Mr. Goodcents to add two Lawrence locations

Lawrence will have two more Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pasta restaurants in the next two years under terms of a deal announced by the DeSoto-based company this week.

Officials with Mr. Goodcents Franchise Systems announced they have granted exclusive Lawrence development rights to Dean Drennan, owner of Lawrence’s two existing Mr. Goodcents locations, 1410 Kasold Drive (above) and 3220 S. Iowa.

Under the deal, Drennan must build two more Mr. Goodcents stores within the next two years. Drennan said he hasn’t yet identified a location for the new stores but hopes to have the first one open in August.

Drennan’s exclusive franchise agreement was the first granted by the company. Company spokesman Scott Wagner said many other similar deals are expected in other communities during the next year as the company undertakes its most aggressive growth strategy since its founding in 1988.

Layoffs: Atchison firm cuts 100 jobs

Atchison Casting Corp. has eliminated up to 100 positions through temporary layoffs and permanent job cuts, company officials said.

The company said this week that the layoffs in Atchison and St. Joseph, Mo., began the week of March 18, when the company laid off 50 to 70 production workers and eliminated another 30 office and support positions. No further work force reductions were planned for now, said Bill Jonas, vice president of human resources.

Prior to the job losses, the company employed 752 people at its steel foundry in Atchison and its machine shop in St. Joseph, Mo.

Atchison Casting makes steel casings for locomotive undercarriages, bulldozers and other heavy equipment at its foundry.

Investigation: Justice Department, Andersen begin talks

Justice Department prosecutors met Friday for secret negotiations with top lawyers from the Arthur Andersen accounting firm. There was no indication whether the sides were closer to settling criminal obstruction charges over the destruction of documents in the collapse of Enron Corp.

Friday’s meeting came at the request of Andersen’s lawyers, according to people familiar with the matter. There was no word whether the sides planned to meet again soon.

Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra declined to say whether the government would accept any offer from Andersen’s lawyers that does not include a guilty plea to the obstruction charges. The government on March 14 announced Andersen’s indictment by a grand jury in Houston after failed negotiations in early March over the same issue.

Earnings: Alcoa shares increase

Aluminum-maker Alcoa reported a 46 percent drop in earnings for the first quarter on Friday, saying slumping demand continued to squeeze its business.

But the results were in line with Wall Street estimates and Alcoa shares rose 3 percent, or $1.12 a share, to close at $38 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

The world’s largest aluminum producer reported earnings of $218 million, or 26 cents per share, for the three months ended March 31 compared with $404 million, or 46 cents per share, a year earlier.