Patchwork Nation:

If you were to devise a campaign tour for Sarah Palin using Patchwork Nation it might look a bit like her current "Going Rogue” book tour. It’s a nice mix of carefully reaching out and focusing on the voters she would need if she were to run for president.

In Eagle, Colo., a "Boom Town" that saw its population double in the last decade, the streets scenes look surprisingly normal; There is little sense that the community is suffering. The area's economic struggles often happen more quietly.

Philadelphia officials say the city will save more than $6 million dollars by switching some employees' health care benefits to a "self-insured plan." City workers who are not represented by the four labor unions got word Thursday of changes.

In September, the owners of the Main Street Cafe decided to close the place and leave Edgecombe County, a Minority Central community where unemployment is at 16 percent. But new owners reopened the cafe and other expansions are giving residents new hope.