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CHICAGO, Dec. 29-- Janesville, once a manufacturing and industrial production hub located in the southernmost part of U.S. Midwest state of Wisconsin but slumped into recession as a city on the Rust Belt, is maneuvering a way out. Several cranes were erected on the streets of Janesville for construction projects; a new hotel on the Rock River in downtown has been open for accommodation recently; the senior activity center was full of people playing cards, or learning musical instruments. Janesville first gained fame for its Parker Pen launched in 1888, but remained stagnant until 1919, when General Motors (GM) bought a bankrupt tractor factory and started vehicle production there. The GM plant has ushered the city into a period of prosperity that lasted for decades. At its peak in the 1970s, the plant had over 7,000 employees and there were other suppliers in the community supporting the GM plant, further fueling the growth of the economy. Janesville's nightmare started when GM decided to cut production at the local plant facing stagnant demand. When the closing of the GM plant finally came in 2009, it produced a snowball effect on the local community, as the suppliers also started to reduce the number of jobs. Mary Buelow moved into Janesville in 2008 to work as a librarian at the Hedberg Public Library. She clearly remembered what happened after the closure of the GM plant. "The library was very busy, with people coming in, hunting for jobs. People needed to take two to three jobs to make ends meet," she told Xinhua. "It was really hard on the community." | 
