Area gasoline prices hit record
Gasoline prices in Western Pennsylvania inched upward by only six-tenths of a cent this week, but the increase resulted in a record high for the region, AAA East Central reported yesterday. The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at self-serve pumps hit $1.711, up from $1.705 last week. Last week's price matched the previous record, which was set Sept. 2. The average price nationwide also set a record, hitting $1.753 a gallon. The previous week it reached a record $1.738.

Diabetics focus of research
BodyMedia, a Downtown biomedical development company, will work with St. Francis University's Center for Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served Areas, on a $150,000 research project to help assess diabetic patients who don't have ready access to hospitals. The U.S. Department of Defense funded the project, which will use BodyMedia's wearable monitors to collect physiological data. St. Francis is located in Cambria County.

Panza to lead health system

Mon Vale Health Resources Inc., parent of Monongahela Valley Hospital, has named Louis J. Panza Jr. to succeed Anthony M. Lombardi as its president and chief executive officer. Panza, senior vice president and treasurer for 15 years, assumes the top job July 1, following Lombardi's retirement.

Also in business ...

Hamot Medical Center in Erie has joined the network of hospitals serving 150,000 Western Pennsylvania members of United Healthcare's insurance plans.