plus 3, East Wheeling Welcomes New Auto Business - WTRF

East Wheeling Welcomes New Auto Business - WTRF
Jobless rate rises in most metro areas - The Daily Star
City of Belleville Getting ‘Hooked up’ for Belleville 100 - Who Won
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz Is An Advanced Touchscreen Smartphone - PR Inside

East Wheeling Welcomes New Auto Business - WTRF

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 03:09 PM PST

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WHEELING -- The former Goodyear Store at the corner of Jacob and 16th Streets in Wheeling, is now being turned into ASAP Car Care, which is a complete NAPA car care center.

Even as they are moving in, customers are rolling up asking questions and some aren't taking no for an answer.

"We've actually done about five jobs, four or five jobs, already for people who were broke down and had to have their car fixed." said Larry Witsberger, ASAP Car Care Owner.

Owner Larry Witsberger and seven employees, with more than 100 years total experience, rebuild engines from the ground up. They also have an electrical shop, rebuilding starters and alternators.

They've done everything from the Oglebay Park choo-choo train to the train that hauls the steel in to Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel along with everything in between like RV's and SUV's.

The company was tucked away in Triadelphia, known as American Starter, for years.

Witsberger is anxious to get his store open but encourages patrons not to stop by until Monday's opening.

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Jobless rate rises in most metro areas - The Daily Star

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 09:40 AM PST

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

US Employment

Unemployment rose in most cities and counties in December, signalling that companies remain reluctant to hire even as the economy recovers.

The unemployment rate rose in 306 of 372 metro areas, the Labour Department said Tuesday. The rate fell in 41 and was unchanged in 25. That's worse than November, when the rate fell in 170 areas, rose in only 154 and was unchanged in 48.

The metro employment numbers aren't seasonally adjusted and can be volatile. Many of the increases were due to seasonal factors.

For example, Ocean City, New Jersey, which bills itself as "America's Greatest Family Resort," saw its unemployment rate jump to 16.4 percent in December from 14.8 percent the previous month.

That's double the 8 percent it reported in July, even though the nation's economy was in worse shape then.

Ocean City is one of the 19 metro areas that reported unemployment rates of at least 15 percent. Twelve of those are in California and three are in Michigan, the department said.

Joblessness topped 10 percent in 138 metro areas, up from 125 in November but below last year's peak of 144 areas in June.

Improvement in the auto industry, meanwhile, saw unemployment rates drop in the metro areas around Detroit and Warren, Michigan. Automakers and auto parts companies have recalled workers in recent months as they seek to replenish inventories depleted by the "Cash for Clunkers" program, which caused a jump in car sales in August.

The Detroit area saw unemployment fall to 15.7 percent from 16.4 percent, while the Warren area reported a drop to 14.3 percent from 14.8 percent. While still high, the rates are down about 2 percentage points from last fall.

Steve Cochrane, a regional economist at Moody's Economy.com, said it isn't clear if the gains are sustainable once the auto companies have rebuilt their inventories.

"There are no guarantees the unemployment rates won't go up again," he said.

The US economy benefited heavily in the fourth quarter from inventory changes. Companies ramped up production and reduced inventories less in the October to December period, which accounted for about two-thirds of the 5.7 percent growth in the economy during that period.

Nationwide, the unemployment rate was 10 percent in December, unchanged from the previous month, as employers shed 85,000 jobs. The Labour Department will report January figures on Friday, and economists expect a gain of 5,000 jobs and a slight increase in the unemployment rate to 10.1 percent.

In the past year, unemployment rose in almost all of the 372 metro areas tracked by the report, except one: Troubled Elkhart, Indiana, saw its jobless rate fall to 14.8 percent in December 2009 from 16 percent a year earlier.

Unemployment in Elkhart and the surrounding region in northern Indiana soared during the recession after many recreational vehicle manufacturers laid off workers and in some cases closed their doors. President Barack Obama visited Elkhart twice last year.

Recently, the area has attracted several electric car manufacturers, including Think North America, a subsidiary of Norwegian-based Think Global. The company plans to sell electric cars in the United States later this year.

Think North America said last month it will open a factory in Elkhart in a former RV plant, potentially creating 415 full-time jobs by 2013.

The lowest unemployment rates are in the upper plains states, with Fargo, North Dakota reporting the nation's lowest rate, at 4 percent, followed by Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Lincoln, Nebraska, at 4.1 percent each.

The highest rate is in El Centro, California, with 27.7 percent, followed by Merced, California, at 19.8 percent. El Centro is heavily agricultural and has many seasonal farm workers that are frequently unemployed. Its jobless rate is down from 33.1 percent in August.

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City of Belleville Getting ‘Hooked up’ for Belleville 100 - Who Won

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 07:53 AM PST

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Belleville High Banks
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
City of Belleville Getting 'Hooked up' for Belleville 100

by Wayne Dake

BELLEVILLE, Kan. -- As intrigue grows for the running of the Belleville 100 this July, so does the interest from the RV community.

The Hi-Banks RV Park is reporting that their location, situated directly across from the world famous Belleville High Banks race track, is nearly filled with reservations for the July 2-4 drama-filled racing event.

Recreational vehicle travelers to Belleville need not be dismayed. The Belleville 100 team has arranged with the City of Belleville to have an additional 40 electrical hook-ups available on a first-come, first-served basis.

These additional electrical hook-ups have 30- and 50-Amp options, and will be available at the power plant park located just one block west of the hallowed race track grounds. The hook-up fee at "Power Plant Park" is just $15 per day. There is access to water hydrants in this area, however, sewer hook-ups are not.

A dump station is located at another popular Belleville camping area known as Rocky Pond, which has eight full hook-up RV stalls and is owned by the City of Belleville. Rocky Pond offers tent camping and non-hook-up camping throughout the park, plus fishing and boating for small vessels. The RV electrical hook-up sites at Rocky Pond are also on a first-come, first-served basis.

Restroom and shower facilities are available at both locations. New showers and restrooms will be constructed in the city park prior to the Belleville 100, according to city officials.

Should RV owners have further questions concerning city-owned RV hook-ups, they may direct inquiries to 785-527-2288. For information concerning other lodging options, click the 'Lodging' button at the Official Website of the Belleville 100 at www.belleville100.com.

The Belleville High Banks is perhaps the most demanding dirt track in the country in terms of expecting the most of driver and equipment. Certainly it is the fastest half-mile dirt track in the country and most certainly can boast its number one ranking in historical longevity.

While many aspects of the automobile and auto racing have changed since Belleville's first auto race held in 1910, two things really haven't changed: the test of the machine and the endurance of the driver.

In July 2010, machine and driver will be tested in a contest never before witnessed at the "World's Fastest Half-Mile Dirt Track" or the Great Plains States. The celebration of 100 years of auto racing in Belleville and the advancement of the motor car will take place at the Belleville 100 featuring Modifieds on the Belleville High Banks, July 2-4, 2010.

for car entry forms and ticket order forms see the 'downloads' page at www.belleville100.com.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 402-761-3676 or by checking out the "Downloads" section at www.belleville100.com on the World Wide Web. Entry forms, rules and additional information can also be found on the Official Website of the Belleville 100.

For more information about the Belleville 100, contact Wayne Dake via email at wayne@belleville100.com or call 402-440-3977.

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The Sony Ericsson Vivaz Is An Advanced Touchscreen Smartphone - PR Inside

Posted: 03 Feb 2010 04:32 AM PST

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2010-02-03 13:23:16 - The Sony Ericsson brand is well known for it's range of multifunction mobiles, and especially those incorporating the famous Walkman music player. Due for release in Jan 2010, the Vivaz will offer something different from the brand. The Vivaz doesn't really look like what you'd expect from a Sony Ericsson. A touch screen covers the front of the phone eliminating the need for a keypad usually found on the manufacturer's phones.

The Vivaz handset will measure 107x51.7x12.5mm and weighs in at just 97g, allowing a comfortable user experience. Sony Ericsson has gradually been releasing more and more touch screen phones. This unit incorporates a 3.2" TFT touch screen capable of displaying up to 16million colours at 360x240 pixels. This will display the phones content vibrantly and clearly.

Alert types available on

the phone will include vibration and ringing, with the option to utilize mp3 files as ringtones. A speakerphone is incorporated into the handset allowing for hands free communication. A 3.5 mm audio jack is also provided allowing the use of hands free kits. This can also be used to listen to music via a pair of compatible headphones.

A huge 75MB of internal storage is provided with the Vivaz, but if that isn't enough the pre-installed 8GB memory card can be increased up to 16GB using the microSD slot found on the handset.

Connection to the internet is via a HSDPA connection at speed of up to 10.2 Mbps, as well as a HSUPA connection at speeds of up to 2Mbps. WiFi connectivity is also provided allowing users to take advantage of various hotspots located around the country. Bluetooth v2.1 is installed as standard allowing users to transfer data and files with other Bluetooth compatible devices,

The camera on the Vivaz is certainly impressive. Boasting 8MP, which operates at a pixel resolution of 3264x2448 pixels. A range of added features includes auto-focus, LED flash, touch-focus, face and smile recognition as well as geo-tagging. The ability to record video is included at 1280x720 pixels which comes with a video light. All these features will let users shoot high quality video and photographs with the minimum of effort.

From a manufacturer whose phones are known for their music playback ability, the Vivaz does not disappoint. A range of audio files are supported by the phone's media player. These include mp3, WMA, WAV, RA, AAC and M4A. Several video formats are also supported. These are WMV, RV, MP4, and 3GP. To allow for easy transfer to and from a computer, a microUSB (v.2.0) is located on the handset.

In order to view the HD videos and photos shot on the Vivaz, users can connect the phone to a TV via the TV out socket. Other features included with this phone are an organizer, Quick Office document reader, gesture control, voice memo recorder and T9 predictive text input. Fans of social networking will not be disappointed, with apps allowing direct access to Facebook and Twitter. Also offered is integration with Youtube and Picasa allowing users to upload pictures and videos directly from their handset.

The Vivaz offers a welcome change from Sony Ericsson. An array of technology is perfectly housed in the latest of Sony Ericsson's increasingly aesthetically pleasing handsets. It is available in black, red, silver and blue.

If you like the Sony Ericsson Vivaz: www.phoneslimited.co.uk/Sony+Ericsson/Vivaz.html
check out the Sony Ericsson Yari: www.phoneslimited.co.uk/Sony+Ericsson/Yari.html

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