Goodwill job fair planned Thursday

Goodwill Industries of Greater Chattanooga is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at its Job Connection Center at 7601 E. Brainerd Road.

The event will offer participants the chance to talk face-to-face with hiring managers in manufacturing, retail, food service, health care, hospitality and other industries.

“This is a great way to get an on-the-spot interview and possibly a job offer,” George Clark, director of career services for Goodwill in Chattanooga, said in an announcement of the hiring event. “It’s also a great time to learn about Goodwill services that are free of charge at the Job Connection Center, like how to write a better resume and polish your interviewing skills.”

Salaries have increased about 10% over the past two years, and at 4.9%, the growth of employment in Hamilton County is nearly double that of the rest of the nation, according to data released in June by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

“If you’re looking to reenter the job market or find a different career path, this is a great time to be proactive, and Goodwill is here to help,” Clark said.

Walk-ins are welcome, but participants are encouraged to preregister by calling 423-629-2501, ext. 3090. The Job Connection Center is open from 9:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Chattanooga price of gas rises again

After a brief reprieve in upward gas prices a week ago, the average price of regular gasoline rose again in Chattanooga during the past week by more than 9 cents a gallon, reversing the drop of the previous week, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 170 stations in Chattanooga.

Average gasoline prices in Chattanooga rose 9.1 cents per gallon in the past week to an average of $3.43 a gallon for regular gas. Prices in Chattanooga are 27.1 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 16.6 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

But Chattanooga gas prices remain 39 cents a gallon below the U.S. average of $3.82 a gallon, GasBuddy.com said.

“The national average price of gasoline eked out a small decline over the last week, with some states seeing a drop of 5-10 cents per gallon, while new issues in some states, like Arizona, have caused prices to jump notably in others,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a report Monday. “With California facing a deluge of water from Tropical Storm Hilary, some level of refinery problems that could impact gasoline prices could arise, and with eyes on a more active Atlantic, the next few weeks will bring additional volatility to what motorists can expect at the pump.”

The national average price of diesel has risen 2.1 cents in the past week and stands at $4.297 per gallon.

Ford Mach-E recall probed by regulators

Federal regulators have opened an investigation into Ford Motor Co.’s recall of nearly 49,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles in 2022.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into Ford’s handling of the recall after receiving 12 complaints from car owners who said their vehicle was recalled and fixed but they still experienced problems with its battery, the agency said Monday.

Ford issued the recall in June 2022 for Mach-Es produced between May 27, 2020, and May 24, 2022. The automaker found high voltage battery main contactors could overheat from charging and other use, leading to overheating and damage and increasing the chance of power-loss or crashing.

Ford updated the software of affected vehicles to monitor contactor temperature, reduce battery power to prevent damage and to better monitor and identify an overheated contactor. One owner told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration their vehicle’s high voltage battery junction box failed again two days after receiving the software update.

Now, the federal agency estimates nearly 65,000 vehicles could be affected.

Ford did not immediately return a request for comment.

Bloomberg names CEO to head business

Michael R. Bloomberg, the founder of the financial data colossus Bloomberg LP, announced a new CEO and president on Monday, a possible indication of who will take over for him when he steps away from the company.

Bloomberg, 81, also announced plans to appoint a new board to steer the business, a purveyor of data terminals that generates more than $12 billion in revenue annually.

Vlad Kliatchko, 54, Bloomberg’s chief product officer, was appointed CEO of the company, Bloomberg said in a memo to employees Monday. Jean-Paul Zammitt, 55, formerly Bloomberg’s chief commercial officer, was named president.

Bloomberg has no plans to step away any time soon, noting he was not taking on any new title, he said in the memo. Neither Zammitt nor Kliatchko is replacing anyone at the company; the last CEO at Bloomberg, Dan Doctoroff, stepped down in 2014.

“I’m sure these changes raise questions about me, so let me put them to rest: I’m not going anywhere,” Bloomberg wrote. “I’ve never used a title in the company, so I won’t change what I’ll be called — just ‘Mike.’”

Bloomberg made his fortune by creating data terminals and a media empire that holds sway over financial professionals around the world. He has also been deeply involved in politics, including as a three-term mayor of New York.

— Compiled by Dave Flessner