HEALTH CARE
Akron General adds center
Akron General announced Monday it is opening an urgent care center with extended hours beginning Feb. 1 in Tallmadge. The center will be located at 33 North Ave., where the hospital already offers radiology, physical therapy and mammography services.
Hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Services will include care for minor illnesses such as upper respiratory infections and sore throats, wellness services, immunizations, treatment for sprains and strains, X-rays, limited lab testing, occupational health services and sports and school physicals for children.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be 9 a.m. Feb. 1, followed by an open house until 1 p.m.
Clinic joins NFL program
The Cleveland Clinic said it has been selected to provide medical screenings to retired professional football players through the NFL Player Care Foundation’s Healthy Body and Mind program. The Clinic will offer free, comprehensive cardiovascular and prostate evaluations.
Mental health resources and education will be offered through the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse University, led by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.
The partnership will kick off during Super Bowl week Jan. 30-31 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
The NFL Player Care Foundation is a cooperative effort of the NFL, NFL Alumni Association, NFL Players Association and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
LITIGATION
New lawsuit over toys
California-based MGA Entertainment Inc., the owner of Little Tikes Co. based in Hudson, sued toy maker rival Mattel Inc. for trade-secret theft in California state court. MGA is seeking $1 billion in damages after a federal appeals court threw out a $172.5 million verdict over the claims. MGA prevailed at a 2011 jury trial on its claims that Mattel employees used fake identities to gain access to MGA’s showrooms at toy fairs to steal proprietary information. The jury awarded $85 million in damages to which U.S. District Judge David Carter in Santa Ana, Calif., added $85 million in punitive damages and $2.5 million in legal costs.
UTILITIES
Union exits FirstEnergy talks
The union representing 283 workers at FirstEnergy Corp.’s Bruce Mansfield plant in Western Pennsylvania walked out of contract negotiations on Monday.
Herman Marshman Jr., president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 272, said the Akron-based electric utility asked the union to begin negotiations prior to the contract expiring Feb. 15. Both sides met twice and on Monday, during its third session, Marshman said the union believed the company did not want to negotiate.
The union says the company is asking for 20 concessions and the union wanted to discuss what it calls 29 “unilateral changes” it says the company implemented since the last contract. Company spokesman Todd Schneider said: “We continue to operate under our contractual agreement and plan to attend the next bargaining session scheduled for Wednesday.”
Another union negotiating with FirstEnergy is the Utility Workers of America System Local 102. Talks there are entering the eighth week of a lockout. That union represents 142 line and substation workers, meter readers, technicians and other employees. A negotiating session with a mediator is scheduled for today.
Marshman said he doesn’t believe the utility will lock out the Bruce Mansfield workers since there are not as many managers and replacement workers who could do their jobs.
WALL STREET
Dow drops 179 points
Stock indexes slumped Monday as the price of oil fell, pushing energy stocks lower. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 179.11 points, or 1.1 percent, to 16,257.94. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 23.17 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,819.20. The Nasdaq composite fell 61.36 points, or 1.5 percent, to 4,113.30. In trading news, Beam, the maker of Jim Beam and Marker’s Mark alcohol brands, has agreed to be acquired by Japan’s Suntory Holdings Ltd. for approximately $13.62 billion. Suntory has a portfolio of spirits.
Compiled from staff and wire reports.