Goodyear project gets grant, Akron Beacon Journal, November 14, 2008
Akron—The Goodyear headquarters project will receive $2 million in state funding and the North Canton Hoover Campus Redevelopment Project will receive $5 million, the state government announced Thursday.

Timken shows off high-tech steel mill, by Bill Lilley, Akron Beacon Journal, November 14, 2008
Canton—''It might seem a strange time to open a new small steel-bar mill targeted heavily at the automotive industry,'' said Timken Co. President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Griffith at the commissioning of the 76,000-square-foot addition to the company's Harrison Steel Plant. ''But it's always been our philosophy that we invest long-term and around our customers' needs."

Related story:Timken opens small-bar mill; Hoover project gets $5 million grant, by G. Patrick Kelley, Canton Repository, November 14, 2008 [Photo Slide Show]

190 called back to fill in at Toledo Powertrain, Toledo Blade, November 14, 2008
Toledo—Approximately 190 employees on indefinite layoff from General Motors Corp.’s Toledo Powertrain plant are to return to work Monday to cover the jobs of co-workers who are undergoing additional training.

U.S. Steel lays off 677 workers amid financial crisis, AP via Youngstown Vindicator, November 14, 2008
Pittsburgh— United States Steel Corp. said Thursday it is laying off 677 workers in the United States and Canada because of lower demand for steel amid the economic downturn.

KraftMaid gives layoff notices, Warren Tribune Chornicle, November 14, 2008
Middlefield, Ohio—The weak economy is forcing cabinet maker KraftMaid to lay off workers from its Middlefield factory and all other locations, a company spokeswoman said Thursday.

Fostoria Industries closing, by Jim Maurer, Findlay Courier, November 14, 2008
Fostoria, Ohio—Fostoria Industries Inc., a manufacturer that has been in the city for nearly a century, will cease operations early next year according to parent company TPI Corp. of Johnson City, Tenn.

Related story: Fostoria firm moving 95 jobs to Tennessee, Toledo Blade, November 15, 2008

Aleris International posts big loss in third quarter, Crain's Cleveland Business, November 12, 2008 (Subscription)

Opinion: To get ahead, Ohio must think metro, by Luis M. Proenza, Akron Beacon Journal, November 13, 2008
Akron—The author, president of the University of Akron and a member of the National Council on Competitiveness, says Ohio must plan now for long-term prosperity by transforming urban, suburban and rural areas into metropolitan areas that can drive prosperity in the 21st-century economy: innovation, human capital, infrastructure and the quality of place.

Bailout turns on auto makers' viability, by Greg Hitt, John D. Mckinnon and Matthew Dolan, Wall Street Journal, November 13, 2008 (Subscription)
Washington and Detroit—Democrats in Congress pushed ahead with proposals to bail out Detroit's faltering auto makers, but the Bush administration signaled its reluctance to go along without significant restructuring to cure the companies' competitive ills.

Ford to close nine plants temporarily as sales decline, Akron Beacon Journal, November 13, 2008
Detroit—Ford Motor Co. plans temporary shutdowns at nine North American plants this quarter as it slashes production after an 18 percent drop in U.S. sales this year.

Auto industry troubles leave UAW workers and suppliers struggling and worrying about bailout, by Frank Bentayou and Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 13, 2008
Cleveland—More than a quarter-million Ohio workers depend on car plants, suppliers and dealerships for their livelihoods. In Northeast Ohio, car plants alone provide wages and benefits for 13,000 individuals.

Auto industry bailout may be worse than bankruptcy in long run, economists say, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 13, 2008
Cleveland—Even with a bailout, Detroit's Big Three automakers won't be able to compete with foreign-owned producers without drastic restructuring, several analysts and economists say.

Related stories:

GM suppliers termed shaky without bailout, Toledo Blade, November 14, 2008

Auto bailout restrictions urged, Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 14, 2008

Innovation Alliance invests $100K in Eris Medical Technologies, Youngstown Business Incubator, November 13, 2008
Youngstown—The Innovation Alliance Fund, a regional partnership, will invest $100,000 in Eris Medical Technologies, a client of the Youngstown Business Incubator.

Ford to close nine plants temporarily as sales decline, Akron Beacon Journal, November 13, 2008
Beacon Journal Wire Services—Ford Motor Co. plans temporary shutdowns at nine North American plants this quarter as it slashes production after an 18 percent drop in U.S. sales this year.

GM troubles produce worry in Valley, by Don Shilling, Youngstown Vindicator, November 13, 2008
Lordstown, Ohio—Should economic conditions lead to a GM bankruptcy or a shutdown that impacts GM’s Lordstown complex, the effects would be felt throughout the Mahoning Valley, said Tom Humphries, president of the Regional Chamber.

A. Schulman looking to sell Findlay property, by Lou Wilin, Findlay Courier, November 13, 2008
Fairlawn, Ohio—A. Schulman, which months ago scrapped plans for two plants and 58 manufacturing jobs in Findlay, is positioning itself to sell the land and a new factory building.

Cleveland Clinic doctors pick Top 10 innovations in medicine, by Mary Vanac, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 12, 2008
Cleveland—More than 1,000 attendees at the Cleveland Clinic's Medical Innovation Summit, watched as Cleveland Clinic physicians and consultants released their Top 10 list of procedures and products they think could have the most impact on medicine in the coming year.

A. Schulman Inc. shifting focus to packaging amid auto industry slump, by Sarah Hollander, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 12, 2008
Fairlawn, Ohio—With the domestic auto industry in the dumps plastics manufacturer A. Schulman Inc. plans to shift its focus to packaging for everything from heads of lettuce to shampoo.

Automakers steer clear of bankruptcy, by Justin Hyde, Detroit Free Press via Akron Beacon Journal, November 12, 2008
Washington—Despite vows by top officials to avoid it, fear is high that dwindling cash reserves could push one or more of Detroit's three automakers into court protection within the next several months.

Related stories:

Paulson says rescue package not for automakers, by Ken Thomas, AP via Akron Beacon Journal, November 12, 2008

Goodyear feels the bad times in auto industry, by Jim Mackinnon, Akron Beacon Journal, November 12, 2008

Toledo firm sues, seeking ongoing parts flow, by Gary T. Pakulski, Toledo Blade, November 11, 2008
Toledo—Novi, Mich.-based Citation Corp., dealing with an unprofitable metal-casting plant in Texas, first raised prices to Dana Holding Corp., then two weeks later advised the company it will close its Texas operation completely.

NASA Glenn awards big contract to Zin Technologies, Crain's Cleveland Business, November 11, 2008
Cleveland—NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland has awarded a contract to Zin Technologies Inc. of Middleburg Heights for the design, assembly, test and operation of a broad array of space flight projects.

Auto-part firms urged to branch into alternative energy tooling, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, November 11, 2008
Toledo—At a seminar held at Owens Community College yesterday, about 75 individuals active with business, government, and economic development listened to officials from the state lay out the inducements available to help companies enter the alternative energy supply chain.

Republic Engineered Products in Lorain to shut down furnace; up to 400 layoffs possible, by Sarah Hollander, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 11, 2008
Lorain, Ohio—More area steelworkers are facing layoffs as Republic Engineered Products plans to temporarily idle the blast furnace at its Lorain plant next month.

S.D. Myers inks PCB removal agreement with South Korean firm, Crain's Cleveland Business, November 11, 2008 (Subscription)
Tallmadge, Ohio—S.D. Myers Inc. has entered into an agreement with Dong Myung Enterprise Co. of South Korea to provide equipment, materials and personnel needed to remove polychlorinated-biphenyls (PCBs) in mineral oil dielectric fluids used in electrical transformers in South Korea.

Hundreds of jobs may be heading to Conneaut; Two firms announce interest in city, by Mark Todd, Ashtabula Star Beacon, November 10, 2008
Conneaut, Ohio—City Council Monday heard heard two separate presentations that could create hundreds of jobs in Conneaut within the next five years.

Opinion: Government aid to GM, Ford, Chrysler could preserve old way of building and selling cars, by Joseph B. White, Wall Street Journal, November 10, 2008 (Subscription)
New York—The question isn't whether Washington is willing to offer more public money to help auto companies survive. The tougher question is what's Washington's goal?

Manufacturer fears intensify, by Dan Shingler, Crain's Cleveland Business, November 10, 2008 (Subscription)
Cleveland—The nation’s manufacturing sector is experiencing its worst slump in a quarter century, and the specter of an even more severe downturn is scary enough that it’s causing many local manufacturers to curtail plans for expansion and capital investments.

Arteriocyte receives defense agency dollars, Crain's Cleveland Business, November 10, 2008 (Subscription)
Cleveland—The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded Arteriocyte Inc. nearly $2 million from to develop further a system aimed at mass producing red blood cells that would be used for transfusions on the battlefield.

Act offers employees little freedom, choice, by Keith A. Ashmus, Crain's Cleveland Business, November 10, 2008 (Subscription)
Cleveland—The deceptively named Employee Free Choice Act is targeted to be one of the first items on the agenda for the new Congress. Mr. Ashmus, a partner with the Cleveland law firm Frantz Ward LLP, reviews the dangers of proposed "card check" legislation.

Bailout touted to avoid auto industry's ripples through Northeast Ohio economy, by Robert Schoenberger and Frank Bentayou, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 10, 2008
Cleveland—"If we stand aside and do nothing, the pain is much greater than if we do this bailout," U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown said at a news conference Monday in Cleveland.

Related story: Lawmakers press White House to help auto industry, by Ken Thomas, AP via Canton Repository, November 11, 2008

Related editorials:

Editorial: Help the auto industry, but not with a blank check, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 11, 2008
Cleveland—The federal government should help the Big Three, but not by writing blank checks to an industry whose recent history inspires little confidence.

Editorial: Wreck in Detroit, Akron Beacon Journal, November 9, 2008
Akron—American automakers have asked Congress for another $50 billion. Lawmakers should say yes—as long as tough conditions are attached.

Higher truck fees threaten Toledo port, by Larry P. Vellequette, Toledo Blade, November 9, 2008
Toledo—ODOT—seeing its gasoline tax revenues declining dramatically as people travel less and drive more fuel-efficient vehicles—has set its sights on large trucks to make up part of the shortfall.

GM Cutbacks: 1,000 newly hired workers at GM at Lordstown will be laid off, by Robert Schoenberger, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 8, 2008
Lordstown, Ohio—About 1,000 workers at General Motors Corp.'s plant in Lordstown will be laid off in January without the generous union benefits autoworkers typically get, labor leaders say.

Related story: GM workers hopeful despite layoffs, by Larry Ringler, Warren Tribune Chronicle, November 8, 2008

U.S. Steel orders fell, had role in REP cuts, by Scot Allyn, Northern Ohio Morning Journal [Lorain], November 8, 2008
Lorain, Ohio—The declining business that is causing Republic Engineered Products to lay off hundreds of steel workers next month is due in part to reduced orders from the U.S. Steel Lorain Tubular Operation, according to a Republic spokesman.

Thomas Steel strike reaches 100th day, by Raymond L. Smith, Warren Tribune Chronicle, November 8, 2008
Warren Township, Ohio—On the 100th day of USW Local 3523's strike against Thomas Steel, pickets received a surprise visit from Congressman Timothy J. Ryan. The company's owner, Corrus International, last met with union officials about four weeks ago; no new talks are scheduled.

U.S. automakers tap government for new loans, by John Hughes, Bloomberg News via Akron Beacon Journal, November 8, 2008
Washington—General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, strapped for cash as sales plunge, are seeking $50 billion in federal loans to help them weather the worst auto market in 25 years, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.

Clyde frets as Whirlpool lays off 250 in downturn, by Chauncey Alcorn, Toledo Blade, November 8, 2008
Clyde, Ohio—Recent plant closings and layoffs by Whirlpool Corp. have created anxiety about the company's future in this city and throughout Sandusky County. Whirlpool announced that it would lay off about 170 workers in Findlay beginning Monday and furlough 250 employees at its Clyde, Ohio plant.

Related story: 250 layoffs planned at factory in Clyde, Toledo Blade, November 7, 2008

Myers Industries posts lower results for quarter, by Sarah Hollander, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 7, 2008

Cooper posts $55.4M loss in 3rd quarter; revenue up 3.4%, Toledo Blade, November 8, 2008

GrafTech posts big jump in third-quarter earnings, but lowers its guidance, Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 4, 2008

OM Group sees results soar in third quarter, Crain's Cleveland Business, November 6, 2008 (Subscription)

Cooper posts $55.4M loss in 3rd quarter; revenue up 3.4%, Toledo Blade, November 8, 2008