Stay-at-home mom doesn't want to go back to work - 2004-01-05
Greg and Gina Marwick used to be comfortable on their two incomes. Between her job as a health educator and his as an electronics technician, the couple had money in their bank accounts for the mortgage on their three-bedroom home, payments on a 2003 Pontiac Vibe and regular dinners at Buon Appetito in Benicia.

But that all changed when Gina got pregnant a year ago. She quickly decided she would rather stay at home with 4-month-old daughter Alyssa than return to her full-time job in Oakland.
Read the full story at Contra Costa Times

Construction spending breaks record for fifth straight month - 2004-01-05
Construction spending broked another record in November as continuous low mortgage rates powered home building and state and local governments did their part by pushing their activity to all-time highs as well.

The Commerce Department reported that construction rose 1.2% in November from the October pace, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $934.5 billion.
Read the full story at USA Today