BUSINESS DIGEST ||

ALDI renovations

YOUNGSTOWN

ALDI on Friday announced its Youngstown-area stores have begun undergoing renovations as part of the company’s nationwide plan to remodel and expand more than 1,300 U.S. stores by 2020.

In February, ALDI announced an aggressive $1.6 billion investment in its stores across the country, with more than $14 million dedicated to enhancing stores in Youngstown and the surrounding metropolitan area.

ALDI intends to remodel nine local stores, with a goal of completing all remodels by 2019. The new ALDI store look delivers on its customers’ desire for a modern and convenient shopping experience with a focus on fresh items, including more robust produce, dairy and bakery sections.

Remodeled stores will also feature a modern design, open ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally friendly building materials – such as recycled materials, energy-saving refrigeration and LED lighting.

Phantoms marketing

CANFIELD

898 Marketing, a strategic marketing and creative consultancy based in Canfield, has been chosen as the official marketing partner of the Youngstown Phantoms for the 2017-18 season. The partnership will focus on developing a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy designed to achieve core business objectives and goals of the locally owned United States Hockey League team as well as develop the team’s video advertising creative.

Judge shot outside court says he’s glad to resume work

STEUBENVILLE

An Ohio judge who was shot outside his courthouse in August has returned to the bench and says he’s glad to be back at work.

The Steubenville Herald-Star reports Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese returned to his courtroom Thursday, handling arraignments and a sentencing.

Bruzzese was shot Aug. 21 while walking from his car to the courthouse in Steubenville. The judge was carrying a gun and fired back. A probation officer then shot and killed suspect Nate Richmond.

Treasury probing illegal surveillance allegations

WASHINGTON

The Treasury Department’s inspector general said Friday it is looking into allegations that a Treasury Department agency has been illegally looking at the private financial records of U.S. citizens.

BuzzFeed, a news website, quotes unnamed government sources as saying that Treasury’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis has “repeatedly and systematically violated domestic surveillance laws by snooping on the private financial records of U.S. citizens and companies.”

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1247.49-0.76

Aqua America, .71 34.24-0.06

Avalon Holdings,2.050.02

Chemical Bank, .2752.52-0.15Community Health Sys. 7.09 -0.22

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.00-0.25

Farmers Nat., .1615.55-0.05

First Energy, 1.44 31.360.03

Fifth/Third, .5228.18-0.04

FirstMerit Corp.,--

First Niles Financial, .1211.000.50

FNB Corp., .4814.02-0.01

General Motors, 1.5244.921.07

General Electric, .9224.40-0.15

Huntington Bank, .28 13.90-0.06

iHeartMedia Inc.,1.350.00

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9296.91-0.18

Key Corp, .3418.68-0.09

LaFarge, .34--

Macy’s, 1.51 20.81-0.22

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 177.17-0.09

PNC, 2.20135.660.12

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60160.24-1.02

Stoneridge 21.36-0.82

United Comm. Fin., .12 9.860.04

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