REGION

REGION
Kids 'R' Us in Boardmanto close doors in January
BOARDMAN -- The Kids "R" Us store at 317 Boardman-Poland Road, Boardman, will close Jan. 31.
The New Jersey-based Toys "R" Us chain said Monday it will close 11 percent of its stores worldwide, including 146 Kids "R" Us stores, 36 Imaginarium stores and distribution centers in Michigan, Georgia and New Jersey. Closings include 12 stores in Ohio and 14 in Pennsylvania.
Overall, the move will affect 3,800 workers. Toys "R" Us stores in Niles and Boardman and a Babies "R" Us store in Boardman will remain open.
State officials to ruleon aid for RMI workers
WEATHERSFIELD -- Hourly workers at RMI Titanium who have been locked out of the Weathersfield Township titanium mill since Oct. 26 expect to hear by late next week whether they qualify for state jobless benefits. Workers, represented by Local 2155 of the United Steelworkers of America, say they've been barred from coming to work since they rejected a company contract proposal.
Union leaders met Monday with representatives from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to discuss whether the situation constitutes a lockout. If the officer rules it a lockout, employees could qualify for unemployment compensation, but they would not qualify if the situation is determined to be a labor dispute.
WCI resumes productionafter weekend repairs
WARREN -- WCI Steel is slowly resuming iron production at its blast furnace after a chemical reaction forced workers at the Warren steel mill to close the furnace down all weekend for repairs.
WCI spokesman Tim Roberts said iron ore, coke and limestone are poured into the furnace on a rotating chute and heated to create molten iron. On Friday morning some of those raw materials hung on the side of the furnace, then fell, causing a reaction. Officials are still investigating what caused the incident. There were no injuries.
Employees worked round-the-clock over the weekend to get the furnace repaired and running. Roberts said the company has a strong order book and expects to be able to keep up with its orders, despite the temporary shutdown of the furnace. WCI is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Vindicator staff/wire reports