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Charter One continues to grow
Cleveland - Charter One Financial Inc. on Thursday said
it has agreed to acquire Advance Bancorp Inc. for $72 million
in Charter One common stock.
Advance, which operates principally in Cook County, Ill.,
which includes Chicago, has about $632 million in assets, $491
million in deposits and operates 14 branch offices. Upon
completion of the merger, Charter One's Chicago franchise will
have about $6.6 billion in deposits and 96 branches.
Canton Candy Company Files for Bankruptcy
Protection
Canton-based Harry London Candies filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection Wednesday. Faced with massive debt after
expansion investments, the 80-year-old company is seeking
protection from creditors. Officials say the stores will remain
open as the company tries to turn itself around.
Goodyear plans job cuts
Akron - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on Thursday
announced a restructuring plan at its Akron corporate
headquarters and throughout its North American tire
organizations that will result in the elimination of more than
700 salaried staff positions.
Of the total, nearly 500 jobs will be eliminated through
layoff, including 350 in Akron. The remaining layoffs will be
distributed across the corporation's other North American
locations. Approximately 200 of the job eliminations have been
achieved through attrition since the beginning of the fourth
quarter of 2002.
ODOT to Offer Online Road Conditions
Officials at the Ohio Department of Transportation say by the
end of the month, drivers will be able to check road conditions
in all of Ohio's 88 counties before they even head out the door.
Information about snow and ice, as well as major delays, will be
available on the department's Web site. The department is in the
final stages of installing pavement sensors that will give
conditions of roadways, and a weather station in each county
will relay pertinent information as well.
Governor Taft Outlines Goals, Expects
'Challenge'
Gov. Taft is promising a year of "challenge" as he
enters a second term in office. Taft acknowledged the budget
quandary in his inaugural address Monday, but called on Ohioans
to increase productivity. The governor said it was the state's
"duty" to work toward a balanced budget while funding
education, employment, and basic human services. He promised to
establish the Governor's Commission on Higher Education and the
Economy in the coming weeks. Taft also expressed the goal of
reforming the tax code for "greater simplicity and
fairness." The governor takes up his new challenge in
Ohio's Bicentennial year, one likely to be known for sacrifice
rather than overabundance.
Death Penalty Sought for Accused Priest
Murderer
Despite opposition by the Catholic church, prosecutors are
looking for the death sentence for the man accused of killing
the Rev. William Gulas. Investigators say that Daniel Montgomery
confessed to shooting the St. Stanislaus pastor to death on Dec.
7, and then attempting to cover his crime by setting fire to the
church rectory. Montgomery was indicted Monday by a Cleveland
grand jury on charges of aggravated murder and aggravated arson.
Catholic leaders say they want justice for Gulas, but they are
against the death penalty.
Child Missing Since Monday Found OK
The city of Akron is breathing a sigh of relief after a
9-year-old missing boy was found Thursday. Nathan Bagent had not
been seen since he left school on Monday, setting off a citywide
search. He was finally discovered wandering outside the Iona
Avenue home of a former Akron police officer. Nathan told police
he survived by sleeping in a doghouse and foraging through
garbage cans for food. He said he ran away because his teacher
sent a note to his parents.
Cleveland Man Dies From Postgame Hit-And-Run
A suburban Cleveland man has died from injuries he sustained in
a hit and run accident after the Steelers-Browns playoff game
this past Sunday. Twenty-five-year-old Matthew Scott died
Thursday at Allegheny General Hospital from severe head injuries
he received in the incident. Scott reportedly was struck by one
vehicle while walking across General Robinson Street and knocked
onto another. Police are still looking for the driver of the
first car.
Compromise Reached in School Newspaper Suit
Four Wooster High School students learned a valuable lesson
outside the classroom Thursday. They sued the school district in
federal court and won. School administrators confiscated 4,500
hundred copies of the Dec. 20 edition of the "Wooster
Blade," the school's newspaper, because of a controversial
story regarding the district's treatment of student athletes
caught drinking at a party. Four student editors then sued the
district for the right to distribute the papers. In an agreement
reached in court Thursday, the editors agreed to delete portions
of the original story, and the school district will allow
distribution of the paper by Monday.
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