US Steel Curtails Operations

U.S. Steel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Production halts at U.S. Steel’s two largest mills could dent what is usually a good quarter for the Pittsburgh steelmaker and lead to higher steel prices.

On Wednesday, U.S. Steel informed customers of its Gary, Ind., mill that it was curtailing blast furnace and steelmaking operations at that plant because icy conditions on the Great Lakes are delaying shipments of iron ore from its Minnesota mines. The letter gave no word on how long those delays could last but was hopeful that shipments will improve with warming temperatures.

“It is possible that our ability to timely fill your orders will be temporarily impacted,” the company wrote, adding that it is trying to mitigate any impact of customers.

The announcement follows an incident last week at U.S. Steel’s Great Lakes mill near Detroit that forced the company to halt steel production there. Media reports indicate a large pipe damaged the roof covering one of its steelmaking furnaces.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/US_Steel_curtails_operations.html#jp3C8BItOJ3CLCFG.99

Additional story: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20140405_ap_a889ebee36a145ab8b177a5801db63ef.html

Eagles Come Unhinged In Loss To Lowly Vikings

MINNEAPOLIS >> DeSean Jackson fumed on the sidelines. Philadelphia’s beleaguered secondary had its own meltdown on the field.

And the high-flying Eagles landed with a mighty thud against the short-handed Minnesota Vikings.

The Eagles’ offense was stymied in the first half by Minnesota’s makeshift secondary and Matt Cassel threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns to help the Vikings end Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak with a 48-30 victory on Sunday.

Jackson caught a career-high 10 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, but it was the play he couldn’t make in the third quarter that grabbed the most attention. He was wide open down the sideline, but Nick Foles saw him too late and his pop-fly pass was picked off by Shaun Prater.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_24729756/eagles-come-unhinged-loss-lowly-vikings