Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 30, 1994 TAG: 9403300025
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts said the number of filings totaled 206,570, a 4.1 percent drop from the July-September period and the smallest number since 192,555 in the third quarter of 1990.
The fourth-quarter decline contributed to a 9.9 percent drop in bankruptcies for 1993, to 875,202 from 971,517 in 1992.
Filings fell in each of the 12 judicial circuits, including a 14.7 percent drop in the Eighth Circuit comprising Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Midwest was one of the first and strongest areas to emerge from the recession.
Suit alleges racial bias at Food Lion
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Eleven black current and former employees filed a class-action lawsuit against Food Lion, contending they were passed over for promotions and demoted for minor infractions of work rules.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Athens, Ga., claims cases of racial discrimination at stores in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Texas and Maryland.
The suit seeks unspecified damages for all former and current black employees and job applicants.
Food Lion spokesman Mike Mozingo said he could not comment on the lawsuit because he was unfamiliar with its contents. He denied the claim that the Salisbury-based grocery chain treated employees and job applicants differently depending on their race.
"We recruit, hire and promote without regard to race," Mozingo said.
The lawsuit originally was filed last year by a black part-time cashier in Athens, Ga., who said she was passed over for full-time work. Ten other employees were added in the amended suit. - Associated Press
Ford recalls trucks for fuel line defect
DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. is recalling 96,300 F-series pickup trucks from 1990 and 1991 to fix a fuel line defect that could cause fires. One fire but no accidents or injuries have been blamed on the problem, the automaker said.
In some of the trucks, steel tubing in the fuel line rubs against a rim on the underbody, wearing out the tube and leading to a fuel leak.
Ford will replace the tube with flexible lines made of braided stainless steel or Teflon. A vinyl guard also will be installed on the rim. - Associated Press
by CNB