A helping hand: There’s still time to give to local nonprofits today if you haven’t done so. The Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations is sponsoring #GiveBR, a citywide philanthropy campaign that aims to raise much needed dollars to help the Capital Region’s nonprofits get back on their feet after the August flood. #GiveBR follows the national movement known as #GivingTuesday—which kicks off holiday and end-of the-year charitable giving. Anyone can make donations to specific nonprofits by going online to the #GiveBR website. More than 100 organizations are participating. The goal is to raise $100,000. According to the #GiveBR website, 571 donors have given more than $33,000 as of 3 p.m. today.
An old face: President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Bush administration official Elaine Chao as his transportation secretary, The Washington Post reports. The position is crucial for Trump’s plan to spend billions of dollars rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, a person with knowledge of the decision tells the newspaper. Chao is the former labor secretary of former President George W. Bush and the wife of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. She would oversee the massive program Trump is planning to rebuild bridges, roads and other infrastructure. Trump’s campaign says he wants to spend up to $1 trillion, though the specifics are unclear, as is whether congressional Republicans would support the initiative. Read the full story.
More than expected: Shoppers spent $3.45 billion on Cyber Monday, the largest online sales day in U.S. history, Reuters reports. Data compiled by Adobe Digital Insights shows sales easily surpassed prior estimates, and dismissed fears that strong web sales during the Thanksgiving weekend would hurt sales on Cyber Monday—historically the busiest day of the year for internet shopping. It also underscored the broader shift to shopping online, which is making up for slower spending in stores. Cyber Monday sales jumped 12.1% year-over-year and surpassed initial expectations that called for total sales of $3.36 billion, according to Adobe Digital Insights. Read the full story.
