Reminder to call utility before digging

Reminder to call utility before digging

CLEVELAND

Dominion East Ohio reminds customers of Ohio law that requires the general public and contractors to call 811 at least 48 hours before any digging project in order to have underground utility lines marked.

This will help ensure safe excavation, the company said. Promoting the “call 811” and other pipeline-safety messages has helped the company reduce third-party dig-ins 50 percent over the past eight years, the company says.

US productivity recovers from Q1

WASHINGTON

U.S. workers were more productive in the April-June quarter, and labor costs rose slightly, a sharp turnaround from grim first-quarter figures.

The Labor Department said Friday that productivity increased 2.5 percent at a seasonally adjusted annual rate after plummeting 4.5 percent in the first quarter. That was the steepest drop in 31 years and reflected a sharp 2.1 percent contraction in the economy. Economists blamed most of that shrinkage on temporary factors, such as harsh weather and a cutback in stockpiling by businesses.

Productivity measures output per hour of work. Greater productivity increases living standards because it enables companies to pay their workers more without having to increase prices, which can boost inflation.

Wash. pot sales hit $3.8M in 1st month

SEATTLE

During the first month of legal marijuana sales in Washington state, stores sold just under $3.8 million, which is expected to bring in more than $1 million in state taxes, the state reported Friday.

Although licenses have been issued for about 40 stores, only 18 were selling pot in July, and 16 of them have reported sales so far in August.

“It’s off to a healthy start, considering that the system isn’t fully up and running yet,” said Brian Smith, a spokesman for the Washington Liquor Control Board.

During the first month of retail marijuana sales in Colorado, the state collected closer to $2 million in excise and sales taxes.

NHTSA probes fires in Spyder cycles

DETROIT

U.S. safety regulators are investigating two reports of fires in Can-Am Spyder three-wheeled motorcycles.

The probe covers about 52,000 motorcycles from the 2008 through 2014 model-years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Friday that the fires appear to be unrelated to three recalls of the motorcycles. One Spyder was destroyed last month in a fire while being used by the Morgantown, W.V., Police Department. Another burned in the Mojave Desert region of California.

The safety agency says it will look into what caused the fires. Investigations can lead to recalls.

The motorcycles are made by Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. of Canada. Messages were left seeking a comment from the company.

Vindicator staff/wire reports