BUSINESS DIGEST ||

Forty Two Event expansion

BOARDMAN

Forty Two Event Production expanded its capabilities with the acquisition of Wapakoneta, Ohio-based entertainment lighting company, Toplite Inc.

With the acquisition, Forty Two Event Production adds Toplite’s lighting equipment assets plus Toplite’s customer base, which includes touring acts, festivals, fairs and the well-known Jamboree in the Hills country music festival, among others.

Forty Two Event Production was founded in 2007 in Boardman and has become a national event production company. It supplies major concerts, theater, corporate gatherings and political events as well as private parties and weddings.

Health care event

NEW CASTLE, Pa.

UPMC Jameson and UPMC Horizon will host a Health Care Professional Development Event in two sessions from 12 to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Park Inn by Radisson, 3377 New Castle Road, West Middlesex, Pa. The event is for people interested in starting or advancing their career in health care.

Hiring managers will be on site to interview for open positions and discuss additional opportunities for career advancement. The sessions will allow participants to discover opportunities to launch a career at UPMC Horizon or UPMC Jameson. Open positions at UPMC Jameson and UPMC Horizon are available for surgical services, nursing and nursing assistants, food service, environmental services, dietitians, laboratory, medical imaging, respiratory services and other areas.

To attend, arrive at either session, or to register in advance and be contacted by a recruiter, visit Careers.UPMC.com, enter Job ID 160001Q9 in the Keyword/Job ID field and click GO.

Home construction jumps, led by more apartment building

WASHINGTON

U.S. builders ramped up home construction in December, led by a surge of apartment building, while single-family houses lagged.

Housing starts jumped 11.3 percent last month, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.2 million, the Commerce Department said Thursday . The figures are volatile month to month: Starts plummeted in November after a big gain in October. Apartment construction soared 53.9 percent last month, while single-family housing starts fell 4 percent.

Average US 30-year mortgage rate falls to 4.09 percent

WASHINGTON

Long-term U.S. mortgage rates marked their third week of declines this week, after snapping a nine-week run of increases.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the rate on 30-year fixed-rate loans fell to an average 4.09 percent from 4.12 percent last week. That was still sharply higher than a 30-year rate that averaged 3.65 percent for all of 2016, the lowest level recorded from records going back to 1971. A year ago, the benchmark rate stood at 3.81 percent.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1235.4150.60

Aqua America, .71 29.78-0.38

Avalon Holdings,2.910.15

Chemical Bank, .2723.34-0.36Community Health Sys. 6.44 -0.38

Cortland Bancorp, .2817.850.05

Farmers Nat., .1613.35-0.35

First Energy, 1.44 30.31-0.45

Fifth/Third, .5225.99-0.34

FirstMerit Corp.,21.610.37

First Niles Financial, .1210.250.00

FNB Corp., .4815.08-0.19

General Motors, 1.5237.29-0.18

General Electric, .9231.20-0.03

Huntington Bank, .28 13.01-0.14

iHeartMedia Inc.,1.07-0.03

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9283.31-0.63

Key Corp, .3417.83-0.30

LaFarge, .34-0.00

Macy’s, 1.51 29.450.01

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 143.75-0.65

PNC, 2.20115.63-0.69

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60182.95-3.62

Stoneridge 17.14-0.06

United Comm. Fin., .12 8.11-0.17

Selected prices from Thursday’s 4 p.m. close.