BUSINESS DIGEST ||

Holiday open house

CANFIELD

Burke Decor, 1419 Boardman-Canfield Road, Suite 280, will have its annual holiday open house from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, with the cocktail party starting at 4:30 p.m.

Shop Small Saturday

COLUMBIANA

The Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce, Columbiana First committee, invites the public to join area merchants Nov. 25 to celebrate Shop Small Saturday. It is a holiday shopping tradition that celebrates small businesses across the nation.

The committee has distributed shopping bags and fun items to Columbiana merchants. The first shoppers can receive promotional items, discounts, refreshments and more.

Cranksgiving event

BOARDMAN

The fourth annual Cranksgiving event at Magic Tree Pub & Eatery, 7463 South Ave., will take place at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Magic Tree will collect canned goods to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, directly helping those in the local community. New Belgium Brewing Co. has partnered with Magic Tree for the event.

Beginning Tuesday, participants who bring at least four canned items to donate will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a New Belgium Brewing Co. bike during Cranksgiving. Additionally, participants have the option of purchasing tickets. All proceeds benefit Second Harvest.

Cranksgiving will include a musical performance by The Labra Brothers and giveaways.

Apple delays release of HomePod speaker

SAN FRANCISCO

Apple is scrapping its plan to release its new internet-connected speaker in time for the holiday season.

The delay announced Friday means Apple’s HomePod speaker won’t be available in the U.S., U.K. and Australia until early next year. Apple intended to release the $349 HomePod in early December so it could be on holiday shopping lists and compete against Amazon’s Echo and the Google Home speaker.

Apple says it needs more time to perfect the speaker’s technology.

Home construction reaches strongest pace in a year

WASHINGTON

Construction of new homes climbed 13.7 percent in October, the biggest jump in a year as builders broke ground on more apartments and single- family houses.

The Commerce Department said Friday that the monthly gain put U.S. housing starts at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.29 million units. That is the best pace for home construction in 12 months.

Housing starts have risen just 2.4 percent year-to-date, largely because fewer apartment complexes are being built. Single-family house construction has driven much of the growth this year in a sign of greater demand from buyers amid a healthy job market.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1243.351.05

Aqua America, .71 36.38-0.23

Avalon Holdings,2.130.09

Chemical Bank, .2753.580.77

Community Health Sys. 4.14 -0.07

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.950.00

Farmers Nat., .1614.05-0.05

First Energy, 1.44 34.58-0.06

Fifth/Third, .5228.45-0.01

FirstMerit Corp.,--

First Niles Financial, .1210.550.05

FNB Corp., .4813.260.07

General Motors, 1.5243.830.24

General Electric, .9218.21-0.03

Huntington Bank, .28 13.550.14

iHeartMedia Inc.,13.550.14

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9298.14-0.36

Key Corp, .3418.310.19

LaFarge, .34--

Macy’s, 1.51 20.350.10

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 182.460.16

PNC, 2.20132.850.33

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60161.922.05

Stoneridge 21.63-0.07

United Comm. Fin., .12 9.27-0.03

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