New Turnpike chief adopts ban on gifts

HARRISBURG — A former state senator from Western Pennsylvania is the new chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

Sean Logan of Monroeville, who served 10 years in the Senate and was appointed to the commission in 2013, was tapped for the top job Thursday.

Logan, a Democrat, replaces Republican Bill Lieberman, an insurance executive, now that Gov. Tom Wolf’s election means that the five-member panel has a Democratic majority.

Logan’s first action was to adopt a ban on turnpike employees accepting gifts, modeled after the executive order Wolf issued for all executive branch employees.

Last year, in a state investigation into “pay-to-play” allegations, two former high-ranking commission officials admitted improperly accepting hospitality from engineering companies.

Rita’s Italian Ice expands to Mideast

PHILADELPHIA — It’s not a mirage: Rita’s Italian Ice is bringing its cool treats to the Middle Eastern desert.

The Pennsylvania-based chain said Wednesday it’s contracting with a Middle East food executive to open 46 stores in the next decade in Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and five other Arab nations.

Rita’s contractor Faysal Younes says the Middle East’s warm climate makes it a natural market for Rita’s sweet, frozen concoctions.

The company’s store total doubled to more than 600 in 27 states in the last 10 years, and it’s partnered with a New Jersey firm to increase its presence at sports stadiums.

Now it’s looking for international growth. Besides the Middle East, Rita’s says it’s opened or planning stores in Canada, China, India, the Philippines and the Caribbean.

McDonald’s CEO is stepping down

NEW YORK — McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson is stepping down as the world’s biggest hamburger chain fights to hold onto customers.

The company said Thompson, who has been CEO for two-and-a-half years, will be replaced by Steve Easterbrook, a company veteran who rejoined McDonald’s as its chief brand officer in 2013.

McDonald’s Corp., which has more than 36,000 locations around the world, is struggling amid intensifying competition and changing attitudes about food. Customer traffic at established locations in the U.S. fell 4.1 percent last year, following a 1.6 percent decline in 2013. It’s also trying to recover after a supplier scandal in China that damaged its reputation.

Ford 4th quarter earnings tumble

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford’s net income tumbled in the fourth quarter as the company took an expected charge to deal with currency devaluation at its Venezuelan operations.

But without that loss and other one-time items, Ford came out ahead of Wall Street’s expectations for the fourth quarter and the full year.

Ford’s net income fell to $52 million in the fourth quarter, largely due to an $800 million charge because of Venezuelan currency controls.