JACKSON TWP — Farmers National Bank of Emlenton donated $3,500 to the Seneca Valley Foundation through a state program that enables businesses to donate for tax credits.

Called the Education Improvement Tax Credit grant, the program is through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

The money will benefit the Women in Engineering and Honors Engineering programs, a personal finance class and an accounting class in the Seneca Valley School District.

Those who would like to donate or get information about the program can call 724-452-6040, Ext. 1638.

Julia Beall-McKelvey, who owns Hearing Instruments which includes Miracle-Ear franchises, has donated $15,000 to the International Hearing Society's advocacy fund in support of the veteran-oriented initiative, Fit to Serve.Fit to Serve seeks to improve veterans' access to hearing services by enabling licensed hearing aid specialists to serve as VA providers, and to allow veterans to receive care locally and in a timely fashion.She owns and operates 35 Miracle-Ear franchise practices across the state, including one in Butler.

PENN TWP — More than 300 guests attended the 21st annual Chef Tasting Party & Auction on Oct. 5 at The Mansion, raising more than $24,000 for Community Care Connections.Guests voted on the “Best of the Best,” and the winners were:4 Appetizer — Little It' DeliSoup — Sports & SpiritsEntree — The Chop ShopSide dish — The Brick HouseDessert — Dolce Mia's BakeryBeverage — North Country Brewing Co.Overall display — Sugar SocialThe event sponsor was Simpson & McCrady Insurance Brokers.Community Care Connections is a Butler County-based nonprofit that provides services for individuals with disabilities

The Butler County Family YMCA has received a $1,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation's Agency Hands in the Community program.It recognizes Allstate agents' volunteerism in the community and provides financial support to organizations.The grant was presented by agent Paul Blinn.

PYMATUNING, Crawford County — Gary Barnes, the former co-owner of the Harmony Inn, died Oct. 17.Barnes died of an illness, and his family had a private ceremony on Monday, according to Bob McCafferty, current owner of the restaurant.Barnes and Carl Beers bought the building in 1985 and gave it its current name.They ran the business until 2013 when McCafferty bought it and recently reopened it.Under the ownership of Barnes and Beers, the Inn was one of the first bars in Butler County to have craft beers and imported beers on tap, McCafferty said.“They were both very smart and very well-read. They were fun to talk to all the time,” he said.Historic Harmony President John Ruch said Barnes had a good relationship with the museum and the community.“When they bought the Inn that was a huge plus. They did a lot of improvements,” he said.

WASHINGTON — U.S. sales of new homes were essentially flat in September, after the government sharply revised downward what was initially an August surge in buying.The Commerce Department says new home sales edged up 0.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 467,000. The report also revised down the August sales rate to 466,000 from 504,000.The pace of sales for newly built homes has improved a mere 1.7 percent so far this year, compared to 2013. Only the South has experienced gains in buying year-to-date.Housing has struggled to fully rebound since the recession ended more than five years ago. Many potential buyers lack the savings and strong credit history needed to afford a home, causing them to rent or remain in their existing houses instead of upgrading.

ATLANTA — UPS is expecting an 11 percent jump in December shipments as the holiday shopping season heats up.The company plans to hire up to 95,000 people to handle the higher volume this year, up from the 55,000 seasonal workers it hired in 2013.Major U.S. shipping companies were caught off guard last year after an increasing number of Americans bought gifts online and shipped them last minute.Membership for Amazon.com spiked in the weeks before the holidays because of its free-shipping benefits, and traditional retailers who saw their sales take a hit followed suit with their own free-shipping programs.UPS was forced to hire an additional 30,000 people just to keep up, but it was too late and some deliveries did not arrive until after Christmas.UPS is doing everything it can to stay ahead of the rush this year, Chief Financial Officer Kurt Kuehn said.

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford's new aluminum-sided F-150 will be a lot lighter and more efficient when it goes on sale later this year. But for now it's a serious drag on profits.Ford's net income dropped 34 percent to $835 million in the third quarter, largely due to the cost of launching the pickup. The new F-150, which is 700 pounds lighter due to its aluminum construction, is scheduled to go on sale by the end of this year.The company closed its Dearborn truck plant for five weeks during the quarter to change over to new equipment, contributing to $700 million in negative operating cash flow. Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks said it was the first quarter the company has been cash flow negative since 2010.