More than 200 jobs lost in Louisiana plant closing

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- A plastics maker will close its Louisiana, Mo., plant early next year, ending jobs for 225 people. The layoffs at Home Products International are expected in February and March, Louisiana city superintendent Kelly Henderson told The Hannibal Courier-Post. "It will begin phasing out in February and completely shut down the middle of next year," Henderson said. The employees, most of whom are Hispanic, will be given a severance package, said Doreen Lubeck, a consultant with HPI. An HPI plant in Georgia also will close. Plants in Chicago and El Paso, Texas, will remain open. One business owner in the northeast Missouri town said the job loss and possible relocation of plant employees will hurt Louisiana's economy.