BUSINESS DIGEST | Free rides for voters

Free rides for voters

LORDSTOWN

The Cafaro Co. is sponsoring a free ride service for voters in the village’s Tuesday special election for referendums on zone changes that village council granted for a TJX HomeGoods project.

Free transportation for voters will be available to take village residents to the polling place at the village administration building.

Any voter who needs a ride should contact Trumbull County Transit at 330-369-2600.

The ride service was coordinated by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.

Ohio unemployment

COLUMBUS

State officials say Ohio’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased slightly from June to July, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The state’s unemployment rate rose from 4.5 percent in June to 4.6 percent last month.

The national rate was 3.9 percent in July, down from 4 percent in June and down from 4.3 percent in July 2017.

The state Job and Family Services Department says Ohio’s nonagricultural wage and salary employment increased by 7,600 jobs from June to July.

The agency reports job gains in educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; financial activities; and trade, transportation and utilities exceeded losses in professional and business services and information.

The state reports an increase of 4,700 manufacturing jobs and 2,200 construction jobs from June to July.

Trumbull extends Chamber contract

WARREN

Trumbull County commissioners approved a new 12-month, $23,000 contract with the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to continue the organization’s economic development efforts in the county, the chamber announced.

The chamber oversees retention and expansion of local businesses and helps attract new ones to the Mahoning Valley.

“In 2017 and year-to-date in 2018, the Regional Chamber managed 13 Trumbull County projects totaling $97,593,414 of private company investment and the creation of 217 new jobs, with an estimated annual payroll of more than $9,166,504. In addition, the investment resulted in 862 retained jobs,” said Sarah Boyarko, the chamber’s senior vice president of economic development.

The chamber said it is managing 30 pending projects throughout the Valley that are expected to be announced within the next one to two years.

“Much of this pending investment is targeted for Trumbull County, and we look forward to future announcements about local growth, as well as bringing several new companies to our market,” said Boyarko.

Sheetz for kids

ALTOONA, PA.

Sheetz For The Kidz, a Sheetz employee-driven charity, raised nearly $600,000 during its annual July campaign through customers donations, the company announced.

Donations exceeded last July’s campaign fund-raising total by more than $34,000.

Staff reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., 42.070.62

Aqua America, .20 37.680.13

Avalon Holdings,3.94-0.23

Chemical Bank, .2857.97-0.18

Community Health Sys, .213.400.04

Cortland Bancorp, .1124.600.00

Farmers Nat., .0715.75-0.07

First Energy, .36 37.290.22

Fifth/Third, .1629.71-0.13

First Niles Financial, .059.36-0.44

FNB Corp., .1213.450.11

General Motors, .3836.400.08

General Electric, .1212.300.00

Huntington Bank, .11 16.130.13

iHeartMedia Inc.,--

JP Morgan Chase, .56114.830.05

Key Corp, .1121.58-0.02

LaFarge, 2.01--

Macy’s, .38 36.010.22

Parker Hannifin, .76169.551.30

PNC, .75144.650.18

Simon Prop. Grp., 2.88178.391.60

Stoneridge 32.230.77

United Comm. Fin., .06 10.430.02

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