Hood

VALENCIA — Nicola Hood of Richland Township is St. Barnabas Health System's 2010 Hoppy Award winner, the 27th awardee.

The honor is St. Barnabas' equivalent of an Employee of the Year from among 546 employees.

She was presented with the award Jan. 24 by William Day, president of St. Barnabas Health System. Hood, who is a 20-year employee, is the senior development assistant for St. Barnabas Charities, the fundraising arm of St. Barnabas Health System.

At the program, Nanci Case, St. Barnabas Charities president, accepted a check for $17,131 from Earl Fish, a maintenance technician at The Village, and Steve Glenn, director of maintenance at Valencia Woods. The money was the collected in 2010 through the Special People Fund, in which employees donate to support the poor and low-income patients they serve.

WASHINGTON — The unemployment rate dropped sharply last month to 9 percent, based on a government survey that found more than a half-million people found work.A separate survey of company payrolls showed a scant increase of 36,000 net jobs as snowstorms likely hampered hiring. That survey doesn't count the self-employed.Harsh snowstorms last month cut into construction employment, which fell by 32,000, the most since May. Transportation and warehousing was also likely affected and fell by 38,000 — the most in a year.In one bright spot, manufacturing added 49,000 jobs, the most since August 1998. And retailers added 28,000 jobs, the largest number in a year.The unemployment rate has fallen by eight-tenths of a percentage point in the past two months. That's the steepest two-month drop in nearly 53 years.But part of that drop has occurred as many of those out of work gave up on their job searches.The number of people unemployed fell by more than 600,000 in January to 13.9 million.

GIBSONIA — The Woodlands at St. Barnabas., a community of 144 carriage homes in Valencia, has elected its 2011 board of trustees.They are Winfield Smathers of Gibsonia, chairwoman/treasurer; Douglas Day of Richland Township, president; and Robert Crnjarich of Glenshaw.

CAIRO — Credit Agricole says Egypt's ongoing political crisis is costing the country at least $310 million per day.In a report released Friday, the investment bank said it was revising down its forecast for Egypt's economic growth to 3.7 percent from 5.3 percent in 2011.Egypt's economy has been battered by the more than week-old protests in which tens of thousands are demanding President Hosni Mubarak's ouster.Banks and the stock exchange have been closed all week, while most factories have been shuttered.From staff and wire reports

• <B>Emclaire Financial, </B>the parent company of The Farmers National Bank of Emlenton, reported net income of $2.7 million or $1.85 per common share for 2010, compared to $1.1 million or $0.80 per common share for 2009. Net income was $485,000 or $0.33 per common share for the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared to $374,000 or $0.26 per common share for the same period in 2009.