LOCAL BUSINESS
Dozens wait for LeBron shoes
More than two-dozen people —including some from out of state — camped out Thursday in front of the Next clothing/footwear store on West Market Street in West Akron. Some had been there since Wednesday.
Their goal? To snag a pair of the latest LeBron James shoes — the Nike LeBron X Denim — which will be released at 8 a.m. Saturday. Michael Hurley, creative director for the Next store, said some in line may see a big profit ahead. The shoes, boasting uppers with denim, will retail for $180, but some are already showing up on online shopping sites for much more.
Releases of Nike shoes endorsed by James have become an event for shoe stores and fans. The Next boutique, in the city’s Highland Square neighborhood, is again among a relative few outlets nationwide getting a new edition shoe.
In February, Next released the limited-edition LeBron X Cork shoe, which has uppers made from cork. Hurley turned the February shoe release into a LeBron-fest, with LeBron-centric items on hand, including memorabilia from James’ days at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
— Katie Byard
Electric utility offers savings
FirstEnergy Corp. became the state’s first utility to take advantage of a law passed in 2011 allowing it to finance deferred costs and pass those savings to customers. The move comes from the refinancing of some long-term debt.
The utility said the move achieves $106 million in savings through 2035. Ohio Edison and FirstEnergy’s other operating companies in Ohio will begin passing along that savings, which amounts to about 23 cents per month for the average residential customer, on June 21, said company spokesman Mark Durbin.
MEDIA
Facebook adds video service
Facebook is adding a video service to its popular photo-sharing app Instagram, following Twitter’s growing video-sharing app, Vine.
Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom says users will be able to record 15-second clips by tapping a video icon on the app. They can also apply filters to the videos to add contrast, make them black and white or different hues.
Launched in January, Vine has 13 million users. Instagram has 100 million users, up from 20 million when Facebook bought the company more than a year ago. If users like it, Facebook’s move could propel mobile video sharing into the mainstream.
ENVIRONMENT
Wyoming ruling changed
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it is abandoning its longstanding plan to have independent scientists confirm or cast doubt on its finding that hydraulic fracturing may be linked to groundwater pollution in central Wyoming.
The EPA is standing by its findings, but state officials will lead further investigation into the pollution in the Pavillion area. The area has been a focus of the debate over whether fracking can pollute groundwater ever since the EPA’s initial report came out in late 2011.
The EPA had sought nominations for experts to serve as peer reviewers for its draft report. Reviewers needed to be free from the appearance of any conflict of interest and have the necessary expertise to review the findings, according to a Federal Register announcement last year.
EMPLOYMENT
Pharmacy benefits jobs rise
The nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager is getting bigger. Express Scripts officials confirmed reports that the company plans to add 1,500 jobs over the next five years as part of a $56 million expansion near the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Compiled from staff and wire reports