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Initial, continued unemployment claims down

Staff report Ohioans filed 6,905 initial and 66,806 continued unemployment claims last week, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Thursday. Initial claims were 1,051 fewer than the previous week. Continued filings were 1,062 fewer. The total number of claims filed Feb. 8-14 was 73,711. The state unemployment rate in December was 4.5%. The national unemployment rate in December was 4.4%. Ohio’s labor force participation rate in December was 62.3%. The national labor force participation rate in December was 62.4%. Mahoning County’s unemployment rate was 4.8% ...

Study: Tariffs paid by midsize US companies tripled last year

WASHINGTON (AP) — Tariffs paid by midsize U.S. businesses tripled over the course of the past year, new research tied to one of America’s leading banks showed on Thursday — more evidence that President Donald Trump’s push to charge higher taxes on imports is causing economic disruption. The additional taxes have meant that companies that employ a combined 48 million people in the U.S. — the kinds of businesses that Trump had promised to revive — have had to find ways to absorb the new expense, by passing it along to customers in the form of higher prices, employing fewer ...

Nova Coffee to end operations

Staff report Nova Coffee Co. will close its downtown Warren shop and its Nova2Go site Feb. 28, the business announced Wednesday in a social media post. “What a fun and unforgettable ride this has been,” the company wrote. “To everyone who has stopped by, caffeinated with us, and made Nova Coffee Co. part of your day in Warren — you made this place what it is.” According to Tribune Chronicle archives, brothers Logan Reinard and John Ramsey signed a lease with developer Mark Marvin in September 2016 to open the coffeehouse, 112 N. Park Ave. Nova Coffee did not respond to ...

Grandson of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups inventor accuses Hershey of cutting corners

The grandson of the inventor of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has lashed out at The Hershey Co., accusing the candy company of hurting the Reese’s brand by shifting to cheaper ingredients in many products. Hershey acknowledges some recipe changes but said Wednesday that it was trying to meet consumer demand for innovation. High cocoa prices also have led Hershey and other manufacturers to experiment with using less chocolate in recent years. Brad Reese, 70, said in a Feb. 14 letter to Hershey’s corporate brand manager that for multiple Reese’s products, the company replaced milk ...

Fed minutes: Lower inflation needed for officials to support rate cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Federal Reserve officials want to see inflation fall further before they would support additional interest rate cuts this year, particularly if the job market continues to stabilize, minutes of last month’s meeting show. The “vast majority” of the 19 participants on the Fed’s rate-setting committee said that there were signs the job market has stabilized, after the unemployment rate rose in late 2025, the minutes said. And most of the officials agreed that the Fed’s key rate is close to a level that neither stimulates nor restrains the economy. The ...

Vallourec to work with green tech company

Staff report Vallourec, a multinational steel manufacturer with its main U.S. plant in Youngstown and Girard, announced Tuesday the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Baker Hughes, an energy technology company. With headquarters in Houston and London, Baker Hughes focuses on advancing hydrogen storage solutions for the green hydrogen market. The collaboration is intended to build a closer, long-term cooperation to better serve customers across the industrial green hydrogen value chain — including green ammonia, sustainable fuels and green steel manufacturing — as ...