Demolition to clear prime Shawano riverfront site
City leaders in Shawano are moving forward with demolition of a hospital located on a prime piece of riverfront property. The old Shawano Medical Center served the city for more than 80 years but now sits empty. Its owner, ThedaCare, had explored repurposing the building, but the options didn’t materialize, so it plans to tear it down, pending City Council approval. Developer Todd Dobberstein told WLUKTV he had been eyeing the building for a possible community center. But now that plans call for demolition, Dobberstein says a mix of retail, residential and a restaurant is a possibility. City administrator Brian Knapp says all development proposals will be evaluated.
Warm ocean could mean early lobster boom
Maine’s lobster catches will likely peak early this year, which could mean an abundance of cheap lobster for consumers and bad news for the state’s signature industry, a group of scientists reported on Thursday. Maine’s busy summer lobster fishing season typically picks up around early July, the same time the state’s tourism industry gets in gear. But scientists with the Portland-based Gulf of Maine Research Institute predict this year’s lobster season will get rolling two or three weeks early. The scientists, who unveiled their findings during the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, pinned the early lobster season on warming ocean temperatures. Along Maine’s coast, temperatures are 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit higher than normal. That means lobsters are likely to move inshore, shed their shells and become more easily trapped earlier this summer, they said.
Boeing develops self-cleaning toilets on planes
Boeing Co. has developed a new attempt to tackle a basic fear for flying germaphobes: airliner lavatories that turn into virtual petri dishes during long-range trips. The U.S. plane-maker says its engineers and designers have created self-cleaning toilets that use ultraviolet light to kill 99.99% of germs, disinfecting all surfaces after every use in just three seconds. “We’re trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight,” Jeanne Yu, director of environmental performance for Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, said in a statement.
Costco to raise minimum wages for workers
Costco Wholesale Corp. will lift its minimum wage for the first time in nine years, by $1.50 an hour, as the labor market tightens and competitors start giving workers a raise. The second-largest U.S. retailer will start paying at least $13 to $13.50 an hour, up from $11.50 to $12 an hour, the company said Thursday in a conference call with analysts. The increase will cut its earnings per share in the next three months by 1 cent, and by 2 cents in the following three quarters,the Issaquah, Wash.-based company said. Retailers are under pressure to boost wages as unemployment falls below 5% and 14 states have raised their minimum wage this year. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which operates the Sam’s Club warehouse-style chain, a Costco competitor, lifted its pay floor to $10 an hour this year and gave a one-time increase to more than 1 million workers. Costco didn’t say how many of its 117,000 employees would get a raise. “It will help, and it is important to do,” said Richard Galanti, Costco’s chief financial officer. “This is a physically challenging job. You’re on your feet, lifting cases, moving carts, and we thought it was time to do it.”