Freedom Communications, the parent company of the Gazette, announced today that it would close the East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Ariz., by Dec. 31. The move will cost 140 employees their jobs.

The 100,000-circulation Tribune was switched to a free circulation, four-day-a-week model in January in a bid to cut costs, then cut to three days a week in April. Those changes cut about 140 jobs.

In announcing the closure, a Freedom Communications press release said it was unable to find a buyer for the paper.

Freedom Communications filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September.

The Tribune won a Pulitzer prize earlier this year for a series on controversial Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Gazette real estate writer Rich Laden reports that single-family home building permits totaled 105 last month, a 52.2 percent increase over October 2008, although he adds the caveat that October 2008 had one of the lowest totals for a single month in many years.

All the talk today is around Ford’s unexpected profit, but if you really want a sign of the times, look no further than Clorox’s robust quarter - earnings up 23 percent, driven by the need for plenty of disinfectant.

CEO Don Knauss: “W exceeded our earnings expectations due to strong sales of disinfecting products related to the H1N1 flu pandemic.”

Um, OK. I missed this earlier this week, but Business Week ranked Colorado Springs as the 24th-least affected city by the recession (or the 24th strongest metro area, depending on your perspective).

San Antonio topped the list, followed by Austin, Oklahoma City, Little Rock and Dallas. That’s got a south-central feel, doesn’t it?

Perusing the list, most of the cities ranked are heavily dependent on either government spending (that would be us, although it doesn’t merit a mention in the article) or energy companies (oil, gas). Many are also smaller, one-industry towns.

No. 22 Scranton, PA? I can’t explain that one. Maybe “The Office” is boosting tourism?

Here’s the explanation behind the rankings: “The Brookings Institution ranked the 100 largest metros by averaging the ranks for four key indicators: employment change, unemployment change, gross metropolitan product, and home price change. Employment was measured by the change from the peak quarter for each metro to the second quarter of 2009. The peak was the quarter in which the metro had the most jobs during the past five years. Unemployment was ranked by measuring the percentage-point change from the first quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2009. Gross metropolitan product was measured from the peak quarter to the second quarter of 2009. And the ranking of home prices compared the second quarter of 2009 to the previous quarter. The employment data were provided by Moody’s Economy.com, the unemployment data were collected from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the home price index came from the Federal Housing Finance Agency.”

Third-quarter GDP growth was 3.5 percent - the best in two years.

I’d cheer, but unemployment is still headed toward 10 percent with a bullet, so maybe a subdued clap would be more appropriate.

Weird marketing move of the day: Volvo is setting up a promotional site to cash in on the “Twilight” sequel, “New Moon.” Get this: They’ve named the site, “What Drives Edward.”

There’s a contest where “Twilight” fans could win a Volvo XC60… if they were old enough to drive.

The release says, “Volvo is central to Edward’s character in the Twilight saga,” said Doug Speck, president and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America.

I don’t know what that means. From what I know of the series, pig’s blood is central to Edward’s character, but maybe I’m missing the nuances.

Snark aside, I was vaguely aware that all the cool vampires were driving Volvos in the first movie, which seemed appropriate in a Pacific Northwest/Eurotrash sort of way.

Reaching out to 13-year-old girls seems like a surprisingly long-term investment for a car brand that’s on the block - Ford is shopping Volvo to Chinese car and scooter manufacturer Geely (incidentally, I owned a Geely scooter for a short time. Its quality doesn’t bode well for Volvo… ).

This isn’t good news. Sales were off 3.6 percent seasonally adjusted in September from August. It’s the first decline since March and down 7.8 percent year-over-year.

Most of the sources are blaming it on the end of the housing tax credit, which is supposed to expire in November.

If that’s the case, it looks like more federal help is on the way: A revised credit offering up to $7,290 or 10 percent of the purchase price, plus the credit will be extended to move-up buyers who have been in their homes five years or more.

Today’s markets-in-everything: The collapse of the kroner takes out Iceland’s McDonald’s franchise.

Iceland is the poster child for the rippling effects of the banking collapse, so it’s no surprise there’s a lot of collateral damage there. Interestingly, however, it’s McDonald’s onerous franchise requirements that seem to have really done in the Icelandic franchise (which had to import most of its ingredients from Germany).

The franchise owner plans to reopen the stores under a new name using locally sourced produce and meat.