Resources on tap for workers at Scarborough Commons

The Maine Department of Labor will hold an informational session for employees of businesses affected by the fire that destroyed the Scarborough Commons Monday night.

Sixteen businesses were displaced by the fire, which the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office determined was caused by an accidental electrical malfunction in the building’s attic.

The state’s Rapid Response team will meet with displaced workers at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Scarborough Municipal Building, Chamber Room A. The Rapid Response program of the Bureau of Employment Services assists workers facing job loss, including temporary or permanent closures due to fires or natural disasters.

Additionally, the Portland and Springvale CareerCenters will be the points of contact for those affected by the fire. The Portland CareerCenter is located at 185 Lancaster St. and the Springvale CareerCenter is located at 9 Bodwell Court. Both are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. More information is available on the CareerCenter website: www.mainecareercenter.com.

More airline flights on time in 2014 summer travel season

At the height of this summer’s travel season, airline flights were more likely to arrive on time and less likely to be canceled than they were last year.

The improvement in airline performance was a welcome break for travelers. Over the first six months of 2014, delays were the highest since 2008 and cancellations the highest since 2000.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday that among 14 of the largest airlines, 75.6 percent of flights arrived on time in July, up from 73.1 percent in July 2013 and from June 2014’s 71.8 percent rate.

The airlines covered by the report canceled 1.6 percent of their trips, down from 1.7 percent a year earlier and 2 percent in June.

T-Mobile to sell smartphones that tap into Wi-Fi networks

T-Mobile will sell more than 100 smartphone models with a built-in feature that taps into Wi-Fi networks to make phone calls and send texts when customers can’t connect to the wireless carrier’s cellular network.

The program announced Wednesday represents T-Mobile’s latest attempt to lure wireless subscribers away from three larger rivals, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Corp. and Sprint Corp.

Over the past 18 months, T-Mobile has shaken up the industry by replacing two-year contract commitments with monthly installment plans to pay for smartphones and lowering the cost to upgrade devices and stream digital music.

“As part of our DNA, we want to make changes that don’t make us feel bad when rest of the industry copies us,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said.

– From staff and news services