REGION

REGION
Stock hits 1-year high
AKRON -- Goodyear Tire & amp; Rubber shares rose Tuesday above a one-year high in the stock market's initial reaction to the company's tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers, a deal that may end a strike that began nearly three months ago. Goodyear shares rose 43 cents, or 2.2 percent, to 20.15 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The Goodyear shares had traded within a 52-week range of 9.75 and 19.75. The proposed three-year labor contract was announced Friday after the market closed. About 12,600 active union workers in the United States and another 1,400 Steelworkers considered inactive, including those on layoff, will have an opportunity to vote on the contract agreement Thursday.
Ex-FBI chief aids in probe
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Former FBI Director Louis Freeh is aiding DaimlerChrysler in its internal investigation of bribery allegations involving company employees, a company spokesman confirmed Tuesday. DaimlerChrysler spokesman Han Tjan said the German-American automaker has made an internal announcement that it hired Freeh as an "outside consultant" in the investigation. Freeh's hiring was reported Tuesday by The Detroit News. Freeh is a member of the Gavel Consulting Group, which consists of former federal judges "who can provide strategic advice to corporations and law firms on anticipated actions in business, litigation and investigations," according to the group's Web site. In 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission opened an inquiry after a DaimlerChrysler employee said he was fired for complaining that the company was using secret bank accounts to bribe government officials. In March, the automaker said an internal investigation of bribery claims found evidence of "improper payments" in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. It said several employees had been dismissed or suspended.
NATIONAL
Oil spills into gulf
HOUSTON -- Workers were trying to contain an oil spill Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico that dumped 21,000 gallons after a pipeline ruptured. The U.S. Coast Guard said the spill occurred about 30 miles southeast of Galveston after a rupture in a medium crude oil pipeline owned by Houston-based Plains All American Pipeline. The company was trying to contain the spill by sucking the oil out of the line. The cause of the rupture is still under investigation.
From Vindicator wire services