BRIEFS

GM boost treasury coffers

WASHINGTON (AP):The Treasury Department has received an additional US$1.8 billion in net proceeds from the sale of additional stock in General Motors (GM).

Treasury said the revenue received Thursday brought the total amount the government has earned from an initial public offering (IPO) of GM stock to US$13.5 billion.

Treasury had said last week it expected to earn an additional US$1.8 billion if the bankers who handled the IPO exercised their full options to purchase an additional 53.8 million shares of GM common stock.

The government put US$49.5 billion into GM as part of its bailout of the giant automaker.

________________________________

Crosby's widow recovering

RENO, Nevada (AP): Bing Crosby's widow, Kathryn Crosby, is recovering after being flown to a hospital with major injuries following a deadly traffic crash last month in the Sierra Nevada.

Kathryn Crosby, 77, was hurt and her husband, Maurice William Sullivan, 85, was killed in the November 4 single-vehicle wreck on US 50 east of Placerville, California, California Highway Patrol spokesman Dan Stark said Thursday.

Kathryn Crosby, who has homes in Genoa and Hillsborough, California, was flown to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno.

Hospital spokesman Dan Davis said Thursday the former actress is not currently listed as a patient.

________________________________

'Tree of Life' marks crash deaths

RALEIGH, NC (AP): A Christmas tree going up at the State Capitol isn't a festive sign of the holiday season, but a sombre reminder of tragedy.

The Governor's Highway Safety Programme is presenting a 'Tree of Life' on the lawn of the Capitol starting Friday.

The tree will be lit with 1,346 lights, representing the number of people who died in vehicle crashes on North Carolina roads in 2009.

Most of the lights are white, but 394 of them are red, for the number of fatalities linked to alcohol.

Police around the state will be conducting stepped-up checkpoints and patrols starting Friday as part of the safety programme's 'Booze It and Lose It' campaign.

The tree will be on display through January 3. 

__________________________________

Ford US sales rev up

DEARBORN, Mich (AP): Ford Motor Co's US sales rose 20 per cent in November, as demand for its pickup trucks and vans continued to grow.

Excluding Volvo, which the company sold earlier this year, Ford's sales were up 24 per cent compared with last November.

Ford said truck sales were up 34 per cent, a sign of increasing demand from commercial customers as the economy improves. Sales of Ford's Transit Connect van, which is often used by small businesses as a delivery truck, more than doubled.

Car sales were also strong, up 25 per cent. Ford said its Fusion midsize sedan has already set a new full-year sales record. 

____________________________

Chrysler sales up on Jeep, Ram

DETROIT (AP): Chrysler said its sales rose 17 per cent in November as the company joined General Motors and Ford in reporting big increases.

The automaker said it's the eighth-straight month of year-over-year sales increases.

Chrysler said the increase was driven by the Jeep and Ram brands. The redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicle continued a string of huge sales increases, more than tripling from November last year.

Chrysler also said the Ram truck brand had a 67-per cent sales increase.

The company sold just over 74,000 vehicles last month, compared with nearly 64,000 in November of last year.