Week in Review

Gas station owners across the Charleston area and South Carolina took the precaution of posting signs Thursday asking customers to limit their gas intake to 10 gallons. They thought it was prudent, but instead it caused a mild panic. The signs prompted a heightened awareness of possible gas outages. And then a rumor shot through the community — via text messages, phone calls and e-mails — saying gas prices were likely to jump beyond $5 per gallon later in the afternoon. But while a few stations in outlying areas raised their prices above $4 a gallon, the average local price Friday morning was about $3.61 a gallon, up just 4 cents from the day before.

Home sales, prices dip

The latest home-buying sales pitch goes something like: "Interest rates are historically low, there are lots of properties to choose from, and prices are lower than they have been." That third part of the pitch is the latest twist. During the first two years of the market slowdown, home prices held steady, but the latest numbers show prices fell again last month. The median price for homes that changed hands in August slid almost 6 percent to $202,250, according to figures from the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors' Multiple Listing Service. In August 2007, the median price was $215,000. The number of homes sold fell 33 percent to 711 during the same period, according to MLS data.

Area ranking climbs

The Charleston region climbed two slots and cracked the top 10 in an annual ranking of U.S. metropolitan areas based largely on the creation and retention of jobs. The three-county region fell in at No. 10 in the 2008 Best-Performing Cities Index compiled by the Milken Institute, a nonprofit economic think tank. The findings put Provo, Utah, in the top spot among the nation's 200 largest metro areas. Milken researchers cited several factors for the area's improved standing, including its expanding tourism industry and the Port of Charleston.

Force gets new order

Ladson-based armored truck maker Force Protection Inc. said it has received a $7.2 million contract from the Marine Corps for five reduced-weight Cougar vehicles. Force Protection said the modified Cougars will "incorporate significant amounts of design and technology" used in its smaller, faster Cheetah vehicle.