Fertitta returning to TV
“Billion Dollar Buyer,” the CNBC reality show hosted by Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, returns for its second season at 9 p.m. Nov. 22.
In the show, Fertitta travels the country and takes entrepreneurs under his wing, coaching them on their business growth strategies. This season features 12 hourlong episodes. Fertitta will deal with 24 businesses this season, including five from Houston, according to a news release.
Three Japanese shipping lines plan merger
TOKYO — Three major Japanese container shipping lines said Monday they plan to merge their shipping and overseas terminal operations as the industry struggles with overcapacity.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen K.K. and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, or K Line, said that they are forming a joint venture. They also are merging terminal management businesses outside Japan.
Judge approves chemical spill settlement
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver on Monday tentatively approved a $151 million settlement involving two companies sued over a 2014 chemical spill that contaminated drinking water in southern West Virginia.
Stuart Calwell, an attorney representing residents and businesses, said that under the settlement, West Virginia American Water Co. will pay $126 million and chemical maker Eastman Chemical will pay $25 million. The money will be distributed to any resident or business in the affected area through an application process to be determined later.
Third-quarter loss not as steep for Anadarko
Though the loss wasn’t as steep as a year ago, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. missed analysts’ third-quarter projections.
The Woodlands-based company logged a net loss of $830 million, or $1.61 per diluted share, the company reported, which improved on its recorded net loss of $2.24 billion and $4.41 per diluted share during the third quarter of 2015.
McDonald’s settles workers’ lawsuit on wages
SAN FRANCISCO — McDonald’s has agreed to pay nearly $3.8 million to settle a federal lawsuit that sought to hold the company liable for allegations that a franchise owner in the San Francisco Bay area cheated hundreds of workers out of wages and overtime.
A lawyer for the workers on Monday called the settlement agreement a historic victory, but the company said it settled to avoid ongoing legal costs.
The lawsuit is among several suits in recent years that have sought a court order designating McDonald’s as the joint employer of workers at its franchise restaurants.
Franchised locations account for the vast majority of McDonald’s more than 14,000 U.S restaurants.
Southwest flight attendants OK new labor pact
DALLAS — Flight attendants at Southwest Airlines have narrowly ratified a new contract, with 54 percent of those voting favoring the deal, which includes a signing bonus and pay raises.
The Dallas-based company and the flight attendants union said Monday that the contract includes pay raises of 6 percent immediately, 3 percent in 2017 and 3 percent in 2018, and a signing bonus of 15.9 percent.
Greenspoint District has a name change
The Greenspoint District, a 25-year-old management district around Interstate 45 North and Beltway 8, has changed its name to the North Houston District to reinforce that it’s more than office and retail space.
The North Houston District spans a 12-square-mile area with 20 million square feet of office, retail and industrial properties, including the Pinto Business Park.
Greenspoint’s office sector has been hard hit by the energy downturn.
In other news …
• The Treasury Department auctioned $42 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 0.350 percent, up from 0.340 percent last week. Another $36 billion in sixmonth bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 0.500 percent, up from 0.475 percent.
• The Federal Reserve said that the average yield for one-year Treasury bills was flat at 0.66 percent.