NBC 'Sesame Street' characters to appear on 'West Wing'

REGION
SBA ranks National Cityas top lender in Ohio
YOUNGSTOWN -- The U. S. Small Business Administration recognized National City Corp. as the leading Ohio SBA lender for fiscal year 2003, the second consecutive year the company has been the top lender. The company issued 296 SBA loans totaling almost $34.47 million in Ohio, and it also ranked ninth in the United States.
Program addresses needsof local business owners
NILES -- Farmers National Bank and the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Youngstown State University are sponsoring "Build Your Own Business to Last" from 9 a.m. to noon March 2 at Farmers National Bank on South Main Street in Niles. The program will provide information to area business owners who are interested in learning on how to build a strong business. Speakers will discuss topics such as: anticipating challenges, warning signs, survival tactics and strategies for growth.
There is no fee for the program, but seating is limited and prior registration is required by calling Tom Supko at (888) 988-3276, Ext. 1389.
AK Steel safety executiveplans to retire March 1
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- A former federal workplace safety official hired by AK Steel Corp. in 1996 to improve safety in its plants is retiring March 1, the company announced Monday.
The company created a position for James W. Stanley, vice president for safety and health, when he joined AK Steel in January 1996. He had previously worked 25 years for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and had risen to become the second-ranking official with OSHA, part of the U.S. Department of Labor.
AK Steel credited Stanley, 59, with improvements that reduced accident rates and earned the company industry and government safety recognition at its steel mills including in Butler, Pa., Rockport, Ind., and Middletown.
AK Steel plans to continue the work that Stanley began, said James Wainscott, the company's president and CEO.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports