El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 53

NOW Will Pl'TlinCS ay. Oct 15, 2004 Business Editor Ed Shugert, 546-6124, eshugertelpasotimes.com www.elpasotimes.com D107-88 9.894.45 1036 U0329 NASDAQ 1751 1,903.02 AMEX 433 1277-73 NYSE 40.43 7 651610 US. 1137 pesos ECONOMY in ii I 111 111? 1 Trade deficit li U.S. wporti minus imports, ui oiuions, 03 seasonally '93 adjusted: LasMisiones Some of the stores at Las Misiones mall at Paseo de la Victoria and Teofilio Borunda streets in Americas CHl bridge Misstates 1 1'. J1 Detail area El Paso Times By Louie Gilot El Paso Times Developers open Juarez's first two-story mall today, hoping it will rival El Paso's malls and persuade Juarenses to spend their retail money in Mexico.

The marble-lined Las Misiones mall is a $30 million project by Grupo Roma, the developers of the Mision de los Lagos country club, which stands across the street from the mall at Paseo de la Victoria and Teofilio Borunda streets. The mall will open at 10 a.m. today with about 80 percent of the space occupied, thanks to large anchor stores Sears; Dorian's, a Mexican department store; and pers have crossed the bridges to try Cine VIP at the mall, a luxury concept where moviegoers sit on recliners, sip wine and eat crepes and sushi, Cinepolis officials said. Grupo Roma officials previously estimated that the mall tenants could earn $129 million a year. Grupo Rqma, named for its founder, Rodolfo Martinez of Chihuahua, specializes in residential construction and builds about 2400 government-subsidized homes a year in Torreoa Chihuahua and Coahuila.

Las Misiones is the group's first mall. Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilotelpasotimes.com, 546-6131. For more information: www.lasmisiones.com Cinepolis, Mexico's leading movie theater chain. About 40 stores and eateries are ready, and about 30 more will open in November. About 100 smaller spaces are still for the taking, Grupo Roma's spokeswoman Ana Fierro said.

Fierro said the mall expects thousand of visitors on the first day, gauging by the business generated by the movie theater, which has been open since late July. On its best day, Wednesday, the movie house sells about 5,000 tickets, Fierro reported. The mall has parking for more than 3,000 cars. Economists estimate 30 percent of people who shop in El Paso are from Mexico. Juarez retailers struggle to attract tourists and shoppers.

But some El Paso shop 0 -10 -20 -30 -40 -50 Juarez: Sears. GNC. Dorian's. TacoTote. Cinepolis.

Applebee's. Moy. McDonald's. Sanboms. Great Ameri-Trevly.

can Land and Dippin'Dots. Cattle Co. Wendy's. Subway. gp NDJpM AMJJA 2003 2004 Source: U.S.

Census Bureau. Tech expo combines business, fun 'TJ L- -ins i A i 4 IV i I 'tf'irl t3 ONLY IN TEXAS State fair is x)pular spot br pitching perfect pickup By Bill Vlasic Detroit News DALLAS They tower high over the 2004 State Fair of Texas, monuments to size in the state where it matters most. There's the titanic, 212-foot Texas Star, the tallest Ferris wheel in North America. Down the midway stands Big Tex, the giant talking cowboy with size 70 boots and a 75-gallon hat. And on top of a fake oil derrick, rotating slowly for thousands to see, sits a Ford F-Se-ries pickup, its sides emblazoned with an invitation to "Meet the Beast." As they say around here, everything is bigger in Texas especially pickups.

If trucks drive the profits of the American automobile industry, then sales of full-size pickups in Texas provide much of the horsepower. More than 300,000 pickups are sold each year in Texas, by far the single biggest market for the top-sellirlg vehicles made by General Motors Ford Motor and DaimlerChrysler AG. Though overall U.S. auto sales are up just 1 percent this year, sales of full-size pickups have increased 9 percent. In a market crammed with new crossover vehicles and passenger cars, sales of big pickups rose a sizzling 34 percent in Please see Pickup 4F h2 Knight Ridder News Service Chinese goods, price for oil inflates U.S.

trade deficit By Martin Crutsinger Associated Press WASHINGTON The trade deficit jumped to the second-highest level in history as surging demand for foreign oil swamped a small gain in U.S. exports, the government reported Thursday. America's trade gap with China hit an all-time high as retailers stocked up on cell phones, toys and televisions in preparation for Christmas sales. worse-than-expected trade performance in August a deficit of $54 billion represented a 6.9 percent widening from July's trade gap of $50.5 billion. The record monthly deficit was set in June at $55 billion.

Exports, helped by a rise in shipments of commercial aircraft and record foreign sales of American cars and auto parts, rose by a slight 0.1 percent to $96 billion in August. However, this improvement was overwhelmed by a 2.5 percent surge in imports to a record $150.1 billion as America's foreign oil bill climbed to the highest level in history. The average price for crude oil jumped to a 23-year high of $36.37 per barrel. Analysts said the bad news on trade will only get worse in coming months given that oil prices have continued to soar, with crude oil hitting a new record of $54.76 per barrel Thursday. "The skyrocketing oil prices are sucking the wind out of the economy," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors.

"And the worst is yet to come." In a second economic report, the Labor Department said the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose by 15,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted level of 352,000. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out. weekly changes, rose by 4,000 to a seven-month high of 352,000. The jobless claims report re-. fleets a labor market that is continuing to disappoint economists' expectations.

The country added a lower-than-ex-pected 96,000 jobs in September as the unemployment rate held steady at 5.4 percent. Rudy Gutierrez El Paso Times Jonathon Dasher, center, played the Counter-Strike com- vention center. Below, Hector Holguin, center, of the Hol-puter game Thursday with other students from Western guin Group talked with Mike Acosta, right, director of the Technical Institute on computers provided by Lumenbrite United States-Mexico Foundation For Science and Ron Cafe at the Biz Tech Technology Expo at the El Paso con- Munden, left, of EPU Group. Show helps technical types in town network Trucks in Texas What Texan truck drivers buy: Ford Chevy F-Seriei: Silveredo: 40 0 "We're trying to bring more focus on what technology can do to help local companies. We believe that events like this are important.

"More than 90 percent of our business comes from outside the city we're located in." Barnes and his company, which has a full-time staff of eight and an office at 6713 Viscount, provides Internet hosting and design services to those who wish to put a Web site on the Net. The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event. About 2,000 people were expected to attend. Exact attendance figures were unavailable at press time. Last year, 1,200 people and 35 vendors participated at the By Dave Burge El Paso Times Marcus Barnes barely looks old enough to shave, but he runs a company that provides services to thousands of businesses and individuals worldwide.

Barnes, 25, along with his friend Jason founded CWlhosting.com seven years ago while at Hanks High School. Barnes' company was one of 52 vendors at the sixth annual Biz Tech Technology Expo at the convention center Thursday. "We feel that El Paso is probably not up to speed on technology compared to other large cities," Barnes said. I Dodge "Ram: 21 GMC Stem: 6 Jl CI -1 event, which also featured a daylong series of speakers and seminars known as the Cyber Learning Cafe. An online gaming tournament was added this year to create more interest.

Robert Robinson, a student at the Border Institute of Technology, participated in the gaming tournament. He also took the time to walk around Please see Expo 4F Other: Chavy 2 Avalanche 3 Note: Based on 2003 new vehicle registrations Source: R.L. Polk CO; Gannett News Service NATIOBUSINESS Fiber-optic upgrades planned SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. will more quickly build Housing: Owning vs.

renting A breakdown of the nation's households (in millions): Former U.S. Treasury chief to speak on finances today Rosario Marin, a former U.S. treasurer, will speak today at a free seminar on wealth building, focusing on online: www.window.state.tx.usup Vic Kolenc Nursing school accreditation: The El Paso Community College Nursing Department and Nation A tiber-optic networks for carrying video after the Federal Commis the needs ot His- ij" al League tor Nurs (SB) ing Accrediting Commission will have a LOCALBUSINESS Unclaimed property list: The state comptroller's office has $14.6 million in unclaimed property for more than 4,400 El Paso-area res-, idents. People can check Sunday's El Paso Times when the comptroller's unclaimed property list for the entire state will be published, the comptrol- ler's office reported. This year's list has names of almost 192,000 people statewide who've lost track of $93 million in property.

Unclaimed property includes un-cashed checks, dormant bank accounts, forgotten rent and utility deposits and other assets. The unclaimed property list can be searched clpasotimes.com sion ruled that public forum at 9 a.m. Oct. 19 at the col panics. Marin, the 41st U.S.

treasurer, now heads the Treasury Department's financial literacy program. The seminar, sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank, will be from 3:30 to lege's Rio Grande Cam A XTV7TY 1 pus, Room A121, 901 N. El Paso. Marin Ho they would not force the phone companies to share the equipment with competitors. SBC, the biggest local-phone carrier in California, Texas and 11 other states, will build its network in two to three years, spokesman Michael Balmoris said.

BellSouth, the No. 3 U.S. local carrier, will extend its fiber network to 40 percent more homes next year than this year. The FCC, which' regulates telecommunications, made the move to foster rivalry in telecommunications. Bloomberg Npws M' Owner occupied The commission is seeking input about EPCC's nursing program during its three-day visit for reaccredita-tion of the Associate in Applied Science Registered Nursing Program.

Information: Anita Rhodes, 831-4530. Times staff repor Renter 8 p.m. today at the El Paso Museum of Art. Information, registration: Vanessa Corral, 546-4210; online at www.vipllneup.comwf Times staff report Source: Census American occupied Housing Survey 2001 Gannett Newf Service.