Category Archives: Economy

Study Finds 1 in 4 North Carolina Children Under Age 6 Go Hungry Each Day

The Department of Agriculture found that North Carolina has the highest number of hungry children, second only to Louisiana.

The number comes from a [massive study](http://feedingamerica.org/our-network/the-studies/child-food-insecurity.aspx “View the Study Results”) that finds one in four children in the Tar Heel state go hungry every day.

[Watch](http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wlos_vid_2564.shtml” “watch”) (WLOS)

Norfolk Southern Frieght Volume Drops Dramatically

The morning after Norfolk Southern Corp. said its first-quarter profit fell 39 percent, company executives said the railroad hasn’t faced an economic slowdown like this in any of their memories.

The plunge in freight volume is about double the drop seen at the peak of the 1981-82 recession.

The drop in railway volume ranged from 48 percent for the company’s automotive unit to 11 percent for coal operations.

In response, the company is cutting whatever costs it can without degrading its service to customers or affecting its ability to react quickly when the economy improves.

[Read](http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/norfolk-southern-makes-moves-work-tougher-times “Read the Article”) (The Virginian-Pilot)

Martinsville call center to close, eliminating 279 jobs

[GSI Commerce](http://www.gsicommerce.com/ “GSI Commerce Website”) is closing its call center in [Martinsville](http://www.martinsville-va.gov/ “Official Martinsville, VA government website”). 279 people will lose their jobs.

Martinsville already holds [Virginia’s worst jobless rate](http://www.vec.virginia.gov/pdf/newpres1.pdf “Unemployment Report for February-09 (pdf)”) of 20.2 percent.

[Read](http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/201899 “Read the Article”) (Roanoke Times)