OHIO

OHIO

Cooper Tire & Rubber plans to close 1 plant

FINDLAY, Ohio — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. says it will likely close one of its four U.S. manufacturing plants in the coming months because of slumping demand for tires.

Ohio-based Cooper said Tuesday that it has not decided which plant will be closing. It has factories in Findlay, Ohio; Albany, Ga.; Tupelo, Miss.; and Texarkana, Ark. Cooper spokeswoman Pat Brown says the company has more production capacity than it can afford in the U.S. The tire maker also has been hit this year by higher costs of raw materials.

NATION

Analysts predict shoppers will spend less on PCs

SEATTLE — Sales of personal computers didn’t live up to expectations over the summer, and now analysts predict shoppers will cut spending even more drastically in the all-important holiday quarter.

So far, PC prices appear to be holding steady. But buyers may get better deals soon as computer companies try to avoid getting stuck with a pile of unsold inventory Dec. 31.

Analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies said the unofficial start date for holiday PC promotions has crept earlier in recent years. This year, Kay said, computer makers are feeling panicky and wondering if they’ll even make it through October without slashing prices.

Vindicator staff reports