SUV sales boost Hyundai in July
Hyundai is on a hot sales streak, powered by the SUV. The South Korean automaker announced a 12 percent year-over-year increase in sales in July, the 12th consecutive month of increasing total sales on a comparative monthly basis. Hyundai’s retail sales were up five percent, with retail gains led by the Montgomery-made Santa Fe, which is up 46 percent. Sales were also up for the Tucson, Kona and Ioniq. Retail SUV sales finished at 31,079 units, an all-time July high. – AL.com
Work begins on $24 million Stonewall Building project
Construction has begun on the $24 million transformation of a Birmingham building, vacant nearly 40 years, into apartments. PNC Financial Services Group has closed on $15 million in funding toward an adaptive reuse project at the former Stonewall Building as part of the city’s federal Opportunity Zone Program. – AL.com
Brenda Tuck named as first rural development manager
Brenda Tuck was named Monday as the Alabama Department of Commerce’s first rural development manager, to help rural counties and communities compete for job-creating projects. Tuck previously served in the department’s Workforce Development Division as Regional Workforce Council liaison. Before joining the department in 2016, she served in development positions in southwest Alabama, including Marengo, Dallas and Wilcox counties. – Made In Alabama
Decatur looks at extending hours for Sunday liquor sales
A proposed ordinance changing the time alcohol sales can resume on Sunday from noon to 10 a.m. was set for a first reading at Monday’s City Council meeting. The Decatur Daily reports that the proposal applies to both sales for on-premises consumption and off-premises consumption, such as package stores and grocery stores. If approved, the new law could benefit local restaurants and sports bars. It has drawn criticism from at least one local religious leader. – AP
Employee charged in slaying of co-worker at plant near Tuscaloosa
An employee at an automobile seat factory in Tuscaloosa County is charged with murder after a co-worker was shot to death on the assembly line Sunday evening. News outlets report 28-year-old Angela Nichole Mayo is being held in the shooting of 27-year-old Shanina Smith. Both women worked at Lear Corp., which makes seats for the Mercedes-Benz plant west of Birmingham. – AP
Wetumpka lawmaker files bill to change tax collection pattern
One Alabama legislator is seeking to do away with Alabama’s sales and income taxes, going as far as filing a bill on the matter in the Alabama House of Representatives Mike Holmes, R-Wetumpka, recently filed HB3, also called the “Alabama Economic Freedom Act of 2019,” which seeks to amend the state constitution by repealing sections regarding income tax, sales tax, inheritance and estate tax, replacing it with a flat-rate tax of 8.03 percent on new products and services people buy and use. – CBS
