Department stores set for closing

Two regional department stores — Carson’s at the Muncie Mall and Elder-Beerman in downtown Richmond — will be closing as a result of the bankruptcy of their parent company.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Bon-Ton Stores Inc. will begin closing all of its remaining stores and go out of business. A bankruptcy judge is expected to approve the sale of the retailer’s assets.

In all, the closing will affect more than 250 stores in 23 states, putting 24,000 employees out of work.

The closings are expected to be complete by Aug. 31.

Bon-Ton sought chapter 11 protection in February after closing 40 of its worst-performing stores. 

In addition to the Carson’s and Elder-Beerman brands, the retailer operated stores under the name of Bergner’s, Boston Store, Herberger’s, Younker’s and Bon-Ton.



Need a job?

A Jay County High School student job fair has been set for May 9 and 10 from 10:45 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. in the commons area of JCHS.

Sponsored by the Jay County Chamber of Commerce and Jay Schools, the event will allow businesses to meet with students about potential summer jobs or part-time employment.

There is no cost to chamber members. Those wishing to participate should contact the chamber by April 30 at (260) 726-4481 or via email at [email protected].



Chamber honors

Geneva Chamber of Commerce presented its Volunteer of the Year award this week to Toni Miller, who has been active in  South Adams Trails, the chamber, and Friends of the Limberlost.

Naturalist Curt Burnette was the recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award.

Downing and Glancy Funeral Home was named Business of the Year, and Limberlost Construction was named Industry of the Year.

Former Limberlost Historic Site director Randy Lehman was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.



New code

Walmart is testing new dress codes in a few of its U.S. stores, Bloomberg reported this week.

In some stores, Walmart employees will be allowed to wear shirts of any color, not just blue or white. Blue jeans will also be permitted as long as they are solid blue.

Walmart is trying out several different new dress rules across various stores at the moment, and they might not lead to anything permanent, the company told Bloomberg.

“We are always testing new ideas and concepts in a small number of our stores,” Walmart spokesman Kory Lundberg said. “Some of these tests are expanded while others are retired. We won’t know next steps on this test until we’ve had a chance to learn what works and what could work better.”

Walmart has altered its dress code before, most recently in 2015,.



I&M recognized

Indiana Michigan Power has been designated a 2018 Environmental Champion for its commitment to green energy.

The honor came from a Cogent Reports study by Market Strategies International.

I&M is one of only 43 utility companies to earn the designation.

In 2017, two-thirds of the energy generated from I&M came from emission-free sources, including Cook Nuclear Plant, four solar generation plants, six hydro-electric plants, and three wind generation plants.

Headquartered in Fort Wayne, I&M employs 2,450 and serves more than 589,000 customers. It is part of American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio.



Reception set

A retirement reception for Mike Engels will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Edward Jones office at 913 N. Meridian St., Portland.



Joins Baird WITH PHOTO

Kyle Good, a Randolph County funeral director with more than 18 years experience, has joined the staff at Baird-Freeman Funeral Home, Portland.

He will focus on helping families with advance funeral planning.



No alterations

CVS is launching a policy that excludes the alteration of images as part of its “Beauty in Real Life” campaign, AdAge reported this week.

"What we're trying to do is provide transparency to women who see this stuff," Norman de Greve, senior VP and chief marketing officer of CVS Health, said in a prepared statement. He said the company isn't banning Photoshop, but is responding to consumer interest for authenticity.

To create the new campaign, CVS worked with Standard Black, a creative agency based in Los Angeles and New York. In 2014 CVS stopped selling cigarettes and all tobacco products in stores—a $2 billion category—because of the health complications from such products.



New mill

MPS Feed LLC has announced plans to build a new feed mill in St. Henry, Ohio.

A partnership between Mercer Landmark Inc. and Prairie Star Farms, MPS Feed has been evaluating the project for the past year.

Construction will begin this spring, with completion expected by the fall of 2019.

Mercer Landmark is a locally-owned farm cooperative. Prairie Star Farms, based in North Star, Ohio, is a major egg producer.



When it comes to airbrushing, CVS could be ahead of the game as well. Late last year, France passed a law requiring brands to label any digitally altered images. And retailers such as Target and American Eagle have made similar promises about not photoshopping images in campaigns.



Questioned

A Grant County program intended to help new home buyers and renters is being questioned by local officials there, The Marion Chronicle-Tribune reported this week.

Grants for Grads, which had attracted the attention of Jay County Development Corporation as a possible model to be used locally, is being challenged by some in Grant County government.

Kaitlyn Gebby of The Chronicle-Tribune reported this week that the program has also been criticized by Ball State University economist Michael Hicks



Funded through the Grant County Economic Growth Council, the program offers grants of $2,500 in rental assistance  and up to $5,000 toward the purchase of a home.

The grants are limited to new residents in Grant County, who are working in and want to live in the area. They also must be college or technical school graduates.

The program has a $100,000 annual budget,.

Hicks, director for the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research, said a $100,000 annual investment could find better uses.

“Recent college graduates are some of the most affluent people in Grant County,” he told The Chronicle-Tribune. “It’s giving money to people who most likely would have lived in the area anyway, and aren’t choosing homes in run down neighborhoods to make improvements.”