By: 1812Blockhouse Staff; Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development
Across Ohio, business of almost all types are beginning to reopen with patron and guest safety in mind. With this relaunch, the traditional call to “shop local” takes on added significance.
Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development is making sure that Richland Countians are aware of businesses reopening. To that end, the month of June has been named Richland County STRONG month. More…
Economy, Featured, Public Health, Richland Area Chamber and Economic Development
By: 1812Blockhouse Staff
The numbers were expected, however seeing them in black and white is unsettling.
On Wednesday, unemployment rates for Ohio’s counties and metropolitan areas were released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
On May 24, we shared information about Ohio’s overall unemployment rate, which stood at 16.8%. Some 823,700 fewer Ohioans had non-agricultural positions in April than in the previous month. More…
By: Marty Schladen, Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio officials have been drawing tight the state’s budgetary belt as they see revenue plummet due to coronavirus shutdowns. But hidden in the carnage is a pot of money they’ll have to use as they plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Earlier this month, with April tax revenues far below what was budgeted, Gov. Mike DeWine announced $775 million in spending cuts for the remaining months of the fiscal year — $465 million to education, $210 million to Medicaid, and the remaining $100 million in cuts to be spread across other state agencies. More…
By: 1812Blockhouse Staff; Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Ohio’s unemployment rate was 16.8% in April, up from a revised 5.8% in March. Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment decreased 823,700 over the month, from a revised 5,539,100 in March to 4,715,400 in April. More…
By: 1812Blockhouse Staff
The website Industrial Info Resources is reported that a local mill will soon be reopening.
According to the article, which can be accessed here, AK Steel will restart operations at its Mansfield stainless steel mill.
In April, we shared news of a reported idling of the mill by owner Cleveland Cliffs due to decreased sales, which subsequently took place.
By: 1812Blockhouse Staff; Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
The economic slowdown continued to wreak havoc in Ohio during the week ending May 9 with an additional 51,125 Ohioans filing initial jobless claims, a report from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services sharedthis week.
During the last two months, over 1.16 million claimants have filed in Ohio, and over $2.4 billion in unemployment checks have gone to almost 60,000 people. In typical years, the number of filings is a third of that amount. More…
By: 1812Blockhouse Staff
Reuters and other sources reported over the weekend that JCPenney is planning to declare bankruptcy and is considering closing 200 of its stores.
According to the Reuters article, which can be accessed here, the current woes of the retailer are tied to the coronavirus pandemic, although there were operating concerns before that.
JC Penney traces its origins back to 1902, when James Cash Penney opened his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. More…
As we shared near the start of the month, the AK Steel mill in Mansfield was idled on April 4 on an extended outage.
The mill’s parent company, Cleveland Cliffs, Inc., shared an update on its total operations on Wednesday that includes the impact of COVID-19, cost cutting measures it has undertaken, and preliminary first quarter 2020 results:
During the meeting of Mansfield City Council’s Finance Committee on Thursday night, held virtually and broadcast on its Facebook Page, consideration of important pieces of legislation in turn resulted in important discussions about the city’s financial condition.
In response to a question posted by Councilwoman Jean Taddie about whether the purchase of two new police vehicles could be delayed, City Finance Director Linn Steward said that serious conversations are underway in the Administration that have centered on “serious concerns” about the budget. More…
In a story published on Wednesday, Argus Media reported that AK Steel is planning to idle its flat-rolled stainless steel mill in Mansfield effective April 4.
The post cites a representative of owner Cleveland-Cliffs, who shared that the decision was tied to the current conditions in the automobile industry. American car manufacturers are experencing sharp sales declines given the impact of the cornavirus health crisis at the same time that factories have temporarily ceased production. More…
As thoughts turn toward home, with schools closed, remote work increasing, temporary shutdowns, and travel impacted, it’s important to remember that there are still ways to help others and to support your community and its businesses — all from the comfort of your favorite easy chair.
During times of social distancing made necessary for health reasons, an in-person trip to that store or restaurant is not always necessary to make a real difference. Here are some ideas on how you can make a difference for Richland County businesses: More…
It’s never fun here at 1812Blockhouse to share news of a report that has challenging figures about the north central Ohio economy. On the other hand, we recognize that our readers want all news that might give them information important for their lives and careers.
A recent report by retail platform Volusion, based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, looked at the number of employees in the country’s 358 metro areas who make a six figure salary. The report noted that the largest concentration of declines in that figure is in the Midwest and on the East Coast. More…
The Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC) has released its latest analysis of the economic and demographic performance of Ohio’s 22 legacy cities, which includes Mansfield. GOPC concludes that many of Ohio’s small and mid-sized legacy cities are showing signs of improvement since 2014, but they will require support from the state to be as strong as they were in 2000.
GOPC’s assessment is based on recently released 2018 American Community Survey data and is an update to GOPC’s 2016 report, “From Akron to Zanesville: How Are Ohio’s Small and Mid-Sized Legacy Cities Faring?” More…
The Mansfield News Journal recently ran an interesting article about lack of mid-tier housing in Mansfield (that story can be read here). Hopefully this means that our local economy is on the upswing, as the article asserts that the housing shortage is caused by low jobless rate and low interest rates. But it also got us thinking about a time in Mansfield’s past, or – more correctly – the country’s past, when there was not enough housing for everyone. More…
