Lawmakers urge ‘no’ vote on TPA

Lawmakers urge ‘no’ vote on TPA

WARREN

On Wednesday, United Steelworkers rank-and-file members and their elected leaders will join U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, and state Sens. Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, and Joe Schiavoni of Boardman, D-33rd, for a news conference at USW Local 1375 in Warren to discuss a resolution planned to be brought before the Ohio Legislature urging members of Ohio’s delegation to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to vote against Trade Promotion Authority, commonly known as “Fast Track.”

Public hearing set on cracker plant

MONACA, PA.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced Monday it would have a public hearing on the proposed Shell cracker plant in Beaver County.

The permit for this plant is the first environmental permit Shell submitted to the DEP for the construction of the plant, which would crack ethane and manufacture polyethylene pellets for use in the plastics industry.

The public hearing is set for 6 p.m. May 5 at Central Valley High School Auditorium in Monaca. Representatives from Shell and the DEP will make presentations explaining the permit application and review process.

GM ignition-switch death toll rises to 77

DETROIT

Families of at least 77 people killed in crashes caused by defective General Motors ignition switches will get compensation from the company.

Atty. Kenneth Feinberg, who was hired by GM to compensate victims, updated the total Monday. It was up from 74 last week.

An additional 141 injured people also are eligible for compensation.

The fund received 4,342 claims by the Jan. 31 deadline. Of those, 1,263 are still under review. Feinberg says more than half are ineligible or lack documentation.

Consumer spending edges up 0.1 percent

WASHINGTON

U.S. consumers spent just slightly more in February even though their income rose by a healthy amount. But economists hope bigger paychecks will give spending a bigger boost in the coming months.

Consumer spending edged up a tiny 0.1 percent after declines of 0.2 percent in both January and December, the Commerce Department reported Monday. The result reflected a 0.4 percent increase in nondurable goods such as food and energy coupled with a 0.1 percent fall in durable goods such as automobiles.

Income grew a solid 0.4 percent in February, matching January’s rise. With income growing faster than spending, the saving rate jumped to 5.8 percent of after-tax income — the highest level since December 2012.

Economists said the rise in the saving rate reflects in part the big drop in recent months in gas prices, which acts like a tax cut that leaves more money in consumers’ pockets. Falling gas prices and continued employment growth set the stage for stronger consumer spending in the months ahead as the weather improves.

Vindicator staff/wire reports