STATE

STATE
GE Lighting designerto decorate D.C. tree
EAST CLEVELAND -- A designer for GE Lighting in East Cleveland will see that the National Christmas Tree gets a patriotic feel this year, the 39th consecutive year GE has donated the design, lighting and decorations for the tree. Kathy Presciano's plan is based on traditional holiday colors, lots of reds, greens and golds, for the 48-foot Colorado blue spruce on the Ellipse between the White House and the Washington Monument.
"It's a simple, classic design," Presciano said. "I did not want it to look like a flag." Brilliant Electric Sign Co. of Cleveland produced the ornaments.
President Bush will flip the switch to light the tree Dec. 6.
NATION
Phillips Petroleumto buy Conoco Inc.
TULSA, Okla. -- Phillips Petroleum Co. will buy Conoco Inc. for about $15.4 billion, creating the nation's third-largest oil and gas company. The combined market value of the new company would be $35 billion.
Under the terms of the deal, described by the two rivals as a merger of equals, the combined company, ConocoPhillips, would have reserves of 8.7 billion barrels of oil equivalent, daily production of 1.7 million barrels and $18.6 billion in debt and preferred securities.
The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2002, would put ConocoPhillips behind Exxon Mobil Corp. and ChevronTexaco Corp. in size.
Associated Press