Economy

For Florists, Roses A Nerve-Racking Business Around Valentines Day

6:33pm February 13, 2015

by Stacey Vanek Smith

Valentines Day is this one day when one product — a red rose — is worth two or three times more than it is at any other time of the year. If a florist catches that window, he's golden. But the process of getting the roses to is fraught with risk, middlemen, crazy expense and bad weather.

Queue Listen Now

Keystone XL Pipeline Would Transport 'Dirty Energy'

1:54pm February 13, 2015

Despite veto threats, the House sent the Keystone XL pipeline bill to President Obama. David Greene talks to Susan Casey-Lefkowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council about environmental issues.

Queue Listen Now

In 2013, the U.S. imported about 2 million tons of Coronas and Modelos, making beer Mexico's largest agricultural export to the U.S., according to a USDA report.

How NAFTA Changed American (And Mexican) Food Forever

11:19am February 13, 2015

by Tracie McMillan

The trade agreement has helped the U.S., Mexico and Canada sell a lot more food to one another. That's meant more seasonal produce for the U.S., and more processed food and supermarkets for Mexico.

Political Necessity Forces GOP Into Middle-Class Income Debate

8:12am February 13, 2015

by Mara Liasson

As the economy improves, political debates change. President Obama says it's time to focus on stagnant middle-class incomes. Republicans are trying to come up with their agenda for the middle class.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

Whitaker Park Revenues May Fund Economic Development

7:33pm February 12, 2015

by Keri Brown

Economic development officials in Winston-Salem hope that a former Reynolds manufacturing site will bring more jobs to the area.

Queue Listen Now

Arts
Economy

If Apple Made iMilk And Nike Sold Fruit: Designer Groceries As Art

6:57pm February 12, 2015

by Maria Godoy

A designer has reimagined a host of everyday edibles as high-end grocery items. It's a project that explores how branding influences our purchases — and where the ethical boundaries lie for designers.

Low Oil Prices Great For Consumers, Less So For Investors

6:26pm February 12, 2015

by John Ydstie

Much of the oil industry is gathered in Houston this week for an annual conference that serves as a deal-making forum for producers large and small. Deals may be harder to reach this year because there is so much uncertainty about the price of oil.

Queue Listen Now

Customers pick up their orders from a Shake Shack in New York City. It's one of the restaurants whose labor practices are detailed in the ROC United Diners' Guide app.

Like Yelp For Labor Rights: This App Rates How Restaurants Treat Workers

4:45pm February 12, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

Want to know if your favorite restaurant pays its servers a living wage? An app encourages diners to ask before they dig in.

Protesters assemble in front of a McDonald's in Los Angeles, demanding a $15 an hour minimum wage in September.

Los Angeles Residents Divided Over Proposed $15 Minimum Wage

3:43pm February 12, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

Los Angeles is considering raising its minimum wage from $9 to $15 an hour in order to help its 800,000 residents in poverty. But no major city has yet raised its wage this dramatically or this fast.

Queue Listen Now

The prices of everything from corn to sugar have fallen, too. So some economists predict lower prices at the grocery store later this year.

As Commodity Prices Plunge, Groceries May Be Next

2:36pm February 12, 2015

by Marilyn Geewax

Oil prices aren't the only thing that's dropped. The prices of everything from corn to sugar have fallen, too. So some economists predict lower prices at the grocery store later this year.