Growing billboards, union vs. Cowboys, bump stock: Wednesday's Business Briefing

Your lunchtime look at D-FW business [Your lunchtime look at D-FW business] October 11,  2017  Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Follow us on Twitter: [@DMNBiz]( (Jae S. Lee/Staff Photographer) The Big Story Will 9-story-high billboards pop up along Texas' rural roads? The saying goes "Everything is bigger in Texas." But that hasn't been the case when it comes to billboards. For decades, Texas has capped the height of outdoor ads at 42 1/2 feet. Now, [a proposed rule from the Texas Department of Transportation](could double the maximum height of billboards to 85 feet. That would be nearly as tall as a nine-story building. Scenic Texas, an advocacy group with chapters around the state, warns that taller signs could sprout up all over the state and become eyesores for travelers, especially in the Hill Country and other parts of the Lone Star State with panoramic vistas. It says Texas' many rural areas are especially at risk. Cities can restrict outdoor signage, but counties cannot. That when the state's standard kicks in. -[Melissa Repko]( Plus: [Find more on the North Texas economy]( SPECIAL OFFER [Special offer unlimited digital access]( The Latest - Restaurants: [Al Biernat's](steakhouse is opening a second Dallas-Fort Worth restaurant in October - Retail: [Neiman Marcus](more upbeat as it stems sales drop at end of fiscal year - Real estate: New mixed-use development kicks off construction at Dallas' landmark [Village apartment community]( - Airlines: [Delta](reports $140 million hit from Hurricane Irma, sees Q3 profit fall - Economy: [Texas’ vibrant economy]( grows more diverse as its budget balances, Comptroller Glenn Hegar says Advertisement The []Slide Fire plant, which is the manufacturing site of a gun attachment called a bump stock, photographed in Moran, Texas on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News) Business in court Texas 'bump stock' maker faces lawsuit following Las Vegas mass shooting The Texas-based maker of the “bump stock”  rifle attachment has been hit with a lawsuit, seeking class-action status, for the role the device may have played in the deadliest mass shooting in American history. [The Las Vegas law firm of Eglet Prince and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence filed the suit]( against Moran-based Slide Fire Solutions LP and the “sellers, manufacturers and marketers of ‘bump stock’ devices that convert semi-automatic weapons to the functional equivalent of a machine gun," according to an announcement posted on the Brady Center website. The lawsuit, filed in the District Court of Clark County, Nev., comes more than a week after accountant-turned-assassin Stephen Paddock fired hundreds of bullets into a crowd of country music fans at an outdoor concert as part of the Route 91 Harvest Festival. At least 58 people were killed and nearly 500 were injured when a torrent of bullets rained down on the crowd from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel. -[Karen Robinson-Jacobs]( Plus: [Texans in tiny 'bump stock' birthplace worry Las Vegas shooting makes good employer a scapegoat]( ELSEWHERE in texas - Retail: [J.C. Penney]( to add seasonal workers at upcoming hiring day (Houston Chronicle) - Technology: [Cardtek co-founder]( says get ready for cars that can make mobile payments for you (Austin American-Statesman) - Airlines: San Antonio could get [new airport]( under Nirenberg initiative (San Antonio Express-News) - Health care: Amid conflict, Doggett fears [Obamacare signups]( will slip (Austin American-Statesman) - Energy: Merged [Wood Group](launches with new brand, office closures (Houston Chronicle) (Matt York/The Associated Press) SPORTS BUSINESS Union files charge against Cowboys, says Jerry Jones violated law in anthem call A local union has filed a charge against the Dallas Cowboys and the National Football League claiming that the organizations are violating players federal rights in the national anthem dispute.  Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reportedly threatened to bench players that opt to kneel when the anthem is played at the beginning of the games. “If we are disrespecting the flag then we won't play. Period,” he told the news media after Sunday’s game. “We're going to respect the flag.” [That’s a violation of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, according to the Local 100 United Labor Unions](, which represents workers in the southeastern states of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. “The law is the law. And it’s against the law to threaten someone’s job,” said chief organizer, Wade Rathke. “Mr. Jones is way, way, way out of line here. And he needs to get back in his lane.” -[Sabriya Rice]( Plus: [Suite lease at AT&T Stadium turns to bitter legal fight for fan]( Certified financial planner Katie Brewer answered questions at The Dallas Morning News' annual financial call-in on Thursday from the offices of KXAS-TV (NBC5). (Ron Baselice/Staff Photographer) personal finance D-FW financial experts answer more than 1,000 money questions — for free [Two dozen money experts answered more than 1,000 calls](Thursday evening as part of the Certified Financial Planning Association of Dallas/Fort Worth's annual "Ask a CFP" hotline event. For the first time, The News worked with its media partner, KXAS-TV (NBC5) to host the call-in at the TV station's newsroom, and both outlets featured personal finance coverage in the days leading up to the event. This year's "Ask a CFP" event also included a hotline for Spanish speakers, which was featured on NBC5's sister station, Telemundo 39, and the staff of The News' Spanish-language newspaper, Al Dia. Questions ran the gamut of money situations from millionaires asking for a second opinion about how to structure their savings to people who fell behind on debt payments and sought advice for rebuilding their credit. -[Jill Cowan]( Plus: [Find our Facebook Live inside our story on the event](. MORE ON ADVICE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNERS - Want to retire wealthy? Start with your ['money personality](' - [These Dallas dads](spent over $100K on adoption; they have some financial advice for you - All our [personal finance coverage](in one spot Follow DFW stocks: [See how top North Texas stocks performed](, as well as the oil and gas markets and major stock exchanges. DFW Top 100 Places to Work 2016: The Dallas Morning News and Workplace Dynamics partner each year to feature the [Top 100 workplaces](, based on ratings by the people who work at them. The 2017 ranking is in progress. Advertisement 👋  That's all for today! 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