REGION

REGION
Opens office in China
HOWLAND -- Stoneridge has opened an international purchasing office in Shanghai, China. The Howland-based company said the office will help it manage existing suppliers in China, as well as secure new low-cost suppliers. Stoneridge makes electrical and electronic components for vehicles, with nearly all of its workers based outside the Mahoning Valley.
Networking event
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will hold a networking event from 7:15 to 9 a.m. Friday at the Holiday Inn in Boardman. The business marketplace is designed for participants to quickly make a presentation on their business to people at a table and then move to a new table every 10 minutes. To register, call the chamber at (330) 744-2131, Ext. 12.
NATION
Casino and hotel workersstay on job through talks
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Thousands of casino-hotel workers planned to stay on the job despite the expiration of their contract, putting off a strike as negotiations continued.
Bartenders, cocktail servers and other employees belonging to the 17,000-member Local 54 of the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union worked through the midnight Tuesday expiration of their existing five-year contract.
Retail sales drop 0.3%
WASHINGTON -- Retail sales slid in August as people steered away from buying cars and shoppers kept a close eye on their spending after splurging in July.
The Commerce Department reported retail sales fell by 0.3 percent in August, after a 0.8 percent gain the previous month. In recent months, overall retail sales have exhibited a seesaw pattern.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports