A bankruptcy court judge on Friday approved the $10.5 million sale of a shuttered paper mill to a Wisconsin company that wants to reopen it and bring back about 200 workers by year’s end, The Associated Press reported on Friday. Expera Specialty Solutions of Kaukauna said that it plans to reopen the Old Town Fuel & Fiber mill once it closes on the deal. The current owners cited high operating costs and foreign competition when the mill furloughed about 200 workers and suspended operations in August. Hon. Louis Kornreich approved the transaction, which calls for Expera to purchase the company for $7.3 million in cash now and $3.2 million later. The judge’s order said that the deal was “in the best interests of the debtor’s estate, its creditors, and other parties.”
