REGION

REGION
People magazine praisesHandel's ice cream
CANFIELD -- The Sept. 8 issue of People magazine ranks Handel's Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt as one of the top three American ice creams. A panel of celebrity judges and ice cream aficionados judged the entries.
Tom Palchak of the Penn State University Creamery praised Handel's chocolate pecan for its "smooth, creamy" texture. Actress Alexa Vega of "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" said, "The crunch really makes it stand out."
Handel's, which is based in Canfield, operates 25 corporate and franchise stores in three states.
Blackout cost Ohio$1 billion, survey says
CLEVELAND -- Last month's blackout cost Ohio manufacturers more than $1 billion, according to a survey.
The Ohio Manufacturers' Association released the estimate after surveying 275 members last week.
The group estimated that the blackout affected 60 percent of the state's 20,000 manufacturing companies, costing each an average of $88,000.
"This billion-dollar loss will weaken any economic recovery in Ohio," said the association's David Hansen. "It sends a signal to investors that there is more risk in investing in Ohio than in many other states."
xxxx
SANDUSKY -- Attendance at Cedar Point was up 4 percent in August, compared with the same month last year. Cedar Fair, which owns six amusement parks and five water parks, said its attendance overall was up 5 percent last month. Spending inside the parks was up 2 percent, while hotel revenue increased 4 percent.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports