REGION

REGION

Open house at FAB

YOUNGSTOWN — FAB Limousines Inc. and Chauffeurs4hire.com will have an open house from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday in their new offices at 3681 Connecticut Ave. The limousine company, which was founded in 1991, moved from its previous New Road headquarters because it needed more space, said Mark A. Bagnoli, FAB’s owner and president. The new location features indoor parking for all company vehicles and an indoor waiting area with indoor boarding for bus tour passengers. Three years ago, Bagnoli founded Chauffeurs4hire.com, which is a national network of professional chauffeurs who drive their customers’ vehicles.

Gas prices rise in Ohio

COLUMBUS — Gasoline prices are a nickel a gallon higher this week in Ohio, according to a survey from AAA auto club’s Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express. The statewide average for regular-grade gasoline was $2.62, compared to last Monday’s average of $2.57.

Prices were more than a dollar lower during last year’s holiday week, when Ohioans were paying an average $1.58 for regular.

Oil prices closed above $78 a barrel last week for the first time in more than a month after the government reported a decline in oil inventories, suggesting that demand for fuel is on the rise.

NATION

Brisk sales send stocks up

NEW YORK — Better holiday sales and rising commodities prices pushed stocks to their sixth straight gain and new highs for 2009.

Major indexes edged higher in light trading Monday after sales figures showed shoppers spent more freely this holiday season, a sign that consumers are feeling better about the economy.

Figures from MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, which track all forms of payment, show retail sales rose 3.6 percent from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, compared with a 2.3 percent drop a year ago. Adjusting for an extra shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the number was closer to a 1 percent gain.

Cell-phone burger coupons

DUBLIN, Ohio — Wendy’s is about to test coupons sent to cell phones as text messages.

Customers of the nation’s No. 3 burger chain who sign up for the promotion and provide their phone number will receive a discount by showing their mobile device to a Wendy’s cashier.

Options Media Group of Boca Raton, Fla., is running the program for Wendy’s International, which is based in the Columbus suburb of Dublin, Ohio. Options Media CEO Scott Frohman says the mobile coupon campaign will have a tryout in the Northeast before a planned rollout nationwide.

Frohman says advertisers are spending more on marketing that involves mobile devices, as opposed to traditional media.

Vindicator staff/wire reports