Major Pepsi bottler in Alabama sues over territory
One of the nation’s largest Pepsi bottlers has filed suit against PepsiCo over its franchise territory. The Birmingham-based Buffalo Rock Co. says in a news release it has tried for years without success to resolve differences with PepsiCo. The bottler says it filed suit in state court in Birmingham on Tuesday. Buffalo Rock says the larger company has violated its franchise agreements and intruded into its exclusive territories. It says it is suing PepsiCo and others. – AP
Expansion at BioHorizons to create 60 jobs in Hoover
BioHorizons has announced a $2 million expansion that is expected to create 60 jobs. The company, which creates dental implant products that are alternatives to bridges and dentures, is headquartered in Hoover and currently employs 190. The Hoover City Council has approved almost $60,000 in tax incentives for the expansion, which will reconfigure the building. – AL.com
Cook Out coming to Birmingham, Montgomery
Mayor Randall Woodfin can rest easy – Cook Out is coming. The North Carolina-based fast food chain has announced, via its website, a location at 281 Lakeshore Pkwy. It will be Cook Out’s eighth in Alabama, along with Tuscaloosa, Jacksonville, Huntsville, Mobile, Troy, Opelika and Auburn. Another is planned for Montgomery. There is no word on when the location may open. The property is a former Outback Steakhouse location. – AL.com
Rascal Flatts restaurant in Huntsville flatlines
Country music group Rascal Flatts is pulling the plug on plans for a chain of country-music themed restaurants. In a post on social media, the group said it had licensed the use of its name to a restaurant developer but had not participated in its ownership or development and is not responsible for obligations of the developer, RF IP LLC. – AL.com
Thousands of IRS workers ordered to work without pay
More than half of the workforce of the Internal Revenue Service, or about 46,000 employees, will be recalled to work for the tax filing season despite the partial government shutdown, according to a Treasury Department announcement. The recalled employees will not be paid during the shutdown, now in its fourth week, although all federal workers have been promised eventual back pay. – APR
The Neutral Solution opens in Birmingham
A group of mediators and arbitrators has come together to form The Neutral Solution, located in downtown Birmingham on First Avenue North. The Neutral Solution offers a community of professional mediators and arbitrators, or “neutrals,” from a variety of backgrounds and experience in order to give them increased opportunities from more places than they might be able to achieve on their own. – News release
Judge sides with Birmingham in Confederate monument fight
A judge has overturned an Alabama law that prevents the removal of Confederate monuments from public property. Late Monday, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Graffeo issued a 10-page ruling that said the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act does not have any legal authority. “Just as the state could not force any particular citizen to post a pro-Confederacy sign in his or her front lawn, so too can the state not commandeer the city’s property for the state’s preferred message,” Graffeo wrote in his ruling. – Alabama Today
Mother of all auto shows showing a lack of energy
A big announcement was scheduled for Tuesday morning on the main stage at the Detroit auto show. It was cancelled. Instead, they phoned it in — literally. Ford and Volkswagen plan to build trucks and vans for each other. The potentially historic partnership was announced in a conference call. Is was one of many signs of a quieter North American International Auto Show this year. – MLive
