WORKADAY BLUES: With the federal government backing...

WORKADAY BLUES: With the federal government backing off on some of its clean-air mandates, city and county employees who were put on four-day workweeks to cut down on car trips could go back to five days (B1). . . . That pleases some of the public. “If everybody in the world were on a four-day workweek, that’d be cool,” contractor Gary Hensley said. “But they’re not, are they?”

FLYING CARPET: Don’t expect skycaps yet, but passengers flying in and out of tiny Oxnard Airport should see some improvements soon. Airport Manager John Dodd says the county will replace the sign along 5th Street, build an enclosure for passengers getting on and off planes, and lay carpeting. . . . The sign is due soon, and the enclosure and carpet in the next couple of months, said Dodd, who is looking forward to the changes. “I’ve been to many, many airports, and all of them have carpeting. Oxnard is the only one that echoes when you walk in.”

MR. LONELY: As the federal shutdown stretches into its third week, the reality of life off the job is sinking in for government employees (B1). But a few people in shut-down agencies are still at work. . . . At Channel Islands National Park, four of 75 employees are holding down the fort. One of them is dispatcher Mike Horan at the Ventura Harbor. Horan says his lot may not be such a good deal, since his furloughed co-workers could wind up getting paid for their time off: “I had no choice. If they’re going to pay everyone, I’d choose to be off in a heartbeat.”

BRIGHTER SIDE: Many national retailers report lackluster holiday sales, with one big exception: Sears (D1). Locally, the Sears stores in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard exceeded their sales goals, managers said. . . . “We’re getting a lot of new customers, along with some that are trying Sears once again,” said Oxnard store manager Jim Cera, attributing the gains in part to the chain’s new ad campaign, along with the fact that it now accepts more credit cards.