DELHAIZE AMERICA, SALISBURY, N.C., said Chris Ahearn has resigned as director of community and public affairs of Food Lion to take a position with Lowe's Co., a home improvement warehouse chain based in N. Wilkesboro, N.C. No successor has been named yet to the Delhaize post. Ahearn joined Food Lion five years ago as manager of corporate communications. As company spokesperson, Ahearn vigorously defended Food Lion's stance in the long-running litigation sparked by ABC News' 1992 "Prime Time Live" hidden camera report that questioned the chain's sanitary practices. Ahearn appeared on a special edition of ABC's "Nightline" in 1997 that focused on the case and its effect on freedom of the press issues.
