Small towns offer cash to lure telecommuters

Nov 25, 2021
Bemidji, Minnesota, population about 15,000, is offering people $2,500 to relocate to the Northwoods and bring their remote jobs with them.
Sarah Sanchez moved to Bemidji from Phoenix in January, in the middle of the pandemic. She works from home for her job as a grant writer for an Arizona nonprofit.
Dan Kraker/MPR

New unemployment claims drop to a 50-year low

Nov 24, 2021
While there are constraints on labor supply, we're seeing signs that some of them are easing, one economist says.
Though this week's first-time jobless claims are a historic low, the economic recovery is still volatile. Above, people line up to attend a Los Angeles job fair.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

An independent movie theater eyes “momentum” heading into 2022

Nov 23, 2021
“It really is beginning to look — dare I say it — a little normal,” said the executive director of Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre.
“It finally feels like we might walk into 2022 and see some consistency,” said Stephanie Silverman, executive director of the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville.
Photo by Tom Gatlin, courtesy Belcourt Theatre

Zoom is part of the business model for some pandemic-era entrepreneurs

Nov 23, 2021
Zoom's earnings beat expectations, though some businesses are trying to move away from the platform. Others rely on it.
Some online cocktail companies have thrived on Zoom during the pandemic. Above, a woman enjoys a virtual happy hour in April 2020.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Mexican border town residents resilient despite pandemic isolation

Nov 23, 2021
When the border closed between Big Bend National Park and Boquillas in 2020, it separated residents from their main source of income.
Pre-pandemic, thousands of tourists crossed through the Boquillas port of entry each year. The port connecting Boquillas to Big Bend National Park in Texas closed in March 2020 but reopened on Nov. 17.
Annie Rosenthal/Marfa Public Radio

Why Target and others are giving workers Thanksgiving off

Nov 22, 2021
Employers want to keep their workers happy in this tight labor market — and holiday staffing is expensive.
Target announced that it will be closed on Thanksgiving Day going forward.
Scott Olson via Getty Images

Pharmacy chains plan to expand health care offerings

Nov 19, 2021
The pandemic highlighted their opportunity to meet everyday health care needs (and presented some challenges).
CVS announced its acquisition of the primary care firm Oak Street Health, adding to the pharmacy giant's already-expansive holdings in the health care market.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Food tour company struggles to regain ground as restaurants recover

Nov 19, 2021
Megan Bucholz, founder of Local Table Tours, watched her business grow for a decade. Then the pandemic closed everything down.
Megan Bucholz is the founder of Local Table Tours, which offers guided walking tours exploring the food scenes in Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins, Colorado.
Courtesy Megan Bucholz

Canadians factor COVID testing costs into shopping trips across U.S. border

Nov 19, 2021
The border is now open to vaccinated Canadians, but their government compels citizens to show a negative test to get back home.
Travelers on the U.S. side wait to cross into Canada at Niagara Falls, Ontario. Canadians can now cross into the U.S. for nonessential travel but must have a pricey PCR test to return.
Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images

The economy is adding more jobs than reports first reflect

Nov 18, 2021
Other employment numbers have been subject to a lot of revision as well.
Many employment statistics and reports have been revised, pointing to difficulties in understanding real-time labor conditions amid the pandemic. Above, a pedestrian walks past a "help wanted" sign.
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images