Economy

Kansas Town Destroyed By Tornado Spreads Blame For Lack Of Growth

2:25pm April 30, 2014

by Frank Morris

After seven years, Greensburg is stuck at half its pre-tornado population, and has few prospects for growth. Some blame trends decimating many farm towns — others point to the new green initiative.

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A typical UPS truck is tracked by hundreds of sensors.

Economy

To Increase Productivity, UPS Monitors Drivers' Every Move

1:11pm April 30, 2014

by Jacob Goldstein

A typical UPS truck now has hundreds of sensors on it. That's changing the way UPS drivers work — and it foreshadows changes coming for workers throughout the economy.

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Mike Smith, of Long Beach, Calif., now pays $200 for his family's health insurance policy, compared with the $3,000 a month he would have had to pay on the individual market last year.

Obamacare Enrollees Emboldened To Leave Jobs, Start Businesses

12:10pm April 30, 2014

by Stephanie O'Neill

Some people who felt stuck in certain jobs, just because they needed the employment-based health insurance, say they are finding the Affordable Care Act liberating.

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White House Warns Highway Trust Fund Is Low On Funds

8:22am April 30, 2014

by Brian Naylor

The Obama administration has sent to Congress a four-year $302 billion infrastructure bill. It proposes closing corporate loopholes to make up for lost revenues from the gas tax.

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Economy

Local Businesses Honored For Superior Ethics

7:24pm April 29, 2014

by Keri Brown

A select group of local businesses received a special honor Tuesday. Winners were announced for this year's Piedmont Business Ethics Awards.

Ian Burrell, a rum ambassador from the U.K., samples the liquor at the Miami Rum Festival.

Rum Renaissance Revives The Spirit's Rough Reputation

11:31am April 29, 2014

by Tim Padgett

The official cheap liquor of spring breakers is becoming something much more sophisticated. And South Florida has become ground zero for the rum revolution.

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Economy

Historical Marker Touts Furniture Market

10:02pm April 28, 2014

State officials unveiled a historic marker Monday that honors the importance of the state's furniture industry.

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Colby Kirk of Inez, Ky., is a junior at the University of Kentucky, studying to be a financial analyst. He says there aren't many opportunities for college grads in his hometown.

Coal-Mining Area Grapples With How To Keep 'Bright Young Minds'

2:23pm April 28, 2014

by Pam Fessler

Residents of Martin County, Ky., where President Johnson traveled to promote his War on Poverty in 1964, say they need jobs more than government aid.

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In Appalachia, Poverty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

2:21pm April 28, 2014

by Pam Fessler

NPR's Pam Fessler was told that Eastern Kentuckians would be reluctant to talk because they were tired of being depicted as the poster children of the War on Poverty. Instead, she got an earful.

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Stronger Patent Protections Sought In Pacific Rim Trade Pact

12:29pm April 28, 2014

by NPR Staff

Diverse industries, from pharmaceuticals to film, are lobbying for strict patent protections in the Trans-Pacific trade deal.

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