Home Savings reports profit

Home Savings reports profit

YOUNGSTOWN

The Home Savings and Loan Co. of Youngstown reported a third-quarter profit of $1.72 million, or 3 cents a share.

The bank’s profit was up from a third-quarter 2012 loss of $26.9 million, or 82 cents per share, after it took a hit on a $115 million asset sale to clear troubled loans from its balance sheet.

Noninterest expense, delinquent loans and nonperforming assets all declined at the bank in the third quarter.

“Performance throughout the third quarter continued the positive trend for our company,” said Patrick W. Bevack, president and CEO, in a statement. “With the exception of the third quarter of 2012, in which we conducted a bulk-asset sale, the company has been profitable seven of the last eight quarters.”

Chamber event at gardens canceled

YOUNGSTOWN

An event sponsored by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber that was scheduled from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday at Mill Creek MetroParks’ Fellows Riverside Gardens has been canceled.

Paul Sracic, chairman of Youngstown State University’s political science department, was scheduled to discuss the politics of trade in the U.S. and Asia. The chamber has not rescheduled the event.

Ohio gas prices plunge to start week

COLUMBUS

Ohio gas prices are way down to start the workweek.

The state average was $3.08 for a gallon of regular gas in Monday’s survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That’s down a whopping 17 cents from this time last week.

The Ohio price was well under the national average of $3.19, which was 6 cents lower than a week ago.

The state average is 24 cents lower than last month at this time, and 33 cents lower than a year ago.

AAA experts say retail costs continue to fall amid sufficient fuel supplies, lower crude-oil prices and refineries shifting to less-expensive winter-blend gasoline production.

Study: PG-13 gun violence increasing

NEW YORK

Gun violence in PG-13 rated movies has increased considerably in recent decades, to the point that it sometimes exceeds gun violence in even R-rated films, according to a study released Monday.

Ohio State University and the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania surveyed gun violence in top-grossing movies, finding that the frequency of gun violence had more than tripled in PG-13 films since 1985. The PG-13 rating was introduced in 1984.

Gun violence in PG-13 movies has rivaled the frequency of gun violence in R-rated movies since 2009, and actually surpassed it in 2012, according to the study.

Researchers examined a total of 945 films, drawing from the 30 top-grossing movies from 1950 through 2012. It focuses on sequences involving “the firing of hand-held guns with the intent to harm or kill a living being.”

Vindicator staff/wire reports