Mohawk earnings hit $65 million; sales down 6.7 percent:  Mohawk Industries Inc. is reporting first quarter earnings of $65 million with net sales of $1.738 billion, down 6.7 percent from the same period in 2007. Mohawk announced several plant closings in the first quarter, including one in Armuchee that left 158 without jobs and another in Dalton, claiming 66 jobs and in Chattooga County Mohawk has cut at least 25 jobs.  In a statement on Mohawks web site the company says that the layoffs are due to the slowing housing market and the U.S. economy being impacted by tightening credit and declining consumer confidence along with increasing costs of operation.