US Fines Chesapeake $3.2M, Orders $6.5M Cleanup
Friday, December 27, 2013WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice announced that Chesapeake Appalachia LLC, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy, the nation’s second largest natural gas producer, will spend an EPA-estimated $6.5 million to restore 27 sites damaged by unauthorized discharges of fill material into streams and wetlands and to implement a comprehensive plan to comply with federal and state water protection laws at the company’s natural gas extraction sites in West Virginia, many of which involve hydraulic fracturing operations.
CPAs Doubt Affordable Care Act Will Benefit Business
Friday, December 27, 2013YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- How to comply with the Affordable Care Act -- or whether it’s to their advantage to drop health insurance coverage and pay the penalty -- is on the minds of small-business owners who employ 50 and more.
“Business owners are very much concerned,” says Gregory L. Gett, principal and president of Packer Thomas, a public accounting firm headquartered in Canfield. “There’s so much uncertainty. Even insurance providers don’t know the answers. … The worst thing [for a business owner] is uncertainty.”
Gett knows firsthand of what he speaks.
Gibson Insurance Seeks Votes for Donation Recipient
Friday, December 27, 2013GIRARD, Ohio -- The Gibson Agency LLC is polling visitors to its Facebook page on what nonprofit organization they would like to see receive a $5,000 donations. This is the second year for the company’s annual holiday giving campaign, says Katie Gething, director of marketing and agency development. A total of $10,000 will be shared by 10 nonprofits.
Shell Gets Another Extension to Buy Cracker Plant Site
Thursday, December 26, 2013YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Shell Chemical LP wants more time to decide whether to build an ethane cracker plant in Monaco, Pa., but an announcement this morning suggests the conglomerate is leaning in favor of making the $3.2 billion investment.
New, Higher Taxes for Smallest Businesses
Thursday, December 26, 2013YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- With 2014 just days, the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) warns of new and rising taxes for America’s smallest businesses.
DFW Furniture Begins Liquidation Sale Dec. 26
Tuesday, December 24, 2013COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Designer Furniture Warehouse, also know as DFW Furniture, begins its bankruptcy liquidation sale Dec. 26 at eight of its stores in the region, including the DFW outlet at the Eastwood Mall in Niles.
The company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy Nov. 13 “due to economic pressures caused by the recent recession,” states its announcement of the liquidation sales. Its bankruptcy petition lists assets and debts each in the range of $1 million to $10 million.
Foreclosure Rates Drop in Youngstown-Warren
Tuesday, December 24, 2013YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Foreclosure rates in Youngstown-Warren-Boardman decreased for the month of October over the same period last year to 3.23%, CoreLogic reported Monday. The rate was 4.42% in October 2012.
However, foreclosure activity in the region was higher than the national foreclosure rate, which was 2.15% for October, according to CoreLogic. A foreclosure is defined by the legal process by which an owner's right to a property is terminated, usually due to default.
They Make Their World, and Ours, a Better Place
Monday, December 23, 2013YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- They have careers of serving others, improving the lives of others, or making products that serve others. Then on their own time they volunteer for various worthy causes. Their energy seems boundless, the equivalent of perpetual motion.
The nominees for 25 Under 35, again this year, are a group who put others before self, possess an inner confidence, an optimism that if they can’t make the world a better place, they can make this corner of it a better place.
Where did these outstanding your professionals get this attitude or develop it?
Ohio Employers Earn $9.4M in Safety Rebates
Monday, December 23, 2013COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Thousands of Ohio employers are receiving more than $9.4 million in savings for their participation in one of 78 safety councils sponsored by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Division of Safety & Hygiene. Safety councils are organized throughout the state by local businesses.
SCH Changes to Salem Regional Medical Center
Saturday, December 21, 2013SALEM, Ohio -- Salem Community Hospital is changing its name to Salem Regional Medical Center effective Jan. 1. The new name acknowledges the hospital’s growth and expanded services, officials say, along with reflecting its commitment to providing medical services to the region as an independent, nonprofit medical center.