News In Brief

SURE, WE CAN DO THAT

True story: Bill Clinton's presidential library/museum hasn't even been built yet, but already there's a road sign for it tens of thousands of miles away in New Zealand. It seems that on the nation's South Island there are towns named Clinton and Gore and, as a symbol of friendship with the US, the 30-mile pike connecting them was officially designated "Presidential Highway." Clinton - the one in the White House, that is - learned of the tribute and requested a copy of the marker for his Little Rock, Ark., monument through new US Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun.

I CAN'T HEAR YOU

Schoolteachers everywhere may be cheering for a member of their profession from La Plata, Argentina. The lady is under investigation - and could be subject to disciplinary action - for, well, disciplinary action. How's that? It was her job to organize 70 first-graders for the rehearsal of an Independence Day ceremony. But they wouldn't be quiet, so she taped their mouths shut.

Wal-Mart comes out on top - by a mile - in revenues

Wal-Mart is so far ahead of other retailers that the combined sales of its four closest US competitors don't match it. That's according to an annual ranking of retailers by sales in the latest issue of Stores Magazine, which is published by the National Retail Federation, a Washington-based association. Wal-Mart, in fact, has topped this list since 1992. Kroger, meanwhile, which made key acquisitions in the past year, jumped five places to No. 2. And Amazon.com, at No. 93, became the first strictly online retailer to make a showing. The top 10 rankings, with their sales (in billions):

1. Wal-Mart Stores $165.4

2. Kroger 45.4

3. Sears, Roebuck and Co. 41.1

4. Home Depot 38.4

5. Albertson's 37.5

6. Kmart 35.9

7. Target 33.2

8. J.C. Penney 32.5

9. Safeway 28.9

10. Costco Wholesale 27.5

- Associated Press

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