Done deal: Atlanta-based Georgia Gulf Corp.—which operates a facility in Plaquemines, among others—has completed a $900 million deal to acquire the commodities chemicals business of Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries. The deal included the creation of a new company, Axiall Corp., which consists of the former PPG unit and Georgia Gulf’s business. The spin-off was initially announced in July. The company began being traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AXLL on Jan. 29.
Tragedy in Wilmington: A gunman opened fire this morning in a Wilmington, Del., courthouse lobby just as the building was opening to the public for the day, exchanging shots with police and leaving three people—including the shooter—dead, authorities say. A Delaware State Police spokesman says the suspected gunman and two women are dead. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden held an afternoon news conference, saying the shooting was not a random act of violence but the result of a custody dispute. Two police officers suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The full story is here.
Time to move on: Many in Germany haven’t always had an easy relationship with the conservative-minded Pope Benedict XVI, but most praised their countryman’s courage today for his decision to step down from his position amid failing health. Chancellor Angela Merkel, a Protestant, says that the 85-year-old pope’s decision that he was no longer fit enough to continue in the job earns her “very highest respect.” The pope’s elder brother, 89-year-old Georg Ratzinger, says he had known for months of the pope’s decision. Others, however, were caught off guard. The full story is here.
