Let’s see that report on school bus costs

State education officials are so nervous about an extensive report on the cost of public school bus service that it is being withheld from the public, for now.

The study is said to be about 70 pages long, and Board of Education Chairman Don Horner said there is little doubt the report will be made public. It is slated be released at the board’s Dec. 4 meeting.

"We’ve got to have a chance to have the lawyers look through it (first)," Horner said.

The Star-Advertiser, though, is making an open-records request on the public’s behalf for an unredacted copy, to be released sooner rather than later.

Black Friday is welcome conundrum

Black Friday is a conundrum that has many people both scratching their heads and thanking their lucky stars.

Yes, there are many people willing to brave hellishly long lines and tumultuous crowds of shoppers moments after their Thanksgiving turkey has been consumed, all in hope of scoring a big bargain. But there are many who wouldn’t dream of budging from the sofa, particularly those who had slaved away in the kitchen all day.

Meanwhile, everyone’s happy — those in the mobs and those at home — knowing that the economy is healthy enough to make folks want to spend.

And today is Small Business Saturday, when the big push is to get customers out shopping at their local mom-and-pops. That’s a notion that everyone should endorse — now that we’re all rested up.