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Sixty-six large fires are burning in the western United States today. This is being called the worst fire season in fifty years. NPR's Aaron Schachter reports on the financial cost of this year's firefighting.

Retail analyst Ken Gassman details last weekend's shopping trends. The weekend after Thanksgiving traditionally predicts how the Christmas season will unfold for retailers. It seems this year more shoppers are willing to put off their shopping to the last minute, driving prices down and slowing the pace of consumer confidence as a whole.

From North Country Public Radio, Brian Mann reports there are not as many ski bums as there used to be. The low wages paid by the resorts are no longer attracting workers who used to come purely for the opportunity to spend the winter on the slopes, and resorts are being forced to look overseas for seasonal help.

Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis says China has taken the place of the Soviet Union when it comes to a U.S. rival at the Olympic Games. Fatsis also discusses the U.S. loss to Cuba in baseball, and his longtime obsession with team handball.

The sounds of plows and shovels filled the air in Buffalo today, as residents coped with an intense early season snowstorm that dropped two feet on snow on the city. School children spent the night in school, and businesses remained closed today as emergency officials worked to get the city back on its feet. Jim Ranney reports.

Jason DeRose of Chicago Public Radio reports on the outlook for airline travel during the holiday season. Bargain tickets are expected to be scarce and flights full. Labor problems loom at several major airlines: pilots are dissatisfied at Delta, US Air, and Continental; mechanics are unhappy at Northwest and United; and flight attendants are grumbling at American and United.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports that Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater is assembling a federal task force to monitor airline performance after a summer travel season marred by thousands of flight delays.

As music director of Weekend Edition Sunday, NPR's Ned Wharton supervises music continuity for the show, keeps tabs on what's new and noteworthy in the music world and produces many of the artist features heard on the program. He offers holiday picks for 2004.

The Mars Phoenix probe is scheduled to touch down on Mars around 7:53 Eastern Time on Sunday. If all goes well, it will land near the red planet's north pole. There, it will sample the ice that lies just beneath the surface. On-board instruments will analyze the ice and will look for signs of life.

As the price of oil approaches $100 a barrel, this week NPR will look at the reasons for the run-up in prices and the implications for the world economy. Reporters will examine a variety of issues relating to high oil prices. Jacki Lyden looks ahead to the series with NPR's Uri Berliner.