York Daily Record from York, Pennsylvania • 24

1 GS YORK DAILY RECORD TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2001 BUSINESS fl Military action wont raise fuel costs EFFICIENCY TIPS Natural gas and home heating oU prices are expected to decrease. HOVER TJMaxx plans store TJ Maxx will open a store in the Hanover Crossing Shopping Center in Hanover on Oct 21. The new department store will hire 85 full-time and part-time employees from the York County area Framingham, TJ Maxx operates more than 670 stores in 47 states. parts. Install a window kit to the inside of your windows to help keep cold air out and warm air in.

Inspect ductwork for air leakage. Source: Conectiv Energy During the winter months, turn down your thermostat from 72 degrees to 68 degrees for eight hours per day. Winterize windows with weather stripping for all moveable joints and caulk for non-moving The fact that some companies are choosing to use natural gas because of the price drop frees oil supplies up for everyone else, Morrison said. Prices look to drop by about 15 cents this season." Since the terrorist attacks, some people have cohtacted The Sico Co. hoping to be placed in an oil price-cap program.

The program works by locking a customer into a price that will remain stable regardless of decreases in supply. If the price of oil drops, then the price drops, Morrison said. You get the best of both worlds without paying high prices. Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania customers will look to benefit from increased drilling of natural gas wells resulting from last seasons 29 percent increase in energy bills. Last winters low supply of natural gas and high demand caused the company to increase its number of gas wells from East Mexico, Canada, the Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

Home heating oil prices are expected to drop by nearly 13 percent from last year, and natural gas customers may also look forward to lower-than-normal energy bills. An increase in the number of natural gas wells and decrease in consumer demand will drop gas prices by 29 percent York County gets its natural gas from wells in the Northeast and Canada. Some large commercial and industrial companies that are capable of utilizing both heating oil and natural gas have chosen to increase their use of gas, said Kenneth C. Morrison, chief executive officer of The Sico Co. The Sico Co.

in West Manchester Township supplies fbel oil to more than 1,000 customers in York County. By SEAN ADKINS Daily Record staF U.S. militaiy action in Afghanistan will not disrupt oil supplies, and York County residents can expect to pay lower-than-normal home heating bills this fall and Winter. Increased levels of Support from the Middle East, including members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, conveys a willingness to maintain the level of oil supply to the United States that existed or was anticipated prior to terrorist attacks on Sept 11, according to the Energy Information Administrations 2001-2002 Winter Fuel Outlook. The county gets its home heating oil from domestic refineries in the South and Midwest and from foreign producers including countries in the Middle Each customer using 100 cubic feet of gas per month, the average for a mid-size home, will expect their average monthly bill of $104 to drop to roughly $63 per month.

When we get lower supply costs, we pass that on to the customer, Uhrig said. Its finally good news for consumers. Columbia Gas serves 12,000 customers in Adams County, 100 in Franklin County and 82,000 customers in York County. roughly 830 to more than 1,000, said Keith Uhrig, spokesman for the company. Commercial users have become more aware of their natural gas consumption and are expected to conserve where it is needed, Uhrig said.

People really paid attention to winterizing their homes last year, he said. They can use those same tactics to save on energy bills this time around. We picked up production last year and now its showing the Reach Sean Adkins at 771-2047 or sadkinsydr. com. lOTETJiET Salon.com charging Hoping to end its six-year run of losses, began charging Oct 1 for staff-written political and news coverage.

The online newspaper said more than 50 percent of its content remains free. The switch comes six months after San Francisco-based Salon began offering readers a chance to read an advertising-free version of its Web site for $30 annually. The decision to charge for some of its staff-written articles is part of an effort to survive an Internet shakeout that has wiped out hundreds of Web sites in the past year. To stay afloat, the online papers parent company, Salon Media Group has raised $3.25 million from 15 investors. SATURN New car named Ion Saturn Corp.s replacement for its aging S-Series will be named the Ion when the compact sedan debuts in late 2002.

Company officials said the all-new Ion will be larger and more refined than the current S-Series, the car that launched Saturn as an independent, customer-driven unit of General Motors Corp. in 1990. A second Ion version with coupe styling but four doors will follow in the first quarter of 2003, company officials said. The 2003 Ion will be built at the plant in Spring Hill, that manufactures the S-Series. The plant will begin making production versions of the Saturn Vue compact sport-utility in coming weeks.

The Vue, in two- and all-wheel-drive versions, is set to go on sale in mid-November at a base price well under $20,000. Specialists, traders and runners pause for a moment of silence before the opening bell Monday on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor, in support of the troops engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom. The market dropped slightly as investors reacted to news that American and British forces began missile attacks Sunday in Afghanistan in retaliation for the Sept. 1 1 terrorist assaults. Stock market posts modest losses Nintendos GameCube debuts a Nintendos $76 million marketing blitz is aimed at 18- to 24-year-old males.

By DAWN C. CHMIELEWSKI Knight Ridder Newspapers HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Its a vintage Hollywood premiere, with A-List actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire striding along a red carpet lined with paparazzi and a burly bouncer at the door. Inside, a DJ spins electronica as jump-suited waiters dispense hors doeuvres and Jell-0 shots. Clusters of white leather couches provide posing spots for starlets like Baywatch babe and Playboy centerfold Traci Bingham.

Just another lavish L.A. club opening except for the 32 game stations that line the walls, mall-arcade style; and the swirling, laser-light images of the Nintendo GameCube projected on the floor and walls. Welcome to Nintendos Cube Club. Its one of a dozen clubs opening across the country, from San Francisco to New York, over the next eight weeks to build excitement for the Nov. 18 launch of Nintendos newest video game console, the GameCube.

The clubs hit three cities at a time and are open for a week. Gamers go to www.nintendogamecube.com for tickets. Nintendos $76 million marketing blitz isnt just about building awareness among the under-13 set, the companys core consumers. Its about cultivating a hip image among 18- to 24-year-old males, who think of Nintendo as their kid brothers console. Maxim is sponsoring Cube Club nights the Maxim women will be there.

Theres a Smirnoff Vodka tie-in, said George Harrison, Nintendo of Americas senior vice president of marketing. These are things that are unexpected for Nintendo were saying to people over 21, we do have games and we are going to speak to you. The stakes are high for Nintendo, the worlds No. 2 console-maker. It faces intensified retail competition, not just from the market leader, Sony, which has had a year to build consumer appetite for the PlayStation but also a new, deep-pocketed rival Microsoft, which plans to launch its Xbox Nov.

15, three days earlier. Nintendo will have to raise considerable din to be heard above the $500 million Microsoft pledged to promote Xbox and the matching spending from Sony to tout PlayStation 2. Game industry analysts at Gerard Klauer Mattison expect North American sales to grow 15 percent, reaching $7.5 billion by years end, despite the economic malaise and fear surrounding the Sept 11 terrorist attacks. The GameCube, which will sell for $199, is $100 cheaper than either the PS2 or Xbox. And unlike previous generations of Nintendo game consoles, which relied on the strength of in-house franchises like Mario or Donkey Kong to fbel sales, GameCube will boast an array of independently developed game titles aimed at the over 18 crowd, who now constitute 58 percent of the market The Cube will launch with sequels to best-selling games like Electronic Arts Madden NFL 2002 and Activisions Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3, along with Star Wars Rogue Squadron fit Rogue Leader," LucasArts Entertainments hotly anticipated follow-up to its popular Nintendo 64 title.

I a Trading volume was lighter than normal, attributed partly to the Columbus Day federal holiday. By AMY BALDWIN Associated Press NEW YORK The stock market slipped slightly Monday as investors reacted to news of the S. military attacks in Afghanistan. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 51.83 at 9,067.94. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index inched up 0.65 to 1,605.95.

The Standard Poors 500 index, considered the best measure of Wall Streets performance, fell 8.94 to 1,062.44. Mondays mild pullback was expected given the political uncertainty and last weeks rally, spurred by the Federal Reserves ninth interest rate tions three big automakers, trading lower on a report in the Financial Times that Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler are slashing production by a further 196,000 vehicles before the end of the year. Ford fell 38 cents to $17.29, General Motors lost 71 cents to close at $41.65, and DaimlerChrysler slipped 25 cents to $33.87. The technology sector fared a little better. Dell Computer rose 56 cents to $23.12 and Cisco Sytems inched up 11 cents to $15.05.

My feeling is, if there are no significant casualties on the U.S. side and the strikes continue with no difficulties, the market will be quiet and stable with more of a wait-and-see attitude, Barker said. Declining issues outnumbered advancers more than 3 to 2 on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 1.17 billion shares, well below the 1.57 billion shares traded Friday. cut of the year and a push by President Bush for an economic stimulus package worth $60 billion.

The market is attempting to stabilize, said Alan Ackerman, executive vice president of Fahnestock Co. Trading volume was lighter than normal, which could be attributed partly to traders caution, as well as the Columbus Day federal holiday. There also were no major third-quarter earnings reports due to be released. Some investors evidently worried that the United States will suffer more terrorist attacks for having launched a military strike against Afghanistan. This is a combination of things.

There is some concern on the part of some investors about the retaliation. There is also some ordinary profittaking from the extraordinarily strong run, said Bill Barker, investment strategy consultant for Dam Rauscher in Dallas. Blue chip losers included the na RENT-WAY On the mend Rent-Way the nations second-largest rent-to-own chain, announced it is out of forebearance with its lenders after completing amendments to loan agreements. Under the terms of the agreement, the Erie-based company has about $360 million in credit It still has about $306 million of debt as of Sept 30. Rent-Way officials have said they hope to return the company to profitability by next year by closing poorly performing stores and offering more upscale merchandise.

The company still faces an investigation by the SEC and FBI over its books and a class-action lawsuit filed by investors claiming Rent-Ways stock was inflated because of accounting inaccuracies. Honeywell developing security solutions Washington, D.C., to discuss their needs and challenges and to review with them the aviation safety and security technology capabilities Honeywell can offer the industry. The company is expected to map out action plans with the FAA, airlines and airframe manufacturers in the next few weeks. Safety initiatives include airborne and enhanced airport security systems. Associated Press MORRIS TOWNSHIP, NJ.

Honeywell said today its broad expertise in flight-safety and security technology will help the Federal Aviation Administration and airline industry improve air travel safety. The company has already launched an enhanced safety initiative to develop ways to use new and existing electronic and structural systems to increase aviation security on the ground and in the air. Honeywell Chairman and CEO Lawrence Bossidy said the company has also appointed Frank Daly, president of Air Transport, to lead the company-wide initiative to help improve air travel safety. Bossidy said company representatives met last week with the FAA, DARPA, NASA and other government officials in of new ways such as a system to alert flight controllers of any deviation from flight plans and a new GPS-based system were developing that would continuously broadcast an aircrafts position, Daly said. We also have existing technologies that could be employed immediately at airports, such as access control and intruder detection integrated with digital video to ensure that any potential security breaches are monitored, recorded and addressed.

Honeywell is a $25 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; power generation systems; specialty chemicals; fibers; plastics; and electronic and advanced materials. Honeywell employs approximately 120,000 people in 95 countries and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol HON, as well as on the London, Chicago and Pacific stock exchanges. 10 i ETC. Daly added that both existing and new Honeywell technologies can be integrated in innovative ways to enhance airport security, prevent unauthorized entry into the aircraft or cockpit, alert authorities in the event of an attempted takeover and, in the worst case, aid a post-incident investigation. Daly also pointed out that near-term projects (over the next three to 12 months) include hardened cockpit doors using the companys Spectra fiber products, systems to alert flight crew and ground authorities of an airborne emergency and improved flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

Market stats for Mondays close: NYSE volume 976.9 million; NYSE index 549.16 524; 500 index 1,062.44 6.94; AMEX index 830.13 3.15; NASDAQ index 1,605.95 0.65; Prime rate 5.50 percent; 30-year T-Bills 531 percent; 30-year mortgage 6.101 percent; CPI 177.5. Honeywells surveillance and safety technologies can be applied in a number I.