Brown’s trade bill passes in Senate

Brown’s trade bill passes in Senate

YOUNGSTOWN

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s Leveling the Playing Field Act as part of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection reauthorization.

The bill would help the steel industry — including JMC Steel Group, which owns Sharon Tube in Niles and Wheatland Tube Co. in Warren — according to a press release issued by Brown’s office.

In March, Brown, a Democrat from Cleveland, met with Dave Seeger, president of JMC Steel Group, to discuss the negative impact of steel imports on the steel industry, including the impact of dumping.

Sunrise Inn to add outdoor patio

WARREN

The Sunrise Inn restaurant will soon have an outdoor patio.

The abandoned, condemned building next door to the restaurant, at 510 E. Market St., will be knocked down for the addition.

Demolition of the structure began Thursday.

The new patio will have dining tables, fire pits, an outdoor bar, barbecue pit, lounge area, fountain, boccie court and a stage for entertainment.

Don Walters Construction of Warren will perform the demolition and excavation of the vacant building at 528 and 540 E. Market.

Ice cream shop to have ribbon-cutting

MINERAL RIDGE

Jesy’s Dairy Cove will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. today.

The ice cream shop is at 3743 N. Main St. in Mineral Ridge.

Oil rig arrives in Seattle harbor

SEATTLE

An oil rig outfitted for exploration in the remote Arctic Ocean parked in Seattle’s harbor Thursday, marking a pivotal moment for an environmental movement increasingly mobilized around climate change.

Activists paddling out in kayaks to meet the rig off Seattle’s picturesque waterfront said it’s their moment to stand against opening a new frontier of fossil-fuel exploration.

“Unless people get out there and put themselves on the front lines and say enough is enough, then nothing will ever change,” said Jordan Van Voast, 55, an acupuncturist who was going out on the water to confront the Polar Pioneer. “I’m hopeful that people are waking up.”

Economic growth has disappointed

WASHINGTON

Like an underachieving student, the U.S. economy isn’t living up to the high hopes it began the year with.

Consumers have been uncharacteristically frugal, even as the country added jobs and a sharp drop in gas prices over the past year left them more money to spend. Meanwhile, drilling companies reeling from cheaper oil have slashed spending much more rapidly than anyone expected.

A host of other, mostly temporary, factors also have weighed on growth. Harsh winter weather kept shoppers at home, and a labor dispute at West Coast ports slowed exports.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Aqua America, .61, 26.33 0.42

Avalon Holdings,3.58-0.01

Clear Channel, .46 23.79 0.55

Cortland Bancorp, 15.25 0

Farmers Nat., .128.110.01

First Energy, 1.44, 34.90 0.36

Fifth/Third, .5220.61 0.12

FirstMerit Corp., .64,19.59 -0.08

First Niles Financial, .32,8.50 0

FNB Corp., .48,13.44-0.02

General Motors, 1.2034.61 -0.19

General Electric, .88,27.39 0.18

Huntington Bank, .20, 11.21 0.01

JP Morgan Chase, 1.60,66.07 0.55

Key Corp, .26,14.91-0.01

LaFarge, 18.18 0.09

Macy’s, 1.25, 63.22 -0.51

Parker Hannifin, 1.92, 124.49 1.32

PNC, 1.92,94.83 0.64

RTI Intl. Metals,38.43 0.05

Simon Prop. Grp.,5.20,184.57 3.23

Stoneridge 11.80 0.27

Talmer Bank, 15.850.08

United Comm. Fin., .04 5.460.04

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