Published November 21, 2009, 7:24 AM EST

by TIM MEKEEL

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - The letter arrived on Friday the 13th of November.And sure enough, it contained bad news.Saab owner General Motors was notifying Kelly Cadillac Saab that its Saab franchise will be shut.The county's only Saab franchise was among 81 nationwide targeted for closure by GM, as GM prepares to sell Sa...

Published November 20, 2009, 7:52 AM EST

by TIM MEKEEL

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Weave Corp. will resume production today, three weeks after the Denver plant closed its doors.Now under a court-appointed receiver, the Walnut Street site initially will recall 12 production, logistics and planning employees, a Weave official said.The home decorating and upholstery fabrics plant sho...

Published November 20, 2009, 7:11 AM EST

by STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

LOS ANGELES - Mall operator General Growth Properties Inc., which filed the largest U.S. real estate bankruptcy case in history earlier this year, said Thursday its lenders have agreed to restructure some $8.9 billion in shopping mall mortgage loans.The agreements, which cover loans on 77 malls, could enable the ...

Published November 20, 2009, 6:49 AM EST

by TIM MEKEEL

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - A Florida-based airline might begin providing service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh early next year, an airline official said Thursday.Gulfstream International will decide in the first week of December whether to launch the service, said Gulfstream vice president Mickey Bowman.If the answer is y...

Published November 18, 2009, 7:14 AM EST

by CHAD UMBLE

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - The Ephrata Diner, 3687 Rothsville Road, marked its grand re-opening last week after extensive renovations by its new owners, Maria and Chris Politsopoulos. The couple, who also own Leola Restaurant and Jennie's Diner, bought the Ephrata restaurant in January.The interior renovations include new...

Published November 18, 2009, 6:41 AM EST

by TIM MEKEEL

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Two municipalities, a college and a non-profit organization here will share $665,000 in state grants to save energy, it was announced Tuesday.They're among 99 statewide to get $22 million under the Conservation Works! program, financed by federal economic-stimulus funds.The biggest local recipie...

Published November 17, 2009, 7:04 AM EST

by TIM MEKEEL

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - The new owner of D&E Communications has decided to close D&E's downtown Ephrata headquarters by early March.Windstream, which last week completed its $333 million purchase of D&E, disclosed its plan in a letter to the state Department of Labor & Industry.Released by the state Monday, the documen...

Published November 17, 2009, 6:43 AM EST

by TIM MEKEEL

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - GeoNova Publishing, a mapping company in Flyway Business Park, is closing at the end of the month, idling about 20 remaining employees.The 147 W. Airport Road firm was established in 2006 when the business was spun off by MapQuest. It started with about 40 people, according to news accounts at the t...

Published November 16, 2009, 12:00 AM EST

by PATTI S. SPENCER

LANCASTER, Pa. - The first Home Buyer Tax Credit program was established by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. It provided for a fully refundable tax credit of 10 percent of the purchase price (up to a maximum of $7,500) for "first-time home buyers" (defined as those who had not owned a home in...

Published November 15, 2009, 12:06 AM EST

by RICK CALLAHAN, Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS - Frustrated by inaction in Congress, a growing number of states are trying to reduce the rising tide of junked TVs, computers and other electronics that have become one of the nation's fastest-growing waste streams.Nineteen states have passed laws requiring the recycling of old electronics, which...