LOCAL

LOCAL
Packard Electric hallaccepts nominations
WARREN -- Nominations are being accepted through March 15 for inductees into the Packard Electric Excellence Hall of Fame. The hall of fame recognizes past employees who have made a significant contribution to the company's success.
The first inductions were in 1993, and 33 past employees have been honored with Delphi Packard Electric's highest individual award, including the company's founders, former general managers, engineers and a former union official.
The hall of fame, sponsored by the National Packard Museum and supported by Delphi Packard Electric, will hold its annual ceremony in June.
Nomination forms can be obtained by calling Tracey Pritchard at (330) 373-7820.
NATIONAL
Record amount of claimspaid by insurers in 2004
NEW YORK -- U.S. property and casualty insurers paid out a record $27.3 billion to cover the losses homeowners and businesses sustained in hurricanes and other catastrophic events in 2004, according to a company that tracks insurance data.
The ISO said the total surpassed the previous high of $26.5 billion paid claims in 2001, which included the terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
ISO's property claim services unit recorded 22 catastrophic events last year.
American Airlines lose pillows to cut costs
FORT WORTH, Texas -- American Airlines said Wednesday that pillows will be removed from most flights beginning Tuesday in a cost-cutting move expected to save an additional $370,000.
"Almost all of our domestic aircraft have adjustable headrests, and we'll still provision blankets for lumbar support, which is what the pillows were used for by customers a lot of times," American spokesman Tim Wagner said Wednesday.
American announced in November that it was removing pillows from its MD-80s, which saves time and money by enabling workers to clean cabins faster. Now the pillows will be tossed from all 737s, 757s, Airbus A300s that fly with the continental 49 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
Hewlett-Packard oustsCEO; stocks up on news
SAN FRANCISCO -- Carly Fiorina's nearly six-year reign at Hewlett-Packard Co. ended abruptly Wednesday as board members forced her out, disappointed by her inability to transform a plodding technology giant dominated by printer sales into a more nimble innovator.
HP's stock, which has gone nowhere for two years and is down two-thirds from its peak in 2000, rose almost 7 percent after earlier soaring almost 11 percent on the news of her ouster.
Board members said they fired the chief executive because Fiorina failed to slash costs and boost revenue as quickly as directors had hoped.
INTERNATIONAL
Wal-Mart to close store,citing unrealistic demands
NEW YORK -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Wednesday it will close a Canadian store whose workers are on the verge of becoming the first to win a union contract from the world's biggest retailer.
Wal-Mart said it was shuttering the store in Jonquiere, Quebec, in response to unreasonable demands from union negotiators that would make it impossible for the store to sustain its business. The United Food & amp; Commercial Workers Canada last week asked Quebec labor officials to appoint a mediator, saying that negotiations had reached an impasse.
Wal-Mart spokesman Andrew Pelletier said the store will close in May.
Vindicator staff/wire reports