Food City aids Hurricane Harvey relief
In the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, Food City has launched a chain-wide fundraising campaign to benefit storm relief efforts.
Food City has pledged a $10,000 contribution to kick-off the fund-raising efforts. Through Sept. 6, Food City customers wishing to make a monetary donation will be invited to do so at the checkout, with their contribution added to their order total.
All of the funds raised will be allocated between The Salvation Army, Samaritan’s Purse and The Houston Food Bank.
“Many residents in the Houston area have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey and the continuing flooding,” Food City President Steve Smith said. “We encourage our loyal customers and associates to join us in support of this critical need.”
Headquartered in Abingdon, Va., K-VA-T Food Stores operates 132 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, Chattanooga and North Georgia.
NFI adds 170 jobs to Tennessee center
NFI, one of North America’s largest logistics providers, plans to create nearly 170 new jobs over the next five years by establishing a $7.2 million distribution facility in Smyrna, Tenn.
NFI, headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., provides end-to-end supply chain solutions across the United States and Canada. The new Smyrna location will serve as a distribution and fulfillment center for customers throughout the Southeast region.
In addition to distribution, NFI offers solutions in commercial real estate, dedicated transportation, brokerage, transportation management, intermodal and global logistics across a wide range of industries including retail, consumer packaged goods, and food and beverage.
“NFI continues to grow rapidly and we are excited to bring this new location to the Nashville area,” NFI President and Vice Chairman Jeff Brown said.
State tax collections up a strong 4.3 percent
Tennessee tax revenues for July again exceeded the state’s budget projections.
Finance and Administration Commissioner Larry Martin said July ended the fiscal year with a net positive growth of 4.13 percent compared to revenues reported in the same month one year ago. Overall, July revenues were $1.1 billion, which is $27.4 million more than the state budgeted.
“July revenues recorded somewhat stronger than anticipated growth in the sales tax and corporate business tax categories,” Martin said. “All other taxes, taken as a group, were also in excess of the budgeted estimates.”
For the month of July, general fund revenues exceeded the budgeted estimate in the amount of $26.2 million. The four other funds that share in state tax revenues were also in excess of budgeted expectations by $1.2 million.
Divorce bill blocks Britain’s EU exit
The European Union and Britain were locked Thursday in a bitter fight over the divorce bill London will have to pay on Brexit, a standoff that fuels concerns over a messy breakup with no deal at all.
Britain is insisting that it has no obligation to meet all the EU’s financial demands while the EU says that without clarity on the bottom line, it will refuse to heed Britain’s demand to quickly open talks on a future relationship which would be vital for a smooth transition once Britain leaves the EU in March 2019.
The two sides remained at loggerheads over a number of issues beyond Britain’s financial commitments, including the rights of citizens in each other’s areas and the Irish border.
“We did not get any decisive progress on any principal subjects,” Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, said at a press conference after the conclusion of the third round of separation talks.
Motel 6 pays fine over human trafficking
Motel 6 has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Los Angeles that alleged one of the chain’s locations was a base for human traffickers, drug dealers and gang members, prosecutors said.
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the money will be used to help deter human trafficking.
The city in November sued the managers of a motel in the city’s Sylmar neighborhood and G6 Hospitality Property LLC, which operates the Motel 6 chain, seeking to quell what city officials called “unrelenting crime and nuisance activity.”
Los Angeles police had made more than 60 arrests at the location since 2013 for prostitution, battery, firearms possession and drug-related charges, authorities said.