LOCAL

LOCAL
Mattress store expansion
NILES -- America's Mattress held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for the opening of a new store at 920 Great East Plaza, Niles. Dan Martin owns the Niles store, as well as stores in Struthers and Boardman. The company expanded to the new Niles location because of customer demand.
Convocation center tours
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Regional Chamber will host a Hard Hat Tour and Mixer 4:30 p.m. Aug. 11 at Youngstown Convocation Center, 229 E. Front St. Tours start at 4:30 p.m., while the mixer will run 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will include opportunities to meet Jean Laforest, Youngstown SteelHounds Hockey Club head coach and operations director. The tour will cost $15 for members and $20 for prospective members. Tennis shoes, open-toed sandals and high heels are not allowed on the tour. Due to safety requirements, tours must be taken in advance of the mixer.
Night vision goggle fund
The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $688,350 contract to LDV Inc., Cleveland, to add night vision goggle lights on runways. The contract was awarded by the Air Force Reserve Command, Youngstown Air Reserve Station.
Business conferences
ITT Technical Institute and Harrington, Hope & amp; Mitchell, LTD., will sponsor two local business conferences Aug. 18 and 24. ITT Technical Institute will sponsor "Catalog Creation: Production & amp; Distribution," 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 18 at The Georgetown, 5949 South Ave., Boardman. Registration and breakfast begins 7:30 a.m. The presentation costs $35 for members and $45 for prospective members. The program will focus on all aspects of catalog creation. Harrington, Hope & amp; Mitchell, LTD., a law firm, will sponsor "Employee Handbook Review," noon to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at Regency House, 3704 Mahoning Ave., Austintown. Registration and lunch starts 11:30 a.m. Members pay $15, while prospective members pay $20. The program will deal with properly drafting employee handbooks and drafting information contained within the handbooks.
NATION
McDonald's upbeat report
CHICAGO -- McDonald's Corp. said Friday its second-quarter results will handily beat Wall Street's estimates as longer hours and new products continue to lift sales at the world's top-selling fast food company. Its stock surged nearly 5 percent. In a double dose of upbeat news for its investors, McDonald's released figures showing that its sales growth pace accelerated in June and said operating earnings will surpass analysts' expectations by 3 cents per share. McDonald's shares rose $1.43, or 4.8 percent, to $31.03 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Its stock had slumped since hitting a four-year high of $34.56 in March but has rebounded after dipping as low as $27.36 last week.
WORLD
Wal-Mart takes on China
SHANGHAI, China -- Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, plans to open its first store in China's biggest city, Shanghai, at the end of July, the company said Friday. Wal-Mart already operates 47 stores employing 20,000 people in China, and has its headquarters in the southern commercial center of Shenzhen. But it is a relative latecomer to Shanghai, where French rival Carrefour S.A. already operates eight of its giant stores and Germany's Metro AG is also well established. The 194,000 square foot outlet in the western district of Pudong is one of three Wal-Mart stores planned for Shanghai, home to about 20 million people -- among them many of China's wealthiest consumers, the Shanghai Daily reported.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports