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H-E-B announced in July it will build a second grocery store in Fort Worth.
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Our Star-Telegram newsroom published nearly 8,000 stories this year, not to mention more than 2,000 photos and videos.
But these 25 stories were among those that resonated with our readers the most.
Take a look back at our top headlines of 2025 — and thank you for reading the Star-Telegram!
Kneeland’s death on Nov. 5 sent shockwaves through the league and reminded us of the struggles so many people face with mental health. Star-Telegram Cowboys reporter Nick Harris remembered conducting Kneeland’s first interview after he was a second-round draft pick.
“If today teaches us anything,” Harris wrote after Kneeland’s death, “it’s that this life we live is so very precious. Things like an underperforming defense or a sub-.500 record going into the bye week feel so trivial now. Somewhere amid all of that noise, there was a person struggling, and that person is no longer with us.”
Reporter Brayden Garcia has written hundreds of headlines about the popular Taylor Sheridan TV series — from one-on-one interviews with the actors to all the Fort Worth scenes and cameos that appear in episodes. His stories are among the Star-Telegram’s most-read this year.
“Say this much for Joe Biden’s farewell address to the nation Wednesday,” wrote Opinion editor Ryan J. Rusak on Jan. 17. “It neatly reflected the failure and incoherence of his miserable four-year presidency.”
Texas lawmakers say squatting has become a growing problem, frustrating owners and leaving police with few options. Gov. Greg Abbott signed two new laws this summer that make it easier to clear squatters from private property and add tougher penalties for fraud and trespassing.
On Sept. 24, a sniper opened fire on ICE agents and detainees outside a facility near downtown Dallas. Two people were killed before the shooter turned his gun on himself.
A passenger who said she fainted because of a lack of oxygen on a flight that made two emergency landings filed a negligence lawsuit against Fort Worth-based American Airlines. “I now have massive anxiety towards flying,” she said.
President Trump made history as the first sitting commander-in-chief to attend a Super Bowl. His military salute to the flag during the national anthem got the attention of viewers who wondered whether presidents are supposed to do that. Service journalist Tiffani Jackson provided the answer.
A North Texas bakery went viral after selling cookies depicting Washington National Cathedral’s Bishop Mariann Budde, who pleaded with President Trump to have mercy in a Jan. 21 sermon. “What she did was legendary,” baker Haley Popp said. “People need to see that, so putting her face on a cookie, it served that purpose.”
Some fervent Trump supporters felt otherwise, wrote breaking news reporter Lillie Davidson.
As the WNBA expands and more money pours in, there will be a push for players to have the ability to leave college early, wrote sports columnist Mac Engel on March 21.
“Hailey Van Lith is your case study example of why a player should stay in school for as long as humanly possible. A.) It’s the best time of your life. B.) A player, like Van Lith, can make considerably more money as a college player than as a pro,” Engel wrote.
A new H-E-B always gets readers’ attention, as did this announcement in July of a second H-E-B in Fort Worth.
There’s no slowing down in Fort Worth’s booming film and TV industry, wrote Brayden Garcia, our service journalist and expert in all things Taylor Sheridan. In August, we learned that we’ll soon be home to the largest production studio in Texas.
Our stories explaining various Texas laws regarding roads, highways and driving always resonate with readers, including this one.
The saga of Gov. Greg Abbott’s push for school vouchers came to an end in May when he signed the bill he had long strong-armed lawmakers to adopt. The Star-Telegram’s Eleanor Dearman, who covers state politics from Austin, wrote about every twist and turn, including when these Tarrant County Republicans pleaded to kill the bill.
Fort Worth brothers granted clemency by Trump after 30 years
Decades after they were sentenced to life in prison on drug-related charges, two Fort Worth brothers were freed in May by President Trump.
He spent $20K fixing up his Fort Worth home. City hall told him to tear it up
This story about a hard-working handyman who learned the hard way about city regulations and permitting got a lot of attention.
The Texas legislature passed a sweeping ban on consumable hemp products in May, but Gov. Greg Abbott took his time in deciding whether to sign the bill or veto it. He did the latter, and issued a more regulatory approach through an executive order.
Thousands of North Texans in June filled courthouse squares and parks, marched on downtown streets or held up signs along sweltering highways as part of the nationwide “No Kings” rallies in protest of Trump administration policies.
On a day of celebration in Washington for the Army’s 250th birthday, including the largest military parade in the nation’s capital since 1991, the No Kings demonstrations were billed as peaceful displays of dissent.
‘New Texas town’: 5,000-acre development south of Fort Worth hits big milestone
Reporter Elizabeth Campbell gave us an update in August on a massive master planned community taking shape in far southern reaches of Grand Prairie, just southeast of Mansfield.
It is just one of several mega-developments in the pipeline on our side of the Metroplex, from the Azle area in southern Denton County to Walsh west of Fort Worth.
Why a Texas Longhorns legend chose Fort Worth to set up his post-NFL life
For every college football coach in America, Colt McCoy should be studied on “How To Football,” wrote sports columnist Mac Engel in January.
Earned a scholarship at the University of Texas. Sat behind Vince Young. Excelled when given the chance. Made an NFL roster for 12 years. Retired with his health, and head, intact to have a life when his game ended. Saved his money. Add, “Using his name/fame that came from success in football to propel a new career.”
This Fort Worth soul food restaurant is now a national culinary landmark
Drew’s Place Restaurant has been a fixture in the Como neighborhood since 1991, serving up fried chicken, spicy catfish and smothered pork chips to its loyal customers. (Our readers voted it “Best fried chicken in Fort Worth” in 2022.)
In August, the Star-Telegram’s Kamal Morgan reported that Drew’s Place was named one of 50 U.S. historic small restaurants that will receive $50,000 from American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Reporter Matt Adams uncovered quite of a bit of drama in this story about City Market in Burleson, pitting shopper against shopper over who is to blame for the store’s demise.
Has it seemed to you as if a lot of Fort Worth restaurants have closed this year? Reporter Matt Adams did a lot of digging to find out what’s going on.
Remember when a carton of eggs was $6 or more in February — if the shelves weren’t empty? With out-of-control prices, we found that our local egg farmers were doing brisk business. (And their eggs taste much better!).
New owner to reopen ‘Christmas wonderland’ restaurant Campo Verde
Eats Beat columnist Bud Kennedy reported in February that Arlington chef “Moose” Benhamacht would remodel and reopen Campo Verde, the landmark restaurant attraction known for its thousands of Christmas lights.
It wouldn’t last. The restaurant closed Dec. 24. Benhamacht said he plans to reopen in 2026 as a completely different concept.
This might be our worst nightmare. Thankfully, reporter Ella Gonzales found ways to prevent it from ever, ever coming true.
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 3:08 PM.
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Matt Leclercq
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