Mar 20 Here’s the dirt on low-cost, less-water gardening in a drought By Colleen Shalby It's the first day of spring, and our thoughts have turned to gardening, despite the snow, rain and bitter cold we haven't quite escaped here in the mid-Atlantic. Continue reading
Feb 22 Watch 3:24 What will Wal-Mart’s wage hike mean for workers and the economy? By PBS News Hour Wal-Mart made news this week by announcing that it is raising the wages for its employees above the federal minimum wage of $7.23 an hour to $9 an hour and to $10 an hour next February. To discuss the broader… Continue watching
Feb 22 Bitter cold temperatures push some Americans toward poverty line By Stephen Fee, Mori Rothman In Asheville, N.C., and other cities across the country, funding cuts for the federal government's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program have meant that private nonprofits are left to fill in the gaps. Continue reading
Feb 08 Poll: Slim majority approves of Obama job on unemployment By Emily Swanson, Associated Press Americans' views of President Barack Obama have improved slightly in the past two months, and opinions are more positive about the direction of the country and the health of the economy, an Associated Press-GfK poll finds. Continue reading
Feb 06 Watch 5:16 Job growth on a roll, will wages follow? By PBS News Hour The recovering U.S. economy has made its strongest showing yet. Employers created a million jobs since November -- the best three-month average in 17 years. And January also boasted the biggest wage rise in six years. But not all sectors… Continue watching
Feb 06 Watch 9:24 Will new manufacturing ease Mississippi’s ‘psychosis of poverty?’ By PBS News Hour In Mississippi, where the unemployment rate peaks at 15 percent in some areas, pockets of new manufacturing have ignited hopes for an economic rebirth. And while signs of growth give some people hope for a new era, how much will… Continue watching
Feb 04 To speed up economy, China’s central bank makes borrowing cheaper By Marina Lopes China’s central bank cut reserve requirements on Tuesday for the first time in two years in an attempt to inject liquidity into the world’s second largest economy. Continue reading
Feb 02 Here’s a breakdown of what’s in President Obama’s new budget By Domenico Montanaro Budgets are not much more than political documents, and this one is no different. It's going nowhere in the Republican-led House and Senate, but it will add numbers to those priorities. Continue reading
Feb 01 Watch 8:33 Savings programs tied to prizes to become more widely available By PBS News Hour Since the American Savings Promotion Act became law in December, banks can now offer prize-linked savings programs, which were previously only available in a handful of states through credit unions. But will the passage of the bill actually help boost… Continue watching
Jan 30 Economy slowed in final quarter of 2014 By Simone Pathe The U.S. economy grew 2.6 percent in the last three months of 2014, more slowly than in the previous two quarters of the year. Continue reading