Economy
Spoils of the sea elude many in an Alaska antipoverty plan
“Six nonprofit groups arose on the Bering Sea shore, and they have invested mightily in ships, real estate and processing plants. Over two decades, the groups amassed a combined net worth of $785 million. But the results on the ground, in rural community and economic development, have been deeply uneven, and nonexistent for many people…
Read MoreHigh prices are driving more motorists to rent tires
Chains such as Rent-a-Wheel and Rimco are seeing business boom, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Many consumers pay double or triple the cost of buying tires and face aggressive repossession policies.
Read MoreDespite mortgage schemes, real estate agents keep license
“Despite Minnesota’s crackdown on ‘deceptive and dishonest’ loan modification schemes, the state Commerce Department has allowed many of those involved to retain their real estate licenses a Star Tribune report has found.” “Since 2010, the department has taken enforcement action against 36 individuals for violating mortgage modification laws. Ten of them held some kind of…
Read MoreSome enterprise zones located in Calif’s wealthier neighborhoods
“California’s enterprise program was established to give tax breaks for companies that set up business or move to one of 40 zones within the state. The program gives companies tax credits of up to $37,440 per person hired in one of the zones, which are intended to create jobs and spark investment in economically distressed…
Read MoreAfter Decades of Neglect, Pakistan Rusts in Its Tracks
“A journey across Pakistan’s crumbling railway presents a picture of the country’s troubles: natural disasters and hardened insurgencies, abject poverty and feudal kleptocrats, and an economy near meltdown.”
Read MoreTexas family planning department had millions left in budget as clinics closed for lack of funds
The Texas Observer reports that the s tate health department left approximately $2.3 million of its family planning funds unspent while clinics across the state closed because of lack of money. As a result, tens of thousands of women lost access to reproductive care. The unspent funds happened at a time when, according to previous Observer reporting,…
Read MoreObama’s choice for Federal Housing Finance Agency head under fire
The Center for Public Integrity reports that “Rep. Mel Watt, the North Carolina Democrat whom President Barack Obama has appointed to oversee mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has received more campaign money from financial interests than any other industry or special interest.” “Since he entered Congress in 1992, Watt has received $1.33 million…
Read MoreFDA let drugs approved by fraudulent research stay on market
ProPublica reports that in 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced years’ worth of studies from a major drug research lab were potentially worthless. Those studies were part of the bases for about 100 drugs that made it to the U.S. market. According to ProPublica, the FDA let those drugs stay on pharmacy shelves…
Read MoreMaker of popular tax software fights free, simple tax filing
Collaborative reporting between ProPublica and NPR reveals that Intuit, the company behind America’s most popular tax software, TurboTax, has long fought efforts to establish an easier, free tax filing system in the U.S. Similar systems already exist in Denmwark, Spain and Sweden, and advocates for such a system say it could save millions of taxpayers…
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: A ruling’s tainted legacy, a botched signature and corporate catch shares
The New York TimesRuled a Threat to Family, but Allowed to Keep Guns“Advocates for domestic violence victims have long called for stricter laws governing firearms and protective orders. Their argument is rooted in a grim statistic: when women die at the hand of an intimate partner, that hand is more often than not holding a…
Read More