BUSINESS DIGEST ||

Baking for a cause

YOUNGSTOWN

Home Savings branches will host bake sales to benefit local animal-assistance organizations today and Saturday.

All proceeds from the bake sales will go to local animal-assistance organizations selected by the participating branches. Last year the bank raised more than $17,000 and anticipate that it’ll exceed $19,000 this year with even more offices participating.

Ribbon cutting

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown-based Home Savings will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in partnership with the St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce for the grand opening of a former Premier Bank branch. The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. April 7 at the St. Clairsville Office at 107 Plaza Drive, Suite A in St. Clairsville. Home Savings acquired Premier in 2016.

New appointments

CLEVELAND

The Board of Directors of Team Northeast Ohio appointed Monte C. Repasky, audit partner, assurance leader for Ernst Young LLP, and Gary M. Small, president and chief executive officer of Home Savings, to the organization’s board of directors. Team NEO’s board of directors oversees the economic-development organization and is responsible for leading the implementation of Northeast Ohio’s Regional Economic Competitiveness Strategy, which was created by business and philanthropic leaders to guide the region’s growth.

Name your flavor

COLUMBUS

Velvet Ice Cream on Thursday launched a social media contest designed to let Velvet fans determine the new 2017 Ohio State Fair ice cream flavor. Through April 12, ice cream lovers can submit ideas for the flavor on Velvet Ice Cream’s Facebook page. Company leaders will choose the best flavor submission and will develop a brand-new ice cream flavor, created especially for the Ohio State Fair, which runs July 26-Aug. 6 at the Ohio Expo Center.

VW to pay more than $157M to settle emissions claims

DETROIT

Volkswagen is paying more than $157 million to 10 states to settle environmental lawsuits over the company’s diesel emissions-cheating scandal. The company says the money will go to Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. All 10 states follow California’s clean air standards.

US stocks close higher; Nasdaq climbs to new high

Banks and other financial companies led U.S. stocks modestly higher Thursday, nudging the Nasdaq composite index to an all-time high. Rising bond yields, which can result in higher interest rates on loans and bigger profits for banks, helped put traders in the mood to buy banking stocks. Energy companies also notched gains as crude oil prices rose. Utilities and other high-dividend stocks fell.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1233.480.57

Aqua America, .71 31.99-0.20

Avalon Holdings,2.340.00

Chemical Bank, .2752.031.82Community Health Sys. 8.92 0.11

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.550.35

Farmers Nat., .1613.900.65

First Energy, 1.44 31.36-0.20

Fifth/Third, .5225.730.69

FirstMerit Corp.,21.610.37

First Niles Financial, .1211.000.00

FNB Corp., .4815.060.43

General Motors, 1.5235.415-0.12

General Electric, .9229.880.20

Huntington Bank, .28 13.590.37

iHeartMedia Inc.,3.840.24

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9289.040.77

Key Corp, .3417.990.48

LaFarge, .3417.570.00

Macy’s, 1.51 29.460.19

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 160.051.08

PNC, 2.20121.512.17

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60169.990.13

Stoneridge 18.390.13

United Comm. Fin., .12 8.490.12

Selected prices from Thursday’s 4 p.m. close.