Foundation to give check to chamber

Foundation to give check to chamber

YOUNGSTOWN

The Home Savings Charitable Foundation will present a $10,000 check to the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Foundation on Monday.

Home Savings will make the donation at the chamber’s Youngstown office in the First National Tower at 11 Central Square, Suite 1600, at 2 p.m.

The funds will support economic-development initiatives for local business retention and expansion and help boost efforts to attract North American business.

Ribbon-cutting set

BOARDMAN

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will join Scott Gorley on Monday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at InShape MD, which offers a doctor-guided, personalized approach to weight loss, anti-aging and wellness.

The ceremony starts at 10:30 a.m. at 1111 Boardman-Canfield Road.

Bernanke: 2014 could be better year

WASHINGTON

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday predicted a stronger year for the U.S. economy in 2014, saying several factors that have held back growth appear to be abating.

Americans’ finances have improved, and the outlook for home sales is brighter, Bernanke said. He also expects less drag from federal spending cuts and tax increases.

The combination “bodes well for U.S. economic growth in coming quarters,” Bernanke said during a speech to the annual meeting of the American Economic Association in Philadelphia.

Bernanke made a similar assessment of the economy at a Dec. 18 news conference after the Fed’s last meeting. At the meeting, the Fed announced it would begin in January to reduce its monthly bond purchases from $85 billion to $75 billion, noting signs of an improving economy.

The bond purchases are intended to keep long-term interest rates low and encourage more borrowing and spending.

BlackBerry sues Seacrest startup

SAN FRANCISCO

Troubled smartphone maker BlackBerry Ltd. is accusing a company backed by “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest of being a rip-off artist.

The allegations emerged in a patent-infringement lawsuit filed Friday in a San Francisco federal court by BlackBerry. The suit targets an iPhone keyboard made by Typo Products LLC, a Los Angeles startup co-founded by Seacrest and entrepreneur Laurence Hallier.

The complaint contends that Typo Products’ keyboard for recent iPhone models illegally copies technology and designs that BlackBerry pioneered years ago for its line of smartphones.

BlackBerry is seeking unspecified damages and a court order that would prevent Typo Products from selling the keyboard without a licensing agreement.

Typo Products didn’t immediately respond to requests for a comment.

Vindicator staff/wire reports