LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The home improvement retailer Menard Inc. is proposing a $25 million distribution center and manufacturing facility in Lawrence.

The Kansas City Star reports that the facility would bring about 100 jobs to the community.

Economic Development Corp. of Lawrence and Douglas County said in a statement that Midwest Manufacturing would operate the facility. Midwest Manufacturing is a division of Wisconsin-based Menard and supports the retail stores by handling such things as door manufacturing, steel siding and roofing.

The development organization says the company must still complete property and engineering examinations of its 90-acre site. The project also is contingent on receiving necessary permits and approvals.

The organization says the projects will receive a local assistance package, but details weren’t disclosed. The package requires final approval.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Local elected officials and state lawmakers are praising Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon for calling for settlement money to be spent in areas damaged by lead mining.

Nixon this week directed the state Department of Natural Resources to identify restoration projects in contaminated areas of southeast Missouri.

Elected officials and residents from those areas criticized plans to use some money for a park hours from damaged areas.

The money comes from a settlement with the American Smelting and Refining Company. Asarco agreed to pay the state $61 million for damage caused by mining.

Jefferson City Republican Rep. Jay Barnes says Nixon’s directive is a step in the right direction. But Barnes also says all the money should be used in areas directly impacted by lead mining.

“Ahhh, it’s good to be back in my favorite place!” -Chris the Tree #ShineBrightKC pic.twitter.com/KS51BcAzMS

— Crown Center (@CrownCenter) November 25, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP and Post) — The general manager of the World Series champion Royals is helping with an annual Christmas tradition in Kansas City.

On Friday night, Dayton Moore will join Kansas City Mayor Sly James in lighting a 100-foot tall Douglas fir in front of Crown Center. Called the Mayor’s Christmas Tree, it draws public attention to a nonprofit organization that helps the needy during the holidays.

The lighting is scheduled to take place at 5:30 p.m.

The ceremony comes less than a month after an estimated 800,000 people crowded downtown Kansas City for a parade to celebrate the Royals’ first World Series championship in 30 years.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Arrests for drunken boating on Missouri waterways have fallen by 63 percent since the Missouri State Water Patrol merged with the Highway Patrol.

State records show that arrests for boating while intoxicated fell from 352 in 2010, the last year before the merger, to 131 in 2014. So far this year, the arrest total stands at 131.

Governor Jay Nixon initially sought to combine the departments to save money. The legislation passed despite concerns from water patrol officials who warned lawmakers that it could hurt services. Merger proponents have since faced questions, in part because a 20-year-old handcuffed man in patrol custody drowned on May 31st, 2014 at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Patrol spokesman John Hotz noted that the number of crashes involving impaired boaters also is down.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The National World War One Museum and Memorial at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City has broken its attendance record again.

The Kansas City Star reports it’s the second year in a row that attendance at the site has gone up beyond the previous year’s attendance. The memorial says it had 257,830 visitors through the third week in November, breaking last year’s record of 235,271.

Memorial President Matthew Naylor says people in Kansas City and around the world have embraced the museum.

A special exhibit, “Sand to Snow,” about the global nature of the war, runs through April 10. Another exhibit about American volunteers in the war opens in April.

NEW YORK (AP) — If the beginning of the holiday season is any indication, it could be a merry mobile Christmas for shoppers.

For the first time, there’s expected to be more people visiting retailers’ web sites through their smartphones than on desktop computers or tablets during the first weekend of the holiday shopping season that begins on Thanksgiving Day.

Mobile traffic during the five-day start to what is typically the busiest shopping period of the year is expected to reach 56.9 percent of total traffic, up from 48.5 percent last year, according to IBM Watson.

And even though everyone who “window shops” on their phones isn’t going to buy, mobile sales are jumping too. Mobile sales are expected to account for 36.1 percent of online sales, up from 27 percent last year, according to IBM Watson Trend.

The bumps in traffic and sales come as retailers try to make the mobile shopping experience easier by improving their mobile apps and adding coupons and other deals. Shoppers also have gotten more comfortable browsing retailers’ web sites as smartphone screen sizes have gotten bigger, making it easier for them to see photos of the items they want to buy. Digital wallets and apps that let shoppers store payment information are helping too.

“It’s very convenient,” said Seth Reineke, 25, an insurance worker from Iowa City, Iowa, who plans to peruse Amazon’s weekend deals from his phone. “It allows me to keep track of time-sensitive sales without being tied to a computer or having to leave a holiday event or get-together.”

Overall spending this season is expected to be somewhat muted. The National Retail Federation, a trade group for storeowners, expects industry-wide sales to be up 3.7 percent in November and December, less than the 4.1 percent of last year’s holiday season.

But online spending figures are stronger. Forrester predicts online sales will rise 11 percent to $95 billion. And mobile sales are becoming a bigger piece of that pie. Forrester expects them to account for 35 percent of e-commerce this year and 49 percent in five years. That compares to 29 percent in 2014.

Adobe, which measures 80 percent of online sales from the top 100 U.S. retailers, predicts 40 to 45 percent of all retail traffic during November and December will come from mobile devices, up from 37 percent last year. Mobile sales are expected to total 20 to 25 percent of total online sales, up from 16 percent last year.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, expects that 75 percent of U.S. traffic to its website will come from mobile devices this holiday shopping season. That’s up from 50 percent two years ago. Likewise, eBay says it expects mobile sales during the holidays will be “significantly” higher than the 41 percent mobile sales made up of total revenue in the third quarter.

Thanksgiving and the day after the holiday known as Black Friday are expected to be particularly mobile-friendly shopping dates because people can use their phones to take advantage of limited-time offers wherever they may be. Adobe predicts mobile will drive the majority of shopping traffic, 51 percent, for the first time on Thanksgiving Day.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to do ‘shopping under the table’ on Thanksgiving Day,” said Tamara Gaffney, director of Adobe Digital Index. “In between cooking, watching football and in general hanging around family and friends, there’s down time to glance at the iPad and smartphone and do some shopping.”

Take Danyell Taylor, 34, a writer in Washington, D.C. who likes the “easy access” of smartphone shopping. Taylor plans to start looking for holiday deals on Wednesday and continuing through the weekend, specifically for Converse shoes and Kate Spade home accessories.

“I’m going to sit on my couch with my phone and my laptop and buy from there,” she says. “I don’t plan on going into the store at all.”

Mobile shopping still has its problems, including security concerns, sluggish apps and hard-to-navigate mobile web sites. And much of mobile traffic doesn’t translate into sales.

But for shoppers, the convenience factor is hard to beat, says Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru.

“While retailers may lament their low conversion rates and slow download speeds on mobile devices, shoppers still keep shopping on those devices,” Mulpuru says, adding that shoppers “appear to have greater tolerance for imperfection, much like in the early days of desktop.”

Jill Markiewicz, 38, a personal shopper in New York, says she shops frequently on her iPhone 6s on Saks Fifth Ave and J.Crew’s mobile web sites.

“I’m typically on foot running around a lot … don’t get a whole lot of desk time,” Markiewicz says. “You can go from email to checkout cart in a matter of minutes.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans were more optimistic about their incomes and personal finances this month, particularly among lower and middle-class households, lifting consumers’ outlook.

The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index rose to 91.3 in November from 90 in the previous month. That is close to the average for the past six months of 91.6.

Steady hiring and rising wages and salaries are slowly lifting Americans’ confidence in the economy, though it remains muted by historical standards. The modest increase suggests consumers could spend more over the coming holiday shopping period.

Among lower and middle-income households, 38 percent expect their personal finances to improve in the coming year, compared with just 29 percent of higher-income households. The outlook for wealthier families appears to have been tempered by recent swings in the stock market.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Motion Picture Association of America says “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” may not be entirely suitable for young kids.

The organization on Tuesday gave the J.J. Abrams-directed film a PG-13 rating because of sci-fi action violence.

The designation tells parents that some scenes might be inappropriate for those younger than 13 but doesn’t restrict attendance. The film comes out Dec. 18.

“Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” also got a PG-13 rating in 2005. The five other films in the series were rated PG, but the first three were released before PG-13 was created in 1984.

NEW YORK (AP) — This year, there’s no item emerging as the must-have gift for the holiday season.

In the world of toys, anything “Star Wars”-related is doing well, as are robotic pets such as an interactive unicorn from Hasbro. But there’s no runaway hit.

In fashion, jeans are making a comeback this holiday season. But overall, there’s nothing that’s making shoppers run to stores.

Heading into the Black Friday weekend, a lot of stores that normally do brisk sales of cold-weather clothing are finding that it’s not selling as well this year. Unseasonably warm weather in much of the country has caused heavy sweaters and winter coats to pile up at department stores and specialty chains. Shoppers could find big discounts on some of those items.

You can expect some sticker shock in the toy department, as toy manufacturers pack lots of technology into them. One analyst found that the prices of what are expected to be the top-selling toys are nearly 36 percent higher than last year.

The CEO of Toys R Us notes that there are plenty of toys costing $100 or more.