REGION

REGION
Picnic set for RMI workers
NILES -- Two events are scheduled at Waddell Park this week and next in support of locked-out RMI Titanium workers, members of United Steelworkers Locals 2155 and 2155-7. A picnic for the workers, their families and supporters is set for noon to 3 p.m. today, and a community prayer vigil is planned for 7:30 p.m. next Saturday. Both events are open to the public. About 380 hourly RMI workers have been locked out since their contract expired in late October.
SBA loan seminarwill help businesses
WARREN -- The Cleveland office of the U.S. Small Business Administration will conduct a free SBA loan seminar for small-business owners from 10 a.m. to noon May 11 at Warren Community Development, 418 S. Main St. The seminar is for entrepreneurs interested in starting or expanding their small business. Call Pat Veisz at (330) 746-3350 to make a reservation.
OHIO
State reports exportsincreased 7.4% in 2003
COLUMBUS -- Ohio exports totaled $29.8 billion in 2003, a 7.4 percent increase over the previous year, according to the International Trade Division's Annual Report, released Friday. Nationally, exports increased by 4.4 percent in 2003.
Bruce Johnson, state development director, said Ohio is the nation's sixth-largest exporter and its export numbers have consistently grown faster than the national average over the past few years. The state is second in automotive goods exports, which increased more than 21 percent last year, and third in both plastic and machinery exports.
Canada and Mexico remain Ohio's top two export markets, receiving nearly 63.8 percent of all the state's exports in 2003.
From Vindicator staff reports