GM Lordstown temps get permanent jobs
LORDSTOWN - Another 29 temporary workers are becoming permanent at the General Motors Co. Lordstown Complex, United Auto Workers Local 1112 union officials said.
The workers will achieve permanent status May 14, the union reported on its website. About 40 more still need to be moved into permanent jobs, officials said.
About 100 temps in the car assembly plant were moved into permanent jobs in late April.
The Saturday announcement came just before union elections, which began at 5 a.m. Monday and ended at 5 a.m. today.
Other temps at the next-door Metal Center fabricating plant also are being made permanent.
Company plans to debut high-tech 'fitting room'
NILES - Me-AlityMeasured Reality says it will show the fitting room of the future from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Eastwood Mall.
The business uses size-matching stations that send and receive low-power radio waves, recording 200,000 data points by bouncing these signals off the skin of a fully clothed consumer.
Body measurements are then compared to garment sizing specifications, and a personalized shopping guide is printed. The entire process takes less than 10 minutes.
Visit www.me-ality.com for details.
V&M expansion project gets grant
YOUNGSTOWN - The Ohio Controlling Board approved Monday a $500,000 grant to Youngstown that will be used, along with matching funds, for V&M Star's expansion project on Salt Springs Road on the city's North Side.
The money from Ohio Department of Development's Job Ready Sites Grant program will help the company renovate an existing 93,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, including site clearance, roadway, and storm sewer lines.
V&M is expanding to produce special pipe for drilling in the surrounding Utica and Marcellus natural gas formations.
Two Youngstown TV stations sold to LIN
YOUNGSTOWN - All employees of Youngstown television stations WKBN and WYTV/WYFX will be retained as part of a agreement for LIN Television Corp. to buy New Vision Television stations, New Vision said Monday.
The $330.4 million price, and the assumption of $12 million of debt, involves New Vision's 17 stations in eight television markets, including Honolulu, Portland and Savannah, besides Youngstown.
LIN reaches 7.3 percent of U.S. television households and is affiliated with all major networks, the company said. This deal would give allow it to operate or service 50 network affiliates in 23 markets and reach 10.6 percent of U.S. television households, according to a news release.
The agreement, which depends on regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is expected to close before year-end.
Local financial stocks show mixed results
In local stocks, First Place Financial Corp. gained 6 cents a share in trading Monday to close at 47 cents a share.
Cortland Bancorp dropped 10 cents to close at $8.90 a share.
First Niles Financial was unchanged, closing at $8.05 per share.