Business News: Volkswagen investing $107 billion globally

photo A Volkswagen employee prepares to install a back-up camera on a 2013 Passat at the Chattanooga plant.

Volkswagen investing $107 billion globally

Volkswagen AG is to plow about $107 billion into its business over the next five years to fuel expansion and develop new models and technology as it tries to top Toyota as the world's sales leader.

In addition, VW plans to invest $27.5 billion into its joint ventures in China to build new production facilities and products in the period from 2015 to 2019. These investments will be financed from the joint ventures' own funds, the company said Friday.

VW already has announced it's spending $900 million on an expansion of its Chattanooga plant, where it plans to assemble a new sport utility vehicle off its CrossBlue concept in 2016. The company also plans to hire 2,000 more workers.


Georgia tops in joblessness

Despite the drop in Georgia's jobless rate last month, the 7.7 percent unemployment rate in Georgia during October remained the highest of any state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Satistics said Friday.

Jobless rates fell in 34 states last month, including a drop from 7.9 percent to 7.7 percent in Georgia, a drop from 7.3 percent to 7.1 percent in Tennessee and a decline from 6.6 percent to 6.3 percent in Alabama. All three states still had jobless rates above the U.S. rate of 5.8 percent in October, however.

The unemployment rate was lowest last month in North Dakota at 2.8 percent.


AFC adds clinic in Fort Oglethorpe

American Family Care, one of the nation's largest operators of urgent care clinics, is opening a new clinic at 26 Parkway Drive in Fort Oglethorpe. Ground was broken this week to build the new clinic, which will be the 7th in Georgia for AFC, the second largest privately owned urgent care operator in the United States. The company operates another local clinic on Cummings Highway in Lookout Valley.

"We're excited to offer folks in the Chattanooga area the opportunity to get further access to quality health care with our new clinic in Fort Oglethorpe," Dr. Bruce Irwin, founder and CEO of American Family Care, said in a statement. "We are well-established in the state of Georgia and we are excited to expand in the Chattanooga area, providing another way for us to serve area residents, saving them time and money."

Founded by Irwin in Hoover, Ala., in 1982, AFC clinics offer primary, urgent and emergency care and occupational medicine. In 2013, AFC acquired Doctors Express, the largest national urgent care franchise creating AFC/Doctors Express brands across the country.


GigLab launches at public library

In partnership with the Mozilla Foundation and the National Science Foundation, Chattanooga Public Library will launch GigLab on its fourth floor today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event includes workshops and demonstrations involving SparkFun Electronics, Minecraft, an Arduino-related project, building an app, audio-mixing and others.

GigLab is designed specifically for gigabit-related experimentation and learning, application testing and workforce development. It allows the general public access to enterprise-level gigabit connected hardware, as well as a variety of short-session and hands-on courses regarding networking as a whole, and other gigabit-focused projects. Also, GigLab will offer partnerships with nonprofit organizations and startups.

GigLab will be open, 2-8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 2-6 p.m. Friday.


Rally set today against Koch Foods

Southeast Voice for Animals will demonstrate today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. outside the Koch Foods chicken slaughterhouse in Chattanooga following the release of undercover video earlier this week that depicts the cruel treatment of animals inside the facility.

"This will be a peaceful demonstration on public sidewalks to raise awareness about the issues of inherent cruelty in factory farming and slaughterhouses - with particular emphasis on what happens in our own city," said Kayla Taylor, spokesperson for the Chattanooga-based group.

Mercy for Animals, a national non-profit that focuses on undercover investigations into factory farms and slaughterhouses, released video clips Wednesday that were recorded by an undercover worker in the Cappella Street slaughterhouse owned by Koch Foods. The video shows chickens that were repeatedly scaled alive by hot water after having their necks, chests or wings slashed.

Koch said the video gives "inaccurate and out-of-context depictions" of the factory and a Misissippi chicken house. The company said 16 food inspectors are at the plant and Koch has not been cited for any violations of USDA regulations.

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