New energy facility

New energy facility

new Springfield

Waste Management broke ground Friday on a gas-to-electric facility at the Mahoning Landfill in New Springfield.

When construction is completed, the landfill will generate 4.8 megawatts of energy, which is enough to power more than 3,500 homes. The plant will be operational by the end of the year.

The facility will use the methane gas that is produced by decomposition in engines that will create electricity.

Waste Management owns or operates more than 130 landfill gas-to-energy facilities in North America.

Recruiting event

boardman

The Mahoning County One-Stop will host a recruiting event with open interviews for Windsor House for state-tested nursing assistants from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at 141 Boardman- Canfield Road.

Positions are full- and part-time and pay up to $11.05 an hour with full benefits and educational assistance. Interested individuals should bring a resume, be prepared to complete an application and interview. Applicants should have an STNA license or be willing to be trained.

For information, call the One-Stop at 330-965-1787.

New Sears owners

Youngstown

The Youngstown Sears Appliance and Hardware store at 6009 Mahoning Avenue has been franchised to new owners, CPS Operations LLC.

The new owners plan a celebration that will include discounts and giveaways.

First Niles dividends

niles

First Niles Financial, the parent company of Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Niles, has announced cash dividends for two stocks for the second quarter of 2012.

The company will pay 8 cents per share on common stock and 9 cents per share for preferred class A stock. The dividend will be payable June 15 to shareholders of record June 1.

First Niles had $105.6 million in assets and $13.5 million in stockholder equity at the end of the first quarter. The stock trades on the Nasdaq Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board under the symbol FNFI.OB.

AMR agrees to study merger idea

DALLAS

American Airlines says it is agreeing with creditors to consider potential mergers while it is still under bankruptcy protection.

American parent AMR Corp. says that the company and its bankruptcy creditors agreed to develop “potential consolidation scenarios,” but that didn’t mean it would pursue a deal with any particular party.

Still, Friday’s announcement suggested that events could be moving faster than AMR had expected since US Airways turned up the pressure for merger talks.

AMR CEO Thomas Horton has said for months that he wanted American, the nation’s third-biggest airline, to emerge from bankruptcy protection as an independent company. A bankruptcy judge granted AMR the exclusive right through late September to present a reorganization plan to the court.

Vindicator staff/wire reports