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NEW YORK — Utility companies saw a notable uptick in programs that allow gift-givers to pay the gas and electric bills of friends, relatives or families. Consumers Energy, a gas and electric utility in Michigan, reported an estimated $265,000 in utility gift purchases by year’s end, a 6 percent increase from 2007.
Unemployment has risen to a 15-year high of 6.7 percent. More than a half-million jobs were lost in November alone.
