Fairfield Inn opens today in Athens, Tenn.
The 100-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott opens today in Athens, Tenn.
Located at 106 Burkett L. Witt Boulevard, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Athens will operate as a Marriott franchise, owned and managed by Daly Hotel Management of Greensboro, N.C. General Manager Cory Grubb and Director of Sales Melody Gibby lead the management team at the hotel.
“Delivering both function and comfort, our new design and décor elevate the Fairfield brand, setting a new standard in the moderate tier category,” said Callette Nielsen, vice president and global brand manager, Fairfield Inn & Suites.
Hotel amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, an exercise room, valet laundry service, complimentary Wi-Fi, as well as fax and copy services, and offers 600 square feet of meeting space to accommodate functions of up to 40 people. A complimentary hot breakfast is also available for guests.
Rates begin at $149 per night.
Fuel prices on the rise as summer nears
As summer travel season approaches, gas prices in Chattanooga are up nearly 53 cents per gallon from a year ago.
The average retail gasoline prices in Chattanooga increased another 1.6 cents per gallon in the past week, rising to an average of $2.52 per gallon, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 170 gas outlets in Chattanooga released Monday. Although still four cents per gallon below the temporary spike reached last September after hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Chattanooga gas prices are approaching the highest price in four years.
Local prices at the pump are still $1.34 per gallon below the U.S. average of $3.86 per gallon and remain the lowest among Tennessee’s major metro markets, GasBuddy.com said.
$240 million Nucor steel mill set for Arkansas
HICKMAN, Ark. – A North Carolina-based steel company is furthering its expansion in northeast Arkansas with a planned $240 million sheet metal production line.
Arkansas Business reported that Nucor Corp. recently announced the galvanizing line for the company’s plant in Hickman. The line is expected to operate by 2021 with capacity to produce a half-million tons of steel sheet metal annually.
The company hasn’t given details on potential jobs accompanying the new line. But Arkansas Economic Development Commission spokeswoman Brandi Hinkle expects about 100 new positions.
The announcement comes on the heels of a $230 million cold mill project at the plant. That line was announced in 2016 and is expected to be completed soon.
Nucor has a three-decade history in Mississippi County, employing nearly 1,700 people at four facilities there.
Charlie Brown joins Sony in Peanuts deal
Charlie Brown may be joining Sony.
Japanese electronics maker Sony Corp. said Monday that it is buying a stake in Peanuts Holdings, the company behind Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
Sony Music Entertainment signed a deal with DHX Media, based in Nova Scotia, Canada, to acquire 49 percent of the 80 percent stake DHX holds in Peanuts.
Under the deal, Sony Music will own 39 percent and DHX 41 percent. The family members of Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, will continue to own 20 percent of Peanuts. The parties hope to complete the acquisition on or about June 30, according to Tokyo-based Sony.
Sony said it sees Peanuts as “world class,” and hopes to use its character business expertise to strengthen the brand and push the business to grow. Snoopy and other Peanuts characters are extremely popular in Japan, featured in a variety of everyday goods from T-shirts to plastic chopsticks.
Salt Lake Tribune cuts staff by a third
The Salt Lake Tribune laid off one-third of its staff in a major reduction that comes two years after a wealthy Utah family purchased the newspaper.
The Tribune reported that 34 of the newsroom’s 90 employees were informed Monday they were being let go. Owner and publisher Paul Huntsman told the staff last week that layoffs were coming due to declining advertising revenues and shrinking circulation. The newspaper is also cutting back on news sections in its print editions.
The cuts are the fourth round of layoffs since 2011, but first under Huntsman’s ownership. The newsroom was enjoying increased stability under Huntsman and won a Pulitzer Prize last year, after dealing with staff reductions and fearing closure under the previous owner: New York-based Digital First Media.