REGION

REGION
First Place parentto buy back shares
WARREN -- First Place Financial Corp., the parent company of First Place Bank, said it intends to buy back 750,000 shares of the company's stock over 12 months. The program will begin after the company buys 79,000 shares remaining in a previous program.
NATION
General Electric cut22,000 jobs this year
NEW YORK -- General Electric Corp. cut 22,000 jobs this year from its work force of 313,000 and said Tuesday that it is prepared for a business climate in 2002 just as weak as this year. Tuesday marked the first time the company has said how many jobs it has cut this year.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports