A pall is hanging over the holiday season in Lexington, Nebraska, where the Tyson beef plant, by far the largest employer in this small town, is set to lay off 3,200 people when the company closes its facility on Jan. 20 after three decades of operation. Tyson says it’s closing the plant to “right-size” its beef business after a historically low cattle herd in the U.S. and the company’s expected loss of $600 million on beef production next fiscal year. | AP

A Russian general was killed Monday morning after an explosive device detonated underneath his car in southern Moscow, investigators said. | AP