FINANCIAL NEWS SOUTHDOWN INC. Southdown inc. reported record net earnings from continuing operations of $60.5 million for the three months ending June 30, compared with second-quarter 1998 net earnings of $50.8 million, excluding one-time credits and charges related to the merger with Medusa Corp. The company benefited from favorable industry fundamentals and improving operating margins in all three business segments, analysts noted. For the six-month period ending June 30, net earnings were $90 million, or $2.32 per diluted share.

LAFARGE CORP. reported a record net income for 1999's second quarter of $88.6 million, compared with $85 million for the second quarter of 1998. Net sales for the quarter increased 7% to $720.2 million.

CEMEX announced that its net sales increased 14% to $1.198 billion for the second quarter of 1999, compared to the same quarter in 1998.

PUERTO RICAN CEMENT reported net sales for the first quarter of 1999 of $44.6 million, up from $36.5 million for the first three months of 1998. Net income for the quarter was $4.15 million, compard to $3.31 million in 1998.

NEWSMAKERS TXI named veteran cement production engineer MARK HILL manager of its Midlothian, Texas plant. Hill had been production manager with Holnam Inc.'s Devil Slide, Utah plant.

RONALD F. GEBHARDT, president and chief technologist, Kiln Technology, Inc., received a 1999 American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Award of Merit from ASTM Committee C-1 on Cement.

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) appointed DAVID N. BILOW, P.E., S.E., to director, engineered structures. Bilow comes to the PCA from Patrick Engineering, Inc., where he was a senior project manager.