WASHINGTON-Consumer personal spending and personal incomes both rose in November, the Commerce Department said. The 0.5 percent spending increase followed a 0.6 percent gain in October, and it was the sixth increase in seven months. MORE

CARACAS, Venezuela-President Hugo Chavez threatened today to expropriate Toyota’s local assembly plant if it did not produce an adequate number of vehicles designed for rural areas. MORE

MT. VERNON, IL-Intermountain Electronics has purchased just over 11 acres of land here for a new assembly plant. The company assembles custom electrical distribution equipment for a wide variety of industries. MORE

CHARLESTON, WV-Managers of the Toyota manufacturing plant in Buffalo, WV, have decided to allow workers to distribute union literature during breaks at the plant. Last month, some Toyota employees and the United Auto Workers filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board, complaining that they were prohibited from distributing union literature. MORE

GAINESVILLE, FL-New York-based Bren-Tronics Energy Systems Inc. has selected a vacant battery plant near here as the location for a planned manufacturing facility. Bren-Tronics, which produces rechargeable batteries and charging systems for the military and private firms, plans to hire 15 employees. MORE

GOSHEN, IN-Elkhart County could become home to three electric vehicle manufacturers if a Norwegian company chooses northern Indiana as the site for a new assembly plant. The Elkhart County Council approved a 10-year property tax break to persuade Think North America to open its first U.S. plant near Middlebury, IN. MORE

MEDFORD, WI-Hurd Windows & Doors officially reopened its window assembly plant here. MORE

MILWAUKEE-Helios USA, a start-up solar panel manufacturer, expects to have a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility operating here by mid 2010. MORE

WASHINGTON-Home resales surged last month to the highest level in nearly three years, reflecting an extraordinary level of federal support that has pulled the housing market back from the worst downturn since the Great Depression. MORE

AUBURN HILLS, MI-Chrysler will invest $179 million to launch production of an advanced technology, fuel-efficient engine for the North American market, which will be built at the company’s Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance plant in Michigan. The investment will create up to 573 new jobs industrywide, including up to 155 new Chrysler Group jobs. MORE