REGION

REGION
Football playersto be at Circuit City
HOWLAND -- Circuit City will celebrate the grand opening Thursday of its new store at 2380 Niles-Cortland Road S.E. in the Eastwood Mall complex with special appearances by Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Hines Ward and Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andre Davis.
Ward and Davis will take on members of Junior Achievement of Mahoning Valley in a video game contest starting at 5 p.m., and souvenirs signed by the pro players will be sold, with proceeds to be donated to the local Junior Achievement chapter. The retailer recently moved from its previous location at 5100 Youngstown-Warren Road as part of a nationwide store revitalization program. Circuit City operates 25 stores in Ohio, including one in Boardman.
Chamber meeting
GIRARD--The Greater Girard Area Chamber of Commerce will meet at 6 p.m. July 21 at the Girard Free Library, 105 E. Prospect St.
Jobless rates reportedfor Mercer, Lawrence
SHARON, Pa. -- The jobless rate in Mercer County dropped slightly in May. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & amp; Industry reported that unemployment dropped from 5.0 to 4.9 percent. The number of people holding jobs rose from 55,100 in April to 55,400 in May while the number of unemployed actually remained constant at 2,900. In Lawrence County, the unemployment rate was at 6.4 percent in May. It had been 6.2 percent the previous month. State officials reported that in May there were 37,800 people employed and 2,500 unemployed. In April there were 2,500 unemployed people and 37,200 with jobs.
Layoffs possible
NEWARK, Ohio -- The Longaberger Co. is warning 970 employees -- nearly a fifth of its work force -- that they may be laid off in September if sales do not increase, the basket maker said Tuesday. Tami Longaberger, president and chief executive, said sales have been lower than expected for more than a year.
AK Steel expects profits
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- AK Steel Corp.'s shares surged 10 percent Tuesday after the company said it expects its second-quarter to be profitable after two years of quarterly losses. Analysts had been expecting a loss of 10 cents per share for the quarter that ended June 30. The company said it expects to report an operating profit of about $55 million. In trading Tuesday, the company's shares closed up 51 cents at $5.70 on the New York Stock Exchange.