Great Southern Wood buys Kentucky company; Austal-built ship christened; Carnival sailing again in March out of Mobile; Mercedes donates 15 vehicles to schools; Guthrie’s matriarch dies

Great Southern Wood buys Kentucky company

Abbeville-based Great Southern Wood has acquired Kentucky-based Escue Wood Preserving for an undisclosed price. Great Southern is known for its YellaWood brand of pressure-treated pine. Escue distributes in seven states. – AL.com

Austal-built transport ship christened

Austal USA christened Expeditionary Fast Transport USNS Apalachicola. Austal has delievered 12 EPFs since December 2012, and the USNS Apalachicola is scheduled for delivery this summer. – Austal USA

Carnival to resume Alabama sailings on March 5

Carnival Cruise Lines plans to restart operations in Mobile on March 5. The Carnival Sensation will sail out of Mobile. The Sensation replaces the Carnival Fantasy, which had sailed out of Mobile from 2016 until 2020. – Alabama News Network

Mercedes donating 15 vehicles for school training

Mercedes-Benz in Vance is donating 15 SUVs to Alabama schools to use in classroom training. The vehicles will go to 13 high schools and two community colleges for training and workforce development. – U.S. News & World Report

Matriarch of Guthrie’s chicken franchise dies

Melissa Savage Guthrie, whose husband, Hal, founded Guthrie’s, died last week. She was instrumental in developing the Guthrie’s brand, the company said. – CBS 42