Home repair loans available (Knoxville News Sentinel)
The city of Knoxville now is accepting loan applications for both minor and major home repairs in an effort to improve older housing stock and surrounding property values within the 16-square-mile Empowerment Zone.

Lower mortgage rates boost affordability and may help home sales (Market Watch)
The Federal Reserve’s plan to spend $600 billion buying mortgages is driving down lending rates and boosting home affordability, which combined with decreasing inventories may signal a 2009 recovery for the battered home-building sector.

Home Front: Improvement seen in forceclosure picture(The Sacramento Bee)
Is the foreclosure phenomenon at last beginning to peak in California? Home Front is hearing rumblings that October saw a "meaningful decline" in various foreclosure filings for the first time in two years. The familiar industry trackers – MDA DataQuick, ForeclosureRadar and Foreclosures.com – all acknowledge the change. They've watched a steep drop in notices of default, those formal ...

AgriCenter becomes official (The Rainsville Weekly Post)
RAINSVILLE–The long-discussed and sought-after AgriCenter is finally an official project, thanks to the hardwork of local leaders and a $4 million dollar loan from the USDA. The regional telecommunications network will get a $24 million dollar upgrade from the same source as well.

Background Note: Nigeria (Scoop.co.nz)
Geography Area: 923.8 thousand sq. km. (356,700 sq. mi.) about the size of California, Nevada, and Arizona. Cities: Capital --Abuja (pop. est. 452,000).