Ohio Town Faces Economic Collapse

• Bill Edison sits with his family at Clinton County Homeless Shelter in Wilmington. He lost his job with air shipping company ABX in an early round of layoffs and was unemployed for almost five months. He said the toughest part about homelessness has been having to move his children from school to school while arranging temporary housing for the family.
  
  
  

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• Kaled Edison, 6, sits on a bunk bed at the shelter as he listens to a family discussion. Wilmington is a small city of 12,000 about 30 miles southeast of Dayton, Ohio. City officials said that as many as 10,000 total jobs may be lost as smaller businesses tied to DHL and ABX close.
  
  
  

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• A laid-off worker attends a "transition orientation" class along with other employees on their last day of work for ABX. The massive layoffs are expected to devastate the economies of several counties surrounding the Wilmington hub. DHL is shutting down its domestic-only air and ground services in the U.S. but will retain several thousands of workers here to serve its international express customers.
  
  
  

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• A real estate sign sits in front of an empty house. Property prices have plummeted in the small town.
  
  
  

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• Joe Hete, president and CEO of ABX, sits in on a town hall meeting in Wilmington. His company's cuts are expected to have a major impact on the local economy, both in terms of joblessness and in lost tax revenues to support schools and basic services in the area.
  
  
  

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• People receive donated bread at the Sugartree Ministries soup kitchen. One local merchant has offered free pizza to boost morale in town.
  
  
  

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• Alix South, 6, sits next her her father, Vince South, an unemployed manufacturing worker, as he registers at a job fair. South, a father of two, was laid off from his job six months ago. According to reports, continuing claims for employment rose to over 4.7 million as of January 17, the highest since records have been kept.
  
  
  

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• Larry Pendell sings during a prayer service at the Wilmington Church of God. The pastor, Elizabeth Looney, prayed for her Pentecostal congregation to remain strong during these tough economic times.
  
  
  

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• Looney blesses Suzie Xavier after the service. Xavier, who has a 3-year-old daughter, has been battling cancer for two years and found out recently the disease had become terminal. Her husband left his job at ABX five months before, during one of the early rounds of layoffs. His severance package continues to cover his health insurance for now.
  
  
  

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• Lesley Bennett chooses donated clothes for her four children at the Sugartree Ministries soup kitchen on Jan. 31. Bennett was laid off from her job last summer.
  
  
  

  John Moore, Getty Images