BUSINESS DIGEST || Cafe open at Fellows

Cafe open at Fellows

YOUNGSTOWN

Friends Specialty at the Garden Cafe in Mill Creek MetroParks Fellows Riverside Gardens, 123 McKinley Ave., has opened for business.

The cafe has been refreshed and newly updated and will offer a selection of teas, locally roasted coffee, a locally sourced lunch menu and desserts. It is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday for pastries, coffee and tea. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pet Hydrant opens

COLUMBIANA

The Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for the Pet Hydrant, an all-natural pet-supply boutique, 514 East Park Ave. The shop offers pet treats, food, toys and gifts, and is open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The store will celebrate its grand opening from 2 to 4 p.m. today. Angels for Animals will have adoptable pets on site.

New ‘forever’ stamps

washington

Four new “forever” stamps are available nationwide. Each stamp, unveiled Friday by the U.S. Postal Service, depicts a close-up of four classic garden water lilies dedicated at the Garfield-Perry March Party Stamp Show in Cleveland. The images were taken by Alexandria, Va.-based photographer Cindy Dyer at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington.

The USPS typically prints between 20 million and 40 million stamps of an individual subject. A half-billion Water Lilies Forever stamps were printed in anticipation of customer demand, the postal service said.

Stocks advance

NEW YORK

Stocks advanced Friday, capping a strong week, helped by a recovery in the price of oil and earnings from Olive Garden owner Darden Restaurants and sportswear giant Nike.

The Nasdaq composite index inched closer to its all-time high set at the height of the dot-com bubble.

Once again, it was the Federal Reserve affecting much of this week’s market movement. The Fed implied at the end of its two-day meeting Wednesday that its policymakers were in no hurry to raise interest rates with the U.S. economy still growing slowly and inflation extremely low.

FDA: GMO apples, potatoes OK to eat

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave its blessing to two new varieties of genetically engineered apples and six varieties of potatoes also created by genetic alteration. The agency called the new strains of apples and potatoes “as safe and nutritious as their conventional counterparts,” a finding that makes their appearance on the U.S. market imminent.

Food scientists maintain the genetic changes will make their produce healthier, more palatable and easier to transport and sell without spoilage. The companies say this also will result in less food waste.

But the FDA decision is certain to spark controversy among critics who argue that genetically modified foods will introduce potentially dangerous unknowns into the American food supply.

Vindicator staff/wire reports