NATION

NATION
Crude oil futures drop
LONDON -- Crude oil futures slid today to their lowest levels in more than two weeks as concerns over supplies ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter eased because of a rise in U.S. inventories.
The U.S. Department of Energy said Wednesday that U.S. inventories of crude oil grew by 4 million barrels to 283.4 million barrels last week, about double the increase Wall Street was expecting.
In European electronic trading this morning on the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude for December was trading at $52.02, or 44 cents lower than its overnight close. It briefly fell to an intraday low of $51.29 -- its lowest level since it briefly touched $51.50 intraday Oct. 13.
REGION
Wedding World to reopenfor liquidation sale
BOARDMAN -- Wedding World, the Boardman-Poland Road bridal store that closed in September when its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, will reopen Friday for a rapid liquidation sale that is expected to last up to three weeks.
Customers who previously made deposits on merchandise and can show a receipt will be allowed additional discounts. Customers who still have paid-in-full merchandise at the store can pick up the garments during the sale.
Store hours will be 10 a.m. through 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Wedding World is also liquidating merchandise at 15 other stores in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.
MT Picture to cut jobs
TROY, Ohio -- MT Picture Display Corp. will cut nearly 300 hourly and salaried workers at its Troy picture tube plant, a company spokesman said.
The layoffs are necessary to compete against less expensive Asian television imports and new technologies, spokesman Greg Tatusko said Wednesday. MT Picture Display is Troy's largest industrial employer with 1,135 employees.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports