Looking ahead: State senators and representatives will offer a preview of the 2017 legislative session during a town hall meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the LSU Law Center’s McKernan Auditorium. The town hall is being hosted by the LSU Law Center and presented by the LSU Law Student Bar Association. The lawmakers will answer questions about the future of higher education in Louisiana and the state’s ongoing budget shortfall. Panelists include state representatives and senators as well as Jay Dardenne, commissioner of administration for Gov. John Bel Edwards. The event is open to the public, and a reception will be held starting at 5:30 p.m. The legislative session begins April 10. Get more information.
New territory: Utah-based restaurant development and management company Four Food Group has purchased 48 Little Caesars Restaurants in Louisiana and Alabama. The final terms of the deal and the exact locations of the restaurants were not disclosed. In a news release, FFG says the acquisitions cap off a period of recent activity in which the firm also acquired the R&RBarbecue restaurant concept and its locations in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the acquisition of The Soda Shop and its Arizona-based locations. In all, FFG now has 97 restaurants in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Alabama and Louisiana, with 2017 annual revenues projected to exceed more than $150 million. FFG Co-Founder Shauna K. Smith says the firm is convinced the Little Caesars franchises are positioned for growth in rural areas of Louisiana and Alabama. Read more.
Settled: San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $110 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over roughly 2 million accounts its employees opened for customers without getting their permission. The Associated Press reports that the settlement, announced on Tuesday, is the first deal the bank has reached since it paid a $185 million fine to federal and California authorities late last year. Authorities said bank employees, driven by high-pressure sales tactics, opened the bank and credit card accounts without customer authorization. The settlement includes customers who had accounts opened without their permission, or were signed up for a product they did not agree to, going back to Jan. 1, 2009. Read more.
