A regular roundup of stuff that wouldn’t necessarily make it on the blog, but is worth noting:

KEOM-FM, 88.5, the Mesquite ISD radio station, has started its annual Christmas music marathon. Even a crank like me appreciates this sort of thing, and I have a warm spot in my heart for Bing Crosby singing White Christmas (as well as Bruce Springsteen doing Santa Claus is Coming to Town). But not every song is a winner. On Saturday, I heard something called Leroy the Redneck Reindeer by Joe Diffie, which has to be heard to be believed.
• There has been some talk here that The Morning News, in its financial difficulties, may cut delivery of its paper version from seven days to five or even less. Turns out the Detroit newspapers are already considering that. Sometime this week, the two papers are expected to announce that they will deliver to subscribers only on the most profitable days of the week — Sunday, and either Thursday or Friday or both. On other days, they will still print slimmer single-copy editions, but they will be for sale on news stands only.  The changes will be accompanied by staff cuts, reports the New York Times.

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• Detroit’s inability to produce quality small cars is nothing new. One of the best perspectives on the Big Three’s inability to do anything other than manufacture big, expensive cars was in the Sunday New York Times. This problem has been going on for 50 years. Chrysler, for instance, used to make cars without back seats to cut the vehicle’s cost.

• In the Los Angeles suburb of South El Monte, council members say Mayor Blanca Figueroa, who frequently works very late, must leave the building by 11 p.m. The mayor — a self-described night owl — says the council is being petty. She says she needs to stay late because she has so much work to do. Wow. Do councils and mayors not get along?