REGION

REGION

Volt to be on display at chamber meeting

YOUNGSTOWN — General Motors’ new electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, will be on display at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber’s annual meeting at 11:30 a.m. March 26 at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman. Poland native Bob Boniface, design director for the car, is the keynote speaker.

Being honored are David Sweet, president of Youngstown State University, William G. Lyden Jr. Spirit of the Valley Award; Brian Governor, president of P&W Marketing, Donald Cagigas Spirit of the Chamber Award; and U.S. Rep. John Boccieri, Chairman’s Political Achievement Award.

Reservations are due by Friday by calling (330) 744-2131, ext. 12, or going to www.regionalchamber.com.

Local groups can join outreach program

YOUNGSTOWN — Community organizations that want to participate in an upcoming community outreach program have until April 1 to register with the Ohio Department of Commerce by sending at e-mail to alex.bilchak@com.state.oh.us. Organizations also can call Linda Burke of Local 1112 of the United Auto Workers at (330) 501-3710.

The state agency at will have the outreach event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 15 at the Chevrolet Centre in Youngstown. It is designed to help people who are out of work. An earlier event in Warren attracted 3,000 people.

Insurance seminar to aid former Delphi workers

HOWLAND — First Place Insurance will sponsor a seminar on health insurance for former Delphi Corp. employees at 6 p.m. March 24 at Leo’s Ristorante. Representatives from Aetna, Anthem and Medical Mutual of Ohio will present information and answer questions. Reservations can be made by calling First Place Insurance at (330) 726-4636.

Program promotes innovation, technology

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Business Incubator and the Advanced Manufacturing Initiative are offering a program to promote innovation and technology.

Allen Jones, program director of FirstLink, will speak from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the incubator, 241 W. Federal St. FirstLink is a Department of Defense program that connects businesses to the department by assisting with technology validation, transfer, licensing and commercialization. FirstLink’s services are provided at no charge.

Reservations can be made with Julie Michael Smith at the incubator at jmsmith@ybi.org or (330) 259-7644.

BBB issues warning about seeking grants

YOUNGSTOWN — The Better Business Bureau is warning the public to be wary of companies that offer free advice on how to get government grants. The agency notes that dozens of Web sites claim that, because of the recently passed stimulus package and other actions taken by President Barack Obama, consumers can easily get government grants to pay bills or get out of debt. Contrary to such claims, the federal government does not award grants to help consumers pay general debt, the BBB said.

Complaints to the BBB show that people who sought free advice were ultimately charged as much as $69.95 every month on their credit or debit card.

Vindicator staff reports