REGION

REGION

20/30 Club mixer

AUSTINTOWN

The Mahoning Valley Professional 20/30 Club, a networking organization, will have its monthly mixer from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at O’Donold’s Irish Pub, 6000 Mahoning Ave. Tickets are $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers. For more information, go to www.mvp2030.org.

Chrysler plant auctioned off

TWINSBURG, Ohio

A Chrysler plant in Northeast Ohio has gone on the auction block.

The Twinsburg stamping plant southeast of Cleveland was auctioned Wednesday in New York. Attorney Jeff Ellman says the winning bidder will be detailed in a filing in time for today’s hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.

Proceeds from the sale will help repay Chrysler Group LLC creditors.

NATION

City owns rights to restaurant’s name

NEW YORK

New York City can keep its “Tavern on the Green” and eat there, too.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum on Wednesday settled the biggest question in a legal dispute between the city and the longtime operators of the landmark eatery in Central Park. The restaurant closed New Year’s Eve after financial problems.

The debt-holders of the bankrupt restaurant had sought to stop the city from using the name in the future. The city wanted the court to declare it the rightful owner of the name, which has been valued at $19 million. The judge sided with the city.

Inventories down

WASHINGTON

Businesses trimmed inventories at the wholesale level again in January even though sales rose for a 10th consecutive month. The dip in inventories underscored that businesses remain cautious about restocking their depleted shelves.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that inventories at the wholesale level were reduced 0.2 percent in January following a 1 percent drop in December. Sales were up a solid 1.3 percent, the best showing since a 3.6 percent rise in November.

WORLD

World oil demand projected to grow

CAIRO

World oil demand is projected to grow by 900,000 barrels per day in 2010, OPEC said Wednesday, revising up its previous month’s forecast while cautioning that the increase is hinged on a sustained global economic rebound, particularly in the United States.

Pace of foreclosure growth slows

WASHINGTON

The foreclosure crisis isn’t over, but the pace of growth may finally be slowing down.

RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday that the number of U.S. households facing foreclosure in February grew 6 percent from the year-ago level, the smallest annual increase in four years.

More than 308,000 households, or one in every 418 homes, received a foreclosure-related notice, the Irvine, Calif.-based foreclosure listings company reported. That was down more than 2 percent from January

From staff and wire reports