood that's become a test ground for how technology can conserve resources and improve the quality of life in cities. [They are the next phase of a project led by the Dallas Innovation Alliance, a nonprofit made up of the city of Dallas and dozens of large companies and startups.]( Across the globe, cities are using new technology and tech-enabled insights to become "smart cities" and solve urban challenges from crime to pollution. Starting in the spring, the Dallas Innovation Alliance installed digital kiosks that people can use to navigate the West End or even snap a selfie. It added intelligent LED street lighting, solar-powered environmental sensors and sensors that track pedestrian foot traffic. -[Melissa Repko]( Plus: [Find more on technology and its impact on North Texas]( Elsewhere in Texas - Real estate: [Westfort](could be San Antonio’s next historic district. (San Antonio Express-News) - Retail: Ex-[Whole Foods]( exec says Amazon deal was best for company’s future. (Austin American-Statesman) - Stock market: Houston's [Baker Hughes]( energy services company took in $5.8 billion in fourth-quarter revenues. (Houston Chronicle) - Energy: [Texas regulators]( want gas utility customers to see tax-cut savings. (Austin American-Statesman) - Sports business: Iconic Texas beer [Shiner]( to debut first Super Bowl commercial. (Houston Chronicle) (Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer) energy Trump's solar tariffs might sting Texas, but industry is optimistic President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on cheap imported solar cells could slow Texas' solar growth. However, that isn't likely to change that sector's trajectory, industry officials said. [Solar is still on the rise in Texas, they said, even if there are some projects that might not hit their financial targets now.Â](The president agreed Monday with the U.S. International Trade Commission that solar cell imports were hurting some domestic manufacturers and set a 30 percent tariff "It's certainly not a help for the Texas solar industry or customers," said Charlie Hemmeline, executive director of the Texas Solar Power Association. "Customer demand might dip. There might be a slowdown in investments and jobs, but it's a resilient industry." -[Jeff Mosier]( Plus: [Find more on how the energy industry affects Texas]( ICYMI - Sports business: Texas Motor Speedway fills sponsorship opening with Weatherford-based firm [JAG Metals](. - Banking: [Capital One](, with 5,000 people at a sprawling campus in Plano, posts $970 million quarterly loss to close out 2017. - Economy: [Migrant money]( hits record in Mexico, thanks to strong dollar and paycheck increases. - Hotels: Motel 6 guests who were deported to Mexico sue hotel chain's [Carrollton owner]( for informing ICE. - Stock market: [Texas Instruments](' 2018 outlook disappoints analyst. (Stillwater Capital) real estate Dallas' Deep Ellum is getting another rental community, with 336 apartments Developers have started construction on another apartment community in Dallas' hot Deep Ellum District. [Dallas-based Stillwater Capital is building the 336-unit project on Hall Street just east of Baylor Scott & White Medical Center.Â](The 5-story development is going up on about four acres of land previously occupied by old industrial buildings. Called The Crosby, the new apartment community will include a 3,000-square-foot shared office space, rooftop deck and lounge, fitness center and a dog park. -[Steve Brown]( And: [Plano's Granite Park is adding more eateries to mixed-use project]( Plus: [Find more on D-FW real estate]( Kyle Miller, 38, used $20 million in seed money to form Silver Hill Energy Partners LLC in 2012. (Hillsman Stuart Jackson) Featured Columnist: Cheryl hall Investors mark SMU alum’s Permian success with $5 million in donations Kyle Miller just received a $5 million-plus thank you note from grateful investors with his beloved alma mater as the beneficiary. [Southern Methodist University has received the largest tribute gift in school history]( from a consortium of a dozen investors in Silver Hill Energy Partners LLC, a Dallas company that Miller launched six years ago. SMU has told The News that the gift in Miller’s name will fund a new energy management program and scholarships at SMU’s Edwin L. Cox School of Business, as well as help build a new indoor athletic practice facility. SMU said that the gift recognized Miller’s “extraordinary success in the energy industry.” Extraordinary success for a guy just 38? You betcha. Plus: [Find more from columnist Cheryl Hall]( Follow DFW stocks: [See how top North Texas stocks performed](, as well as the oil and gas markets and major stock exchanges. DFW Top 100 Places to Work 2017: The Dallas Morning News and Workplace Dynamics partner each year to feature the [Top 100 workplaces](, based on ratings by the people who work at them. Advertisement 👋  That's all for today! 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