Business

In Cost-Saving Move, Post Office Cuts Saturday Delivery

10:51am February 06, 2013

The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday announced that it plans to halt Saturday mail delivery, a major shift in operations that the agency says it must make in order to keep from bleeding billions of dollars every year. Package deliveries would continue under the plan.

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The Xlerator hand dryer is made almost entirely of American components and assembled in Massachusetts. But the company's owner says it's simply not cost-effective to use an American-made motor.

Why Is It So Hard To Make A 100 Percent American Hand Dryer?

8:17pm February 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Xlerator high-speed hand dryer is made almost entirely of U.S.-made parts and manufactured by a small workforce in Massachusetts. But its motor, like almost all nonindustrial motors, is made in Asia — meaning it's very difficult for small manufactured goods to be entirely American made.

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Economy

S&P Lawsuit Puts Ratings Firms Back In The Spotlight

7:17pm February 05, 2013

by Jim Zarroli

The Justice Department says it could seek more than $5 billion in damages from the nation's biggest credit ratings company. Critics of the agencies say the firms have for decades built their business on revenue from the Wall Street firms they are rating, instead of being a resource for investors.

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Miguel Fontanez Sr., the owner and founder of Pioco's Chicken in Kissimmee, Fla., serves customers at his restaurant. He opened the restaurant 11 years ago, and it has become a hub for the area's large Puerto Rican community.

One-Way Tickets To Florida: Puerto Ricans Escape Island Woes

6:09pm February 05, 2013

by Greg Allen

Life in Puerto Rico is tougher than ever. The U.S. territory — popularly known as "the island of enchantment" — faces a decaying economy and escalating violent crime rate. Many residents are leaving the island in record numbers and embracing the mainland as home.

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Craig McCarl dips Xlerator covers two at a time into a chrome bath. He has worked for Excel Dryer in East Longmeadow, Mass., for 31 years.

How One Company Reinvented The Hand Dryer

4:52pm February 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

Bathroom hand dryers used to be a hated product because they took too long to work. But a decade ago, a family-owned business in Massachusetts came out with a new product that changed the way we dry our hands.

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BP Announces Lower 4th Quarter Earnings

1:47pm February 05, 2013

The British oil company said its net profit was about a billion dollars lower than a year earlier. BP has been shrinking as assets have been sold off to pay for its liabilities tied to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

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Pizza Hut Makes Eating Pizza Easier

1:47pm February 05, 2013

For decades, Pizza Hut has been vigorously researching ways to improve the pizza consumption process. The company has come up with pizza sliders. Imagine pizza, but presented in cute hamburger-slider size. Each mini pizza is 3.5 inches across.

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The Sans-Souci Palace, or "Palace Without Worry," in Milot is one of the sites Haitian tourism officials hope will attract visitors. Former slaves built Sans-Souci in the early 1800s, soon after they overthrew the island's French colonial rulers.

World News

For Your Next Caribbean Vacation, Haiti ... Maybe?

2:29pm February 04, 2013

by Jason Beaubien

Haiti is trying to sell itself as an international vacation hub in a bid to revive its once-vibrant tourism industry. Officials say tourism could be a major driver of economic growth and help lift Haitians out of poverty.

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A sign hangs outside a house in Miami in 2010. Currently, Florida's foreclosure legal process can take a couple of years, which critics say is hurting the housing market.

Foreclosure Process Hammers Florida's Housing Market

12:09pm February 04, 2013

by Robin Sussingham

As much of the country enjoys the start of a housing recovery, Florida is still being swamped by foreclosures. Experts blame the state's legal process, and they say it will be awhile before the housing market is fully rebuilt in the Sunshine State.

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Canadian Government Retires Its Penny

12:09pm February 04, 2013

The Canadian mint stops distributing pennies on Monday. Canada stopped making one-cent coins last year to cut costs, since each penny cost 1.6 cents to make. Most stores will round out change to the nearest five cents.

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