On a visit to Charleston about 30 years ago, comedian Red Skelton remarked, "It will be a nice town n if they ever get it finished."With all respect to the now-deceased entertainer, communities on the move are never finished. And Charleston is no exception.There is construction on several fronts in Charleston.Crews just completed improvements on Second Street between Lincoln and Pierce streets on the east side of Morton Park.

At the same time, construction continues on Polk and Division streets. Both roadways are being widened and improved.Polk continues to be upgraded as an alternative east-west route to Lincoln Avenue, while Division has been in need of resurfacing and curbs for some time.But the point is that the improvements are gradually being made. City officials have a plan and are moving ahead.The City Council recently started the process to widen and resurface Fourth Street from Harrison north to State Street.

Opening View: General Electric Matches Analyst Expectations

Many of our observations are now available as audio presentations that you can hear on your computer or download from Apple's iTunes Music Store to play on a portable device such as an iPod. To see the full menu of observations, please visit http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/commentary/podcasts/ . Today's Opening View features news from General Electric.

U.S. futures were pointed lower earlier this morning, indicative of a weak session on Wall Street. However, General Electric (GE: sentiment, chart, options) could provide a shot in the arm for traders today. The conglomerate reported that third-quarter net income rose to $4.96 billion, or 48 cents per share. On a continuing operations basis, GE said it earned 49 cents per share, matching the Street's expectations. Looking forward, the company forecast 2006 earnings in a range of $1.97 to $1.99 per share, surrounding the Street's estimate of $1.98 per share.