BUSINESS DIGEST || Gas prices trending upward

Gas prices rising

YOUNGSTOWN

Northeast Ohio gas prices are trending upward, hovering at $2.37 a gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Fuel Gauge report. The national average is $2.28.

The Northeast Ohio average price last week was $2.24. The average price during the week of May 25, 2015, was $2.71.

The Youngstown average this week is $2.31.

MYCAP information sessions scheduled

Youngstown

The Mahoning Youngstown Community Action Partnership, 1325 Fifth Ave., has scheduled the following dates and times for information sessions on the Employment Skills and Training Program of 2016: from 9 to 11 a.m. and from 1 to 3 p.m. today, Wednesday, Thursday, next Tuesday, June 1 and June 2.

Candidates interested in the June 6 class must attend only one of the informational sessions. Class space is limited.

The six-week class runs through July 14 at MYCAP. Potential candidates must be a Mahoning County resident 18 or older, graduated with a high-school diploma or working toward completion of a GED.

For more information, call MYCAP’s Youngstown office at 330-747-7921, ext. 1190 or ext. 1724.

GM awards grants for local groups

lordstown

General Motors Lordstown Complex recently announced $100,000 in grants to Mahoning Valley nonprofit organizations through its Community Grants program.

The grants were awarded at Lordstown’s 50th anniversary car show at Lordstown Complex East on Saturday.

Funded by the GM Foundation, the GM Community Grants will support the following Northeast Ohio organizations and community programs: United Way was given $60,000 to support early-childhood education; Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley was given $15,000 to support its daily operations; Northeast Ohio First Robotics Alliance was given $15,000 to directly support and sustain the nine area NEOFRA teams in 2016; and Global Rivers Environmental Education Network was given $10,000 to support the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

This year, the GM Community Grants program will provide nearly $2 million in funding to hundreds of organizations in 47 communities where GM employees live and work.

First Niles reports cash dividend

NILES

First Niles Financial Inc., the parent company of Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Niles, has announced a cash dividend of $.03 per share on common stock and $.04 per share on preferred class A stock for the second quarter of 2016.

The dividend will be payable June 17 to shareholders of record June 3.

Home Federal primarily serves the Niles area. First Niles had $97.4 million in assets and $12.6 million in stockholders’ equity as of March 31, 2016.

Staff reports