Bowling Green's Corvette plant is shut down for six weeks starting today.The facility is idle because of the vehicle's lagging sales, which are down by 50-percent from last year.The Corvette plant has about 600 employees, it's smallest workforce ever.Local United Auto Workers President Eldon Renaud says there's a lot of uneasiness about the plant's future."You wonder how long they'll operate building a little niche market like that in one facility, Renaud said last week.The plant is also ceasing production of the Cadillac X-LR as part of General Motors' restructuring plan.Meanwhile, Louisville's two Ford plants are idle this week, also in response to slow sales. The one-week shutdown was scheduled to coincide with Jefferson County Public Schools' spring break.(Thanks to Lisa Autry, WKYU-Bowling Green/Kentucky Public Radio)
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.