Hubbard chooses new gas supplier

June 28, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

HUBBARD

Hubbard City officials announced Thursday that they chose Constellation Energy Gas Choice Inc. to provide residents and small businesses with a natural-gas supply after a bidding process.

A $4.79 per Mcf rate has been set for gas consumed for the bill cycle beginning September 2014 and ending August 2016.

Residents can expect to receive a notice from Constellation explaining rates, terms and conditions, and how to enroll in the city’s natural-gas program.

After receiving the notice, residents wishing to enroll in the program may do so by phone, mail, fax or online at www.constellation.com/hubbard.

Residents can contact Constellation at 800-718-1493 with any questions.

Ashta Chemicals to go mercury-free

Ashtabula

Ashta Chemicals announced Thursday that it will invest $60 million to become more environmentally friendly and will implement a mercury-free policy.

Ashta will go mercury-free by converting to cell-membrane technology.

Oceana, an organization dedicated to protecting the oceans, named Ashta one of the top-five worst mercury polluters in the U.S. in 2007, but issued a press release commending Ashta for its new policy.

Funeral home to have ribbon-cutting

NILES

WM Nicholas Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 614 Warren Ave., along with the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

The owner of the funeral home, Bill Nicholas, purchased the Niles location in January and renovated it.

For more information about WM Nicholas Funeral Home, visit www.nicholasfuneralhome.com.

Job growth boosts consumer confidence

WASHINGTON

Strong job growth lifted U.S. consumer confidence this month, as Americans looked past the economy’s dismal first-quarter performance.

The University of Michigan said Friday that its index of consumer sentiment rose slightly to 82.5 in June from 81.9 in May. That is still below April’s reading of 84.1, which had been the highest in almost a year.

Confidence “has remained largely unchanged for the past six months,” said Richard Curtin, an economist at the University of Michigan and director of the survey. “This was remarkable” given that the economy shrank in the first quarter.

Still, the survey was mostly conducted when the government had estimated that the economy contracted at a 1 percent annual rate in the first quarter.

On Wednesday, that estimate was revised much lower, to show a contraction of 2.9 percent.

And so far, steady confidence hasn’t yet translated into more spending. Consumer spending rose just 0.2 percent in May after a flat reading in April.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Aqua America, .61, 25.85 .41

Avalon Holdings,4.45.03

Clear Channel, .61 23.58 .16

Cortland Bancorp, 11.85—.40

Farmers Nat., .127.79 .05

First Energy, 2.20, 33.99—.20

FirstMerit Corp., .64,19.77 .28

First Niles Financial, .32,9.00.00

FNB Corp., .48,12.73.02

General Motors,36.62—.28

General Electric, .76,26.43.14

Huntington Bank, .20, 9.56—.02

JP Morgan Chase, 1.52,57.53.14

Key Corp, .22,14.40.06

LaFarge, 21.41 .21

Macy’s, 1.00, 58.67.60

Parker Hannifin, 1.80, 125.63—.02

PNC, 1.76,89.31.63

RTI Intl. Metals,26.26.13

Simon Prop. Grp.,4.60,167.061.27

Stoneridge 10.70 .15

Talmer Bank, 13.89.27

United Community Fin. 4.10.04

Selected prices at 4 p.m. Friday. Provided by Stifel. Not to be construed as an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any security.