Business news digest

REGION

Dominion East Ohio says some prices will change

CLEVELAND — Dominion East Ohio said Monday that the price for customers who haven’t selected a third-party supplier or aren’t part of a government aggregation group will rise 21.7 cents per thousand cubic feet this month. The Standard Choice Offer price will be $4.938 effective June 18.

The price for these customers in May 2008 was $13.356. Dominion said prices have fallen because of a drop in industrial demand.

NATION

Oil prices hit new highs, raising costs at the pump

COLUMBUS — Oil prices pushed to new highs for the year Monday on a weak dollar and new data suggesting manufacturing in China has strengthened.

Both of those factors helped send energy prices to record highs last summer.

The national average price at the pump this weekend rose above $2.50 for the first time since October.

Benchmark crude for July delivery rose $2.27 to settle at $68.58 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest close since early November.

Natural-gas futures soared 10 percent.

Vindicator staff/wire reports