Latest Stories

Latest Stories

Yesterday's efficiency standards are saving you money today

Apr 17, 2024
Household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines would use a lot more energy if not for efficiency standards.
“A typical refrigerator today uses only one-fifth as much energy as a new refrigerator sold in the 1970s," says Andrew deLaski with the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Once again: Who pays for tariffs on Chinese steel?

Apr 17, 2024
As the Biden administration proposes tripling duties, experts recall how previous tariffs mainly hit American consumers and industries.
President Joe Biden speaks to members of the United Steel Workers Union in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, announcing plans to raise tariffs on Chinese steel.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Sober times for China's wine sellers

Apr 17, 2024
Having once enjoyed vibrant growth, China's wine industry is being held back by trade barriers, changing tastes and a flagging economy.
A shelf of wines from France, Argentina and New Zealand in a Shanghai retail shop. Wine imports have declined, and exporters are frustrated.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

You're not imagining it: Car insurance costs 22% more than it did last year

Apr 17, 2024
And people are increasingly shopping around for a better deal, according to new data from JD Power. Finding one is another matter.
Thanks to rising rates, people are increasingly shopping around to see if they can find a better deal on their car insurance, according to new data from JD Power. 
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Movie theaters aren't going anywhere, and it's partially due to their weird architecture

Apr 17, 2024
With sloping, concrete floors and huge, windowless rooms, movie theaters are not the easiest properties to convert.
Ticket sales at movie theaters are still down from pre-pandemic times.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

A window into the world of deconstruction

Apr 17, 2024
Chris Rutherford, executive director of Salvage Warehouse of Detroit, shares how the deconstruction business is a huge benefit for communities economically, environmentally and socially.
Deconstruction workers from the Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit sort housing material from a run-down building.
Courtesy Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit

How baseball's Negro Leagues became successful business enterprises

"It was sailing against the tide of oppression," Negro Leagues Baseball Museum co-founder Larry Lester says.
Andrew "Rube" Foster founded the Chicago American Giants, pictured here in 1941. Foster organized the Negro National League, the first league for Black baseball players that survived a whole season.
Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

What's working — and not working — in casual dining these days

Apr 17, 2024
Americans see steak — in the right setting — as an affordable indulgence. But fewer diners are enjoying it with an alcoholic drink.
While TGI Friday's recently closed 36 U.S. stores, casual dining chain Texas Roadhouse is thriving.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Image

Texas' electric grid is feeling the strain, and it's not even that hot yet

Apr 16, 2024
A big part of the problem: Power plants usually go offline for maintenance in April.
April is annual maintenance time for Texas power plants, making it harder for the grid to handle a heat spike.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Broken sewing machine? This owner and technician might be able to help.

Apr 16, 2024
Kate Sprout, owner of Alaska Sewing Machine Repair in Anchorage, Alaska says her new business has allowed her to live the lifestyle that she wants.
Kate Sprout, owner of Alaska Sewing Machine Repair in Anchorage, Alaska, working on a machine.
Courtesy Kate Sprout