7th Heaven store closes amid allegations

A federal investigation involving the alleged sale of drug paraphernalia has led to the closure of Lawrence’s 7th Heaven store.

J.R. Hobbs, an attorney for the Kansas City, Mo.-based 7th Heaven chain, confirmed on Tuesday that company officials recently shut down the Lawrence store at 1000 Mass.

Hobbs said the store — which sold music, futons and tobacco supplies — closed as the company cooperates with a federal investigation alleging the sale of drug paraphernalia. No charges have been filed in the investigation.

Hobbs said the Lawrence store was not the subject of the investigation, but rather company officials voluntarily closed the store. Federal officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service executed search warrants in late May at the company’s stores in Kansas City, Mo., and Sedalia, Mo.

Both those stores remain open but are not selling any smoking accessories. Hobbs declined to comment on why the company left those stores open but closed the Lawrence location. He also declined to comment on whether the Lawrence store would reopen.

Manufacturing

Ford may transfer work to Kansas City area

Ford Motor Co. plans to stop building the Escape and Mercury Mariner at its Avon Lake, Ohio, plant and shift the work to its Claycomo, Mo., facility in the Kansas City metro area, a newspaper reported.

The timing of the transfer was unclear, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported, citing unnamed industry sources. Top Ford officials have approved the plan, sources told the newspaper Tuesday.

Ford officials declined to comment on the report. The top union official at the Claycomo plant also said he had not been informed of any decision to move the work to the Kansas City area facility.

Energy

Natural gas prices expected to remain high

While there is plenty of natural gas in storage, growing demand this summer will keep prices high, industry leaders predicted Tuesday.

The Natural Gas Supply Assn. “expects continuing upward pressure on prices this cooling season primarily due to projected warmer-than-normal weather, a strengthening economy and relatively flat production.”

Joseph Blount, the trade group’s chairman, warned that a number of “wildcards” could send prices higher. Among them are a hotter summer than expected or disruption of supplies because of hurricanes or pipeline problems.

Merger

Pepsi, Ocean Spray talks fizzle after vote

The cranberry and grapefruit growers who own Ocean Spray Inc. narrowly rejected PepsiCo Inc.’s offer to buy a stake in the agricultural cooperative.

About 900 farmer-owners in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Florida, Oregon, Washington and Canada voted 52 percent to 48 percent to turn down PepsiCo’s bid to acquire half its branded business, Ocean Spray announced Tuesday.

Ocean Spray officials say the vote means the board of directors “will cease all talks with PepsiCo and other potential equity investors, focusing all efforts instead on working with management to build the Ocean Spray business for the future.”

The board had spent more than a year exploring a range of partnerships.