Quaker City gets SBA certification

Quaker City gets SBA certification

Salem

Quaker City Castings has been certified as a HUBZone Small Business through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The certification means the company can receive more contracting opportunities through the federal government. Quaker City Castings also will be listed on the SBA website.

The company manufactures steel and iron castings that weigh up to several thousand pounds.

Workers’ comp seminar planned

Canfield

A free workers’ compensation seminar will be Tuesday from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Tippecanoe Country Club in Canfield.

Speakers at the event will include the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, East Coast Risk Management and Ohio’s No.1 MCO. Reservations can be made by calling 330-533-1195; ask for Pat or Louanne. Certified workers’ compensation advisers will be available to answer questions.

Greenwood earns GM recognition

Austintown

Greenwood Chevrolet in Austintown is having a presentation celebration Monday to commemorate its being named one of GM’s Dealers of the Year for 2011.

This is the dealership’s fifth time being recognized as a dealer of the year. This recognition goes to dealerships that are top performers for GM in sales and customer service. Greg Greenwood will travel to Detroit to accept the award.

Judge allows deal on oil spill to proceed

NEW ORLEANS

A federal judge on Wednesday preliminarily approved a proposed class-action settlement that would resolve billions of dollars in claims against BP over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier’s ruling allows the settlement process to proceed, but he will have a “fairness hearing” Nov. 8 before deciding whether to give his final approval to the deal between London-based BP PLC and a team of plaintiffs’ attorneys.

The proposed settlement doesn’t have a cap, but BP estimates it will pay about $7.8 billion to resolve more than 100,000 claims by people and businesses who blame the spill for economic losses.

US factory orders fell 1.5% in March

WASHINGTON

Demand for U.S. factory goods dropped in March by the most in three years, driven lower by a sharp fall in volatile orders for commercial aircraft. Still, more recent data suggest the decline may be temporary.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders for factory goods fell 1.5 percent. That was the steepest decline since March 2009, when the economy was mired in recession. Orders rose 1.1 percent in February.

A key reason for the drop was aircraft orders plummeted nearly 50 percent. Those orders can fluctuate sharply from month to month.

Vindicator staff/wire reports