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Hartford Courant

Unless you're a Bears fan, it's a tough day to be reading the news around the country. Economic woes seem to be a dominant theme among local sites this morning, the impact on the auto industry and dealers in Detroit and Hartford, and the poinsettia business in L.A. STL Today has an interesting take: people cutting back on their medicine to save money. New Orleans actually has the only good news -- the city is growing in spite of the recession.

Wall Street Journal

Nationally, the news was similar, with a sprinkling of discussion of the Obama White House preparations and stimulus plans. In the Wall Street Journal, the increase in churches declaring bankruptcy is a good -- if depressing -- pre-Christmas Eve read, and The Huffington Post highlights California's budget wranglings with an official's threat of state bankruptcy. USA Today has a broad take on the story -- if we can all just hang on through most of the next year, things should improve by 2010.

What can I say? Happy holidays, folks.
 

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