Light Up Middletown Light Display

Light Up Middletown is dependent on the donations they get at the entrance gate to keep the drive-through light display up and running. They do not charge a specific amount just whatever the public has to offer. The display has been open for two weeks and since then there have been 5,710 vehicles carrying 19,219 people who have been through the park that is 100 acres of Christmas lights.

On Thursday, December 11th the hot air balloon glow, integrated within the other light displays had a total of 531 vehicles and 1,792 people. The pilots inflate their balloons by firing their propane burners which causes them to glow. The pilots are not paid to do this they are just donating their time to the community.

On Friday and Saturday nights Santa and Mrs. Claus will allow small guests at the Santa House in Light Up Middletown from 7-9 p.m. Light Up Middletown will be open every night through New Year's Eve at Smith Park.

AK Steel to Have 5 Percent Pay Cuts

AK Steel recently announced there will be a 5-percent pay reduction for all salaried workers. More than 800 people will be affected locally. Currently there are close to 300 corporate employees that work at the West Chester Twp. headquarters of AK Steel. Right now there are also 525 managerial and support personnel that are employed at the research and development center on Grove Street in Middletown.

The workers that are included in the reduction are the executive workers, the president, chairman and the CEO Jim Wainscott. There are around 1,500 salaried workers at operations in four different states. By January 1st all of the workers will be reduced by 5 percent.

When the global steel market started to go down in the third quarter of 2008, AK Steel started considering the pay reduction. So far it looks as if the employees have understood in what the company is doing and have overall been supportive. In the first nine months of this year the company performed better than all of last year.

So far AK has idled two plants and laid off almost 1,000 hourly employees. There have been 350 voluntary retirement packages offered to employees.

Visit The Middleown Ohio Community Forums to discuss the 5% AK Pay Cut For Salaried Workers