- Eighteen-year-old high school student sworn in as mayor — reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13. “Sessions, an 18-year-old senior, became the city’s youngest mayor on Monday when he took the oath of office. The crowd included city residents, photographers and dozens of video cameras — some from news agencies as far away as Russia and Japan.”
- Study: Coffee, decaf or not, no threat to health — reported by the Houston Chronicle(1). “The 187 volunteers were put into three groups: no coffee, 3 to 6 cups a day of regular, or 3 to 6 cups of decaf. Coffee was consumed black, no cream or sugar. Diet surveys were taken for a week at the beginning and the end so researchers could evaluate whether changes in eating habits might have affected results. The result: decaf drinkers had modestly higher levels — 8 to 18 percent — of fatty acids and precursors of LDL or bad cholesterol than the others.”
- Balloon injures two spectators at Thanksgiving Parade — reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13. “A giant balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade snagged a street light and caused part of it to fall, injuring a woman and a child, eyewitnesses said. The accident marred the holiday celebration but proved to be far less serious than a similar one eight years ago that critically injured a woman and prompted changes in parade rules.”
- That black cloud over retail has brightened — reported by the Houston Chronicle(1). “According to a Shopping in America survey, 28 percent of the country’s consumers will start their holiday shopping today, while 77 percent will begin their Christmas shopping some time before the end of November.”
- ZOOMING IN ON BARGAINS Stores ‘swamped’ with early birds; Retailers worked to renew spark of traditional shopping day — and Houstonians bought it — reported by the Houston Chronicle(1). “Retailers won’t release their Black Friday sales figures until after the weekend. The day after Thanksgiving got the name Black Friday because it traditionally marks the day retailers ‘get back in the black,’ or show a profit, for the year.”
- GM to cut 30,000 manufacturing jobs — reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13. “General Motors Corp. will eliminate 30,000 manufacturing jobs and close nine North American assembly, stamping and powertrain plants by 2008 as part of an effort to get production in line with demand.”
- Ford To Cut About 4,000 Jobs In North America — reported by Click2Houston.com. “Ford Motor Company plans to eliminate about 4,000 jobs in North America early next year.”
- GM cutting 30,000 jobs, closing 12 facilities — reported by the Houston Chronicle(1). “General Motors Corp., pounded by declining sales and rising health care costs, said today it will cut more than a quarter of its North American manufacturing jobs and close 12 facilities by 2008.”
- Holiday shopping frenzy results in some scuffles and injuries — reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13. “Retailers’ spirits have improved in recent weeks as gasoline prices have fallen. In fact, on Tuesday National Retail Federation upgraded its holiday growth forecast to 6 percent from the 5 percent it announced in September.”
- Officers use pepper spray to control shoppers — reported by KTRK ABC Channel 13. “Beaumont police say pepper spray was used to control a crowd of Wal-Mart shoppers early Friday morning. About 200 people lined up outside the store before its 5am opening, many there for a laptop computer that was on sale.”
Reminders:
- Houston Chronicle links expire after a few days because they’re archived. If you want to access these articles after that, you either have to be a subscriber or go to the Houston Public Library and access the database using your Library Power Card.
- KHOU CBS Channel 11 requires a registration, free.
