Thousands to attend GM open house

Thousands to attend GM open house

Lordstown

More than 8,000 are expected at the General Motors Co. Lordstown facility today for the plant’s open house.

Those who pre-registered at local Chevrolet dealers will get a firsthand look at how America’s hottest-selling car — the Chevrolet Cruze — is manufactured.

For those who registered, the tours run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Strickland to head consulting firm

COLUMBUS

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland will head a new consulting firm specializing in Midwest business growth and political and advocacy campaigns.

Strickland will be joined by his top policy and political advisers during his time as governor, from 2007 to 2010, and before that his 12-year career in Congress.

Among those joining him are Steve Ricchetti, executive director of Strickland’s Democratic senatorial campaign committee, and Atty. John Haseley, Strickland’s former chief of staff.

Consignment shop sets grand opening

AUSTINTOWN

Second Time Around Consignment & Gift Shop will get a second grand opening Friday.

The store, which opened in 2006 at 4954 Mahoning Ave., is now under the ownership of Rich and RoseMary Baty-Willcox.

The store has items from clothing to furniture, garden items, vintage jewelry and antiques.

Store hours are Tuesdays from 1 to 6 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.

Follow the store on Facebook, or call 330-779-3733 for more information.

Heat-wave stats

YOUNGSTOWN

PJM Interconnection, which manages the electric grid for 13 Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, said the peak power use during last Thursday’s heat wave registered 158,450 megawatts.

In comparison, households in the PJM region used as much power in one hour as the entire country of Switzerland uses daily.

PJM has 58 million consumers; Switzerland has about 7 million residents.

Temperatures registered in the 90s last week.

IRS: Airlines can refund ticket taxes

DALLAS

The IRS is asking airlines to refund taxes to people who bought tickets before last weekend but are just now taking their trips.

Those travelers might be owed a refund because Congress let the taxes expire.

The Internal Revenue Service said on its website Wednesday that airlines can refund the taxes, just as they do when exchanging a refundable ticket that wasn’t used.

But the airlines aren’t required to issue the refund, and some are directing customers to the IRS, which is still working on a procedure for handling refunds.

Staff/wire reports