Business

Lowe's Looks To Acquire Hardware Stores

8:52am June 18, 2013

The home-improvement retailer Lowe's has reportedly agreed to buy Orchard Supply Hardware Stores. The sale price is expected to top $200 million. Orchard is a California-based hardware-and-garden chain. It was once owned by Sears, and is now about $230 million in debt.

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To Find Out How The Health Law Affects You, Ask The President

1:13pm June 17, 2013

by Julie Rovner

The next move in the health care law is all about coverage for people who don't have health insurance. President Obama has been trying to clear up some of the confusion over who gets coverage, and when. But many questions remain to be answered.

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Economy

Long-Term Interest Rates Start Moving Higher

1:13pm June 17, 2013

The bond market has pushed interest to the highest levels in 15 months, and that includes mortgage rates. David Greene talks to David Wessel, economics editor at The Wall Street Journal, about rising interest rates.

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Mind-Numbing TV Shows Are A Hit In Norway

1:13pm June 17, 2013

Boring TV is such a hit in the Scandinavian nation of Norway that broadcasters are scrambling to produce even more shows to satisfy the appetites of viewers. One idea being considered is a live show with knitting experts, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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Poor Economy Encourages Scientists To Leave Spain

1:13pm June 17, 2013

by Lauren Frayer

More than 40,000 scientists in Spain have signed a petition calling on their government to freeze budget cuts blamed for an exodus of the country's best and brightest researchers. As the Spanish government struggles to avoid a bailout, it has cut the number of university jobs and research grants.

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Health & Safety

Smartphones Help Bridge Gaps In Electronic Medical Records

1:13pm June 17, 2013

by Elizabeth Stawicki

Hospitals, doctors and Medicare are making it easier for people to have access to their own health records. Some app developers have even created ways to have health information available even on a smartphone.

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American-Israeli solar entrepreneur Yosef Abramowitz, aka Captain Sunshine, speaks during a rally of electric car owners in Israel.

Can Captain Sunshine Save The Israeli Electric Car Dream?

8:19am June 16, 2013

by Emily Harris

The electric car company Better Place failed to build the dream it had designed. Its bankruptcy left tech-watchers worried about the stain on the country, which is proud of its image as a startup hotbed. But there may be a savior in the wings.

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Blake Morgan's songs were played some 28,000 times over a 90-day period on Pandora, earning $1.62 in royalties.

Music & Culture

Pandora Buys A Radio Station, Songwriters' Group Calls It A 'Stunt'

4:40pm June 15, 2013

by Laura Sydell

This week, the Internet radio broadcaster bought a radio station in Rapid City, S.D., in an effort to get the more favorable royalty rates given to terrestrial broadcasters. But the move has songwriters and composers up in arms.

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Harlem funeral directors Tamara Bullock and Patricia Hamilton are going to spend their next savings-club payout on a sky-diving trip (unless Bullock can get out of it).

When People Make Their Own Banks

6:12pm June 14, 2013

by Marianne McCune

An ex-con lends money to people in need; a group of friends creates a savings club. Even without banks, people often figure out how to get the money they need, when they need it.

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Housing Market Watchers Edgy As Mortgage Rates Keep Climbing

6:12pm June 14, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

The Federal Reserve's economic stimulus has helped keep mortgage rates at record lows in the years since the Great Recession. But rates are ticking upward, leaving some investors worried that the nascent housing recovery will suffer if the Fed unravels its policies too quickly.

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