Erie Times-News (Erie, PA) articles from October 2001

Erie Times-News (Erie, PA) archives from October 2001

Erie, Pa., Steel Company Workers Reject Buyout Offer.
October 2, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 2--Union workers at Erie Forge and Steel rejected Tuesday a potential buyer's contract proposal for the second time in two weeks. "It was closer, but it was voted down," said Bill Wolfram, a staff...

Largest Industrial Employer in Crawford County, Pa., to Furlough 100 Workers.
October 4, 2001... Byline: John Bartlett Oct. 4--MEADVILLE, Pa.-- Channellock Inc., Crawford County's largest industrial employer, will lay off 100 of its 580 workers at the end of the second shift on Friday. Employees were notified of the pending layoff...

Erie, Pa., Steel Company Cuts Health Benefits to Retirees.
October 4, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 4--Erie Forge and Steel Inc. retirees will apparently lose their health care benefits regardless of whether the company is sold. In a letter to retirees dated Sept. 24, a forge official wrote: "Due to the events...

Union Workers at Erie, Pa., Forge and Steel Plant Plan Third Contract Vote.
October 5, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 5--Some union workers at Erie Forge and Steel Inc. are apparently hoping a proposed labor agreement will be met with a warmer reception the third time around. Members of United Steelworkers of America Local...

Third Time's a Charm for Erie, Pa., Forge, Steel Firm's Contract Vote.
October 6, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 6--After twice rejecting the same offer, union workers at Erie Forge and Steel Inc. voted Friday morning to accept the terms of a proposed labor agreement with Ohio-based Durrel Corp. Durrel, which operates a...

Erie, Pa.-Area Real Estate Firm Executes Another Acquisition.
October 10, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 10--In the latest in a string of mergers among local real estate firms, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services announced Tuesday that it had acquired Crandell & Associates, the largest woman-owned real estate company in...

Travelers Given Advice about Dealing with New Security Restrictions.
October 11, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Oct. 11--Denise Miller said she realized that the authorities at Denver International Airport were serious about security when they made passengers take off their cowboy boots and shove them through X-ray machines. ...

Union City, Pa., Ponders 'What Next?' As Fiber Glass Plant Closes.
October 11, 2001... Byline: John Bartlett Oct. 11--Pauline Kleszczowski took her lunch break Wednesday on a thin strip of grass in front of the Molded Fiber Glass Plant in Union City where she has worked for the past three years. Shielding her eyes from...

Ohio-Based Firm Offers $10.7 Million for Erie, Pa., Forge and Steel.
October 11, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 11--Pending the approval of U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Warren W. Bentz, Erie Forge and Steel Inc. could have a new owner by the end of the year. Attorneys for the employee-owned company filed motions Wednesday,...

Erie Times-News, Pa., People on the Move Column.
October 12, 2001... Oct. 12--PENN STATE BEHREND ALUMNUS Michael J. Woods, president and CEO of Telesource Services, recently returned to campus to accept the college's 2001 Alumni Fellow award -- the most prestigious honor given by the Penn State Alumni...

Sales Up at Erie, Pa., Firearm Stores.
October 12, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 12--The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 appear to have fueled interest in firearms, local gun shop owners report. The change has been modest, but the trend is clear, said Bob McDowell, owner of Bob's Gun Shop &...

Cost Should Be Lower to Heat Homes This Winter in Erie, Pa., Area.
October 12, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 12--The price of winter warmth could be a little lower this heating season. However, a range of factors -- including war, the economy and weather patterns -- will ultimately have something to say about this...

Prospective Buyer Would Keep Steel Company in Erie, Pa.
October 12, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 12--John Berringer, chief executive officer of the Durrel Corp., isn't ready to discuss his plans for Erie Forge and Steel Inc. But he makes one thing clear -- the company's future is in Erie. If Ohio-based...

Erie, Pa.-Area Firms Encouraged to Expand International Trade.
October 12, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 12--Dan Renberg is a government-paid risk taker, a political appointee charged with lending federal money to risky overseas companies that cannot get a nibble from commercial lenders. Brazilian railroad...

Erie, Pa., Chamber Honors Efforts to Promote Leadership among Women.
October 12, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 12--Kathleen Scheppner was humble Thursday as she reflected on being chosen as the first ever recipient of Erie's Athena Award. "I happened to be born into the right family that owned American Tinning and...

Head of U.S. Export-Import Bank Speaks to Crowd in Erie, Pa.
October 14, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 14--Dan Renberg is a government-paid risk taker, a political appointee charged with lending federal money to risky overseas companies that cannot get a nibble from commercial lenders. Brazilian railroad...

International Paper Workers Stunned by Closure Announcement in Erie, Pa.
October 17, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 17--For as long as he can remember, Joe Weigle figured he would spend his life making paper at the Hamermill plant on East Lake Road. "Your family worked there and you knew where you were going to go," said...

International Paper Plant Closing in Erie, Pa., to Result in 760 Job Losses.
October 17, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 17--International Paper Co. announced Tuesday that it will close its Erie paper and pulp mill, a move that will leave 760 workers unemployed and shutter a 103-year-old plant that has been a longtime symbol of...

Erie, Pa., Community Leaders Plot Next Step with International Paper.
October 18, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 18--As International Paper Co. moves ahead with plans to close its Erie mill, Erie economic development leaders and elected officials are joining forces for an effort that they hope will persuade the company to...

Erie, Pa., Airport Took $200,000 Hit in September, Officials Say.
October 23, 2001... Byline: Jim Carroll Oct. 23--Erie International Airport's precarious financial picture was brought into clearer focus Tuesday as airport officials discussed the $200,000 blow the facility took as revenues dried up and security costs soared...

Verizon Begins Long-Distance Service in Pennsylvania.
October 23, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 23--Verizon Communications -- already the top dog in the state's local phone market -- is rolling out its long-distance service on Pennsylvania customers today. Verizon's entry, which was approved by the...

Recession Should Be Mild to Average, PNC Financial's Chief Economist Says.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 25--To Stuart Hoffman's way of thinking, economic recessions have something in common with T-shirts -- they come in different sizes. Hoffman, senior vice president and chief economist for PNC Financial...

Optimism Fades on Getting New Tenant for Closing Erie, Pa., Paper Mill.
October 25, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 25--As Erie officials begin their effort to find a new industrial tenant for International Paper Co.'s pulp and paper mill on East Lake Road, they are finding that their toughest foe could be the paper company...

Erie Times-News, Pa., People on the Move Column.
October 26, 2001... Oct. 26--ROMOLO CHOCOLATES of Erie recently announced that it had promoted two people: Anthony R. Stefanelli has been named manager of chocolate production and wholesale accounts. He will oversee the manufacture, packaging and inventory of...

Erie, Pa., Union Gets First Layoff Notice from International Paper.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 26--Less than a week after International Paper Co. announced plans to close its Erie pulp and paper mill, the company served the union with a 60-day layoff notice. Individual employees have not received pink...

Realtor Moves Into New Role at Pittsburgh-Based Firm.
October 26, 2001... Byline: Jim Martin Oct. 26--Betty Crandell will never forget that first sale. Three families had shown an interest in the modest brick house, and one of them stepped forward with an offer. "I sat down in the middle of the floor with a...

Erie County, Pa., Unemployment Rate Drops to 5.1 Percent for September.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 29--Erie County's September unemployment rate offers a ray of sunshine in what has been a gloomy economic picture. The county's rate of 5.1 percent represents a drop from August's unemployment rate of 5.4...

Erie, Pa.-Area Companies Launch Technology Council.
October 29, 2001... Byline: Peter Panepento Oct. 29--In a region known more for smokestacks and train cars than microchips and broadband, those who labor in technology are a forgotten force. Internet service providers, Web site developers and high-tech...