REGION

REGION

Home expos taking a hit

CINCINNATI — Thousands of people visit Cincinnati Homearama each year for walk-through tours of expensive homes at the annual show.

But this year, only five builders — half as many as last year — have signed on, and the houses they plan to build will cost a lot less.

Builders in some Ohio cities have canceled their showcase expositions, often called Parade of Homes. The executive director of the Ohio Home Builders Association says Cleveland and Youngstown will not host shows this year.

The trend reflects Commerce Department figures released Thursday showing that construction of new homes plunged to its lowest level in 60 years.

NATION

Atlanta airport ranks No. 1

ATLANTA — The FAA says Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the nation’s busiest airport for the fourth year in a row.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the airport led the country in 2008 in takeoffs and landings, with 978,084 last year — a drop of about 1 percent from 2007.

The city-run airport outranked Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which had 881,566 flight operations.

Preliminary data from the Airports Council International also shows Hartsfield-Jackson likely was the world’s busiest in terms of flight operations and the number of passengers flown in 2008.

From wire reports