AK worker keeps sense of humor on the picket line
A sense of humor is a good thing to have on the picket line. Just ask Greg Stout.
The 58 year old maintenance repairman, who has worked for AK Steel's Middletown plant for 36 years until being locked out late last month, is one of the many men and women - nearly 2'700 - who are still picketing outside the plant after two rainy weeks of stalemate with the company.
Mr. Stout passes the time by making his friends last with lockout-related jokes.
"The vet said, 'These pills for Gunner are expensive, and I know you're on lockout and all, are you sure you want them?"' Stout said.
"I said, 'Yeah, go ahead.' So I went home and said to Judy, 'Could you take your blood pressure pills just every other day?"'
On a more serious note, Mr. Stout told press, "We pretty much knew we were going to give something back. We just want something we can live with. I'd like to make the best deal we can and go on with life."
The union and the company met for negotiations again this week, but no resolution has been reached.
Steel beams cause havoc on Podunk highway
In Churusbusco, Indiana this week, a semi lost a flatbed load of steel L-beams on the highway, causing a major traffic disruption on US 33.
The flatbed semi was taking a curve by the Methodist church and the liquor store, going northbound on US 33 at about 3:30 pm Tuesday, when the beams toppled onto the road, shutting down the northbound lanes for 20 minutes.
The local fire department was called into push the beams off the road and control traffic.
Whitley County sheriff's deputy Tony Helfrich assisted Churubusco town marshal John Hart at the scene.
Free houses, while supplies last
In Washington DC, the Quantico Marine Corps base is offering free steel-paneled homes to anyone who wants to disassemble them and haul them away.
Yes, that's right. Free houses. They are prefabricated Lustron homes, built as a short-lived attempt in the 1940s to solve the post-World War II housing shortage.
There are 58 of these houses available for the taking, and applications for the first batch of 23 are due April 12th. The rest of the houses will be made available next year.
Steel gets religious, Part II
Reverend Bob Reed felt that God had answered his prayers when the president of Colorado-based General Steel replaced the $40'000 worth of steel thieves had stolen last June, steel that was intended for the building of the new Saint Francis Charismatic Episcopal Church.
General Steel president Jeff Knight, whom Rev. Reed calls a "committed Christian," said that when he heard about the church's loss, "I just felt like they needed it worse than I did."
Since the theft, Rev. Reed's "homeless" congregation had diminished from 50 to around 25 members. To Rev. Reed, the fresh batch of steel was truly a blessing.
"It's all about faith," he said. "Faith is the substance of things we hope for. How are you going to have any faith if you let your hope go?"
So will Rev. Reed be relying on faith that the steel won't get stolen again?
"We had faith and we went around and blessed the lot, and still it got stolen," he said.
The steel will be secured and a trailer on the property will allow someone to be on site 24 hours a day.