REGION

REGION
Woman wins a Saturn
NILES -- Gina Smegal of Hermitage, Pa., won a 2007 Saturn SKY roadster at Saturn of Route 422 in Niles. She was one of 10 people who won new cars through an online promotion offered by Saturn and Target. Their names were drawn from 270,000 participants. Smegal also received 1,000 and a 250 gift card.
FirstEnergy dividend
AKRON -- FirstEnergy Corp. declared a quarterly dividend of 50 cents per share of outstanding common stock, an 11 percent increase over the previous quarterly rate of 45 cents per share. The new dividend will be payable March 1 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 7.
NATION
U.S. on Chinese currency
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration said Tuesday that China does not meet the technical requirements of a country that is manipulating its currency to gain unfair trade advantages. The administration did say Tuesday that "more flexibility in China's exchange rate will help it achieve more balanced growth" and promote a number of other outcomes that would be economically beneficial.
Inflation surges
WASHINGTON -- Inflation at the wholesale level surged by the largest amount in more than three decades in November, reflecting higher prices for gasoline and a host of other items. The Producer Price Index, which measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer, was up 2 percent last month, the biggest advance since a similar increase in November 1974, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports