I&M issues another scam warning

Some Indiana Michigan Power customers report being the target of an attempted scam.

I&M said this week that customers have reported receiving calls from people who falsely identify themselves as I&M employees. The callers then claim the customers are late paying their bills and say the power will be disconnected if the bill is not paid immediately in cash. They were then told to call a different number to arrange for cash payment. Those who called that number heard a recording that falsely identified the number as associated with I&M.

“I&M employees never call customers demanding immediate payment,” an I&M spokesman said.

The utility never disconnects service without prior written warning.

Anyone receiving such a scam call should hang up and contact I&M’s customer operations center at (800) 311-4634 to report it.



A send-off

A farewell reception for Jay County Development Corporation executive director will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. June 7 at the Community Resource Center, Portland.

Bradley is leaving his post to become president/chief executive officer of the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation. He has led JCDC for almost 11 years.

His successor has not yet been named.



Rendering

Tyson Foods Inc. is making another major investment, this time with a focus on recycling more animal products for use in feed and pet food.

Reuters reported this week that Tyson, parent company of Tyson Mexican Original of Portland, would buy the poultry rendering and blending assets of American Proteins Inc for about $850 million.

In early April, Reuters reported, Tyson finalized the purchase of three grain elevators from agribusiness company The Andersons Inc. One of those will be used to support Tyson’s planned $300 million chicken processing plant in Humboldt, Tennessee.

“This acquisition … gives us the ability to render raw materials in a region we don’t currently serve,” Doug Ramsey, group president of poultry for Tyson Foods, said in a prepared statement on Tuesday.

Tyson will take over American Proteins’ four rendering plants located in Georgia and Alabama and 13 blending facilities throughout southeastern and midwestern U.S. states, according to a press release.



New investment

The Dayton Daily News reported this week that Honda of America, a major customer of FCC (Indiana) plans to invest more than $30 million at three facilities in Ohio as part of a plan to boost production of its electric vehicles.

Honda announced the start of mass production of its new 2019 Honda Insight hybrid model at the company’s facility in Greensburg. 

It will spend about $29 million at the Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America plant in Russells Point, Ohio. That facility is responsible for production of the Insight’s twin electric motor unit.

The company also plans on making smaller investments at facilities in Marysville and its Anna, Ohio engine plant. The Insight’s hybrid battery pack is assembled in Marysville while workers in Anna produce the Insight’s 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine, according to a company press release.



In focus

Water quality at Grand Lake St. Marys is the topic of a lengthy article in the latest issue of Ohio Ag, and among those quoted in the piece is Bill Knapke of Cooper Farms.

“The lake’s notorious water quality issues generated a mountain of bad press and much of the blame was being placed on agriculture in one of the most highly concentrated livestock watersheds in the country,” Ohio Ag’s Matt Reese wrote.

There was a ban on winter manure application in the watershed and an emphasis on other environmentally-sound practices. The change seems to be making a difference.

“We’ve seen some real changes in the watershed and the agricultural practices,” Knapke of Cooper Farms told Ohio Ag. “Fertilizer sales have really changed dramatically since all of the livestock producers have developed nutrient management plans and are doing all of their soil testing and testing their manure. They are probably doing a better job of managing the nutrients they produce on their farms and have come to the conclusion that they didn’t need to be buying as much commercial fertilizer. We have seen a reduction in the amount of nutrients being applied in the watershed in both commercial fertilizer and manure, but we haven’t seen a decline in yields. Farmers are still producing excellent yields year in and year out and it has probably improved their bottom line.”



Acquisition

Muncie’s Ontario Systems LLC is acquiring Justice Systems Inc. of New Mexico, Inside Indiana Business reported this week.

The New Mexico company provides court case management and court system payment software.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.



Giving up

A century-old candy store in downtown Richmond will close its doors today, the Palladium-Item reported.

Olympian Candies owner Kim Mitchell told the Richmond paper there was a possibility the shop could reopen elsewhere in the future. She blamed the state of Richmond’s downtown, which is also experiencing the closure of the Elder-Beerman department store, for the decision.

“I’m over the downtown stuff,” she told the newspaper. “We need to get out of downtown because there’s just nothing left… what’s left down here? There’s virtually not much.”



Lamb rising

Arby’s will soon be selling lamb gyros year-round. Bloomberg reported this week that Arby’s decision reflects a trend toward lamb among America’s younger consumers.

Lamb is now on 20 percent of all U.S. restaurant menus, according to food researchers. That’s up from 17 percent 10 years ago.



Revenue up

Walmart’s revenue rose a better-than-expected 4.4 percent in the first quarter.

Same-store sales at Walmart’s U.S. stores rose 2.1 percent.



Solar project

NextEra Energy Resources, owner of Bluff Point Wind Energy Center, and one of Arizona’s largest utilities this week announced the opening of that state’s largest utility-scale solar energy center.

Known as Pinal Central Solar Energy Center, the solar plant is equipped with a battery system that will store the energy created. The 20-megawatt facility will generate enough electricity to power 5,000 homes.

It involves 258,000 solar panels on 257 acres of land.

NextEra partnered with Salt River Project, which will purchase all the electricity generated. Salt River Project is the umbrella name for two separate entities, the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District and the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association.