Foreclosures nationwide climbed closer to record levels last month as tens of thousands more struggling homeowners lost their properties. Consider a few NOVEMBER numbers from ForeclosureS.com, the California-based real estate publisher that?s been analyzing and publishing real estate and foreclosure data for more than 20 years:

1,082,712 homes entered the foreclosure process nationwide during the first 11 months of the year, up 93% from the same time last year (559,750), and up over 7% from numbers through October.
526,936 (6.6 homes out of every 1,000) households nationwide ended up back in the hands of lenders (REO?s) during the first 11 months of the year, up 41% from the same time last year.

Once again, this area's United Way organization not only meets, but exceeds its goal.

The economic news hasn't been all good. The real estate market is flat. More homes are going into foreclosure. People are carrying more debt than ever before.

Yet once again, the United Way of Central Alabama not only met but exceeded its fundraising goal.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — More than 200 workers will be laid off at the Continental AG plant over the next several weeks as the automotive supplier struggles with fewer orders from its largest customer, Chrysler.

Managers announced the layoffs in employee meetings Thursday at the Jetplex Industrial Park plant, which was acquired from Siemens by Continental on Dec. 5. The layoffs will include 40 hourly workers by year's end. A total of 120 to 150 hourly employees and 50 salaried employees will be laid off in the first quarter of 2008.

The Alabama Development Office is hosting three statewide workshops to encourage greater trade opportunities with China.

The events - to be held in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile - will feature Bill Lawton, senior trade specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce and former commercial officer at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai.

The Birmingham meeting will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 9 at the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Joan McEntee, Alabama's Chinese representative and chair of the China Group in the Washington, D.C., office of BDBC International LLC, will speak at the Birmingham luncheon.

Attendees will learn more about getting into exporting or expanding services in the Chinese market. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley plans to travel to China next year on a trade and business development mission.

Increasing housing prices are a mixed blessing. For homeowners and for businesses that benefit from home sales, they are a positive. For renters, they are a negative.

In the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, housing prices in the Decatur metropolitan statistical area increased by 7.2 percent. That was high enough to rank Decatur 22nd among the 287 metropolitan areas listed in a survey, released Nov. 29, by the U.S. Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight.

State board postpones decision until January

Madison residents will have to wait at least another month to find out who wins the construction rights to a proposed hospital on U.S. 72 West.

The state Certificate of Need Review board was scheduled to hear arguments in the case next Wednesday in Montgomery, but the meeting has been postponed until Jan. 16.

Investors paid more than $40 million for two upscale apartment complexes: the 228-unit Lenox Gates on Hillcrest Road in Mobile and Ash ley Gates , 166 units on Van Avenue in Daphne, according to Realtors. The local investors who sold the property were represented by Black sher White-Spunner of White- Spunner & Associates . The buyers were represented by Charles Christmas of Christ mas Properties . Sean Coley of Guarantee Title handled the closing.

The housing market in the Shoals grew in October despite trends to the contrary in other parts of Alabama and the country.

While total home sales in Alabama declined by 12.25 percent in October compared to the same month a year ago, the Shoals housing market increased by almost 5 percent. The numbers are based on data collected by the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama.

"Our market is doing great," said Charlene Isbell, president of the Realtors Association of the Shoals. "We always have a good inventory of homes here, and people have so much to choose from. It's really a buyer's market."

MADISON - Erosion issues in some developing neighborhoods have the Madison City Council looking at enforcing stiff penalties for violators.

"If we have a handful of companies that are blatantly in violation, then we need to bring the hammer down on them," City Councilman Bob Wagner said at Monday night's council meeting. "And if that means taking away their business license until they do fix the problem, then maybe that's what we should consider."

Volunteer: Rev. Marjorie E. Palmer

Occupation: pastor, Highlands United Methodist Church, Huntsville

Volunteer activity: "I spent my life as a volunteer prior to joining the work force. I have been a Scout leader, both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts; I have taught Sunday school, I have been a volunteer parent for a swim team, and since (Hurricane) Katrina I have been volunteering in Mississippi and Louisiana on mission teams at distribution centers and building projects. I am also very active in the Alabama Hispanic Association."