Klatsch canceled, schedule altered

Several changes are being made to the holiday schedule.

The Commercial Review and The News and Sun have both canceled their traditional Koffee Klatsch events because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The newspapers typically hold the coffee and donut holiday gatherings in December each year. Because of the high level of community spread of COVID-19, they will not be held this year, editor and publisher Ray Cooney said this week.

Cooney also announced changes to The CR’s publishing schedule and office hours around the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays.

The Commercial Review will publish its Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 newspapers as morning editions. It will publish its Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 papers as afternoon editions. These changes will allow employees to have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off.

The CR’s office will also be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.



Ribbon cuttings set

Jay County Chamber of Commerce has two more ribbon-cutting ceremonies scheduled for next week.

There will be a ribbon-cutting event at noon today at Cute as a Button Salon & Spa at 1059 S. Main St., Dunkirk. Another is scheduled for noon Friday at Craven’ Nutrition, 1510 N. Meridian St., Portland. The nutritional supplement store and smoothie/juice bar opened Monday.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony (see photo) was held Wednesday for T’opher’s restaurant, 124 W. 200 South, Portland.



Ardagh awarded

Ardagh Group announced Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency awarded it an ENERGY STAR building certification for its distribution center in Fairfield, California.

Ardagh, which operates glass manufacturing plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, earned the honor for superior energy performance at the distribution center. On average, ENERGY STAR facilities use 35 percent less energy and have 35 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than their counterparts.

“Ardagh is honored to earn the ENERGY STAR building certification for the fifth consecutive year,” said Ardagh chief sustainability officer John Sadlier in a press release. “As an environmental leader in the packaging industry, we remain committed to conserving energy and protecting the environment and the community in which we operate, both today and for future generations.”



Organization disbanding

Workforce Development of Western Ohio will disband as Tri Star Career Compact in Celina, Ohio, takes over economic development in the area, The Daily Standard (Celina) reported recently.

Although paperwork has not been filed to dissolve the organization, it has already started forwarding remaining funds to Tri Star. The decision to shift functions follows the opening of a new Tri Star facility on Ohio 703 in Celina last year.

“With Tri Star having the facility that it now has and can manage the adult programs on its own, the WDI of West Ohio does not have a purpose any longer,” Workforce Development Initiative of West Ohio director Angela Hamberg told The Daily Standard. “It was originally developed to bridge a gap. With the new facility, that gap is bridged.”



Re-certified

Erin Hopkins of Our Home Family Resource Center’s Family Crisis Network in Celina, Ohio, recently earned recertification as a registered advocate for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

Ohio Advocate Network awards the recertification to those who “demonstrate a commitment to expanding knowledge and skill in the field of victim assistance.” Credentials are reviewed every two years.



Arby’s is testing

Arby’s is testing new boneless wings and crinkle fries as possible new menu items.

The boneless wings, available with buffalo or hot honey sauce, and crinkle fries are being tested at locations in Augusta, Georgia, and Syracuse, New York, food website Chewboom reported this week. Evansville Arby’s locations will also be part of the test run.



To distribute

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday selected CVS Health to be part of distributing bamlanivimab to COVID-19 patients at risk of severe infections.

The intravenous therapy will be administered at patients’ homes at long-term care facilities. Doses began being administered this week in the Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Boston, Tampa and Los Angeles areas.

“These newly available, important COVID-19 treatments can make a difference for patients at high risk for severe illness or complications, but they need to be administered intravenously by health care providers and with the appropriate clinical expertise and oversight,” said CVS chief medical officer and senior vice president Dr. Sree Chaguturu in a press release.



To purchase?

Flynn Restaurant Group is looking at more than doubling its number of restaurants.

Flynn, the nation’s largest restaurant franchisee, is negotiating to purchase Pizza Hut and Wendy’s franchises from bankrupt NPC International, the San Francisco Business Times reported this week. NPC declared bankruptcy in July.

The current Flynn portfolio includes Applebee’s Arby’s, Taco Bell and Panera Bread restaurants with 1,200 locations, including Applebee’s in Muncie, Marion, Anderson and New Castle.



Testing available

Walmart announced Thursday that it will be offering COVID-19 test collection kits.

Customers can get a kit mailed to them by completing a survey online if ordered by a physician. Kits can then be completed at home and mailed to the lab, with results in 24 to 48 hours after the kits are received.



It’s back

McDonald’s has brought back the McRib sandwich.

The McRib — boneless pork, barbecue sauce onions and pickles on a toasted bun — is back on the fast-food restaurant’s menu nationwide. It returned for a limited run last October but has not been available nationally since 2012, USA Today reported.



Service offered

Walgreens announced this week that it has launched Walgreens Advertising Group. The advertising platform seeks to use Walgreens stores and loyalty club members to help brands reach customers.

“At Walgreens, we have an unparalleled insight into consumers’ needs and shopping preferences when it comes to health and wellness items and everyday needs,” said Walgreens vice president of integrated media Luke Kigel in a press release. “Leveraging advanced technology to unlock the power of our first-party data, we can help brands accelerate ROI by delivering relevant and personalized experiences to their highest value consumers.”



Subway launches

Subway and ezCater have partnered to launch a new online catering platform for the sandwich chain, the companies announced Thursday.

The new platform will allow customers to make large orders at Subway locations. It is designed to handle the different menus and operations required for catering.

“An online ordering experience optimized for today’s catering needs is critical so our guests have confidence their event will go smoothly,” said Subway senior director of off-premises innovation Renee Hourigan in a press release. “ezCater’s platform provides effortless online ordering and exceptional customer service.”



DG announces

Dollar General announced this week that its third-quarter net sales increased by 17.3% over the same period last year.

Net sales for the convenience store company came in at $8.2 billion. That’s up from $7 billion in the third quarter last year.

“I want to thank our associates for their tireless work over the past several months in helping our customers and communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos in a press release.



Sales up

Dollar Tree, parent company of Family Dollar, announced Nov. 24 that its net sales for the third quarter increased by 7.5% from the same period the previous year.

The company reported $6.18 billion in net sales for the third quarter of 2020. Gross profit came in at $1.92 billion.

“I am incredibly proud of our team’s efforts to continue serving customers effectively, while driving operational improvements in both banners through this dynamic retail environment,” said Dollar Tree president and CEO Mike Witynski in a press release. “At Family Dollar, the improvement continues as the team delivered a 6.4% comparable store sales increase, a 230 basis point improvement in gross profit margin and a 250 basis point improvement in operating margin.”