Erika Beras

Reporter

SHORT BIO

Erika Beras is a former reporter at Marketplace. She has covered wealth & poverty, aging and other beats for Marketplace's programs.

Latest Stories (345)

Fax machines too often an unguarded gateway into corporate data systems

Aug 14, 2018
There was a time when the chugging of fax machines was heard in every office. No longer since e-mail and instant messaging services took over our lives. Even so, many of those big, industrial scanner/printer/copiers in offices also have built in fax machines. And a new study says those machines can be very easily hacked.  […]
Fax machines can be a huge security risk for companies.  
Wikimedia Commons

For Americans who rely on public housing, HUD proposals strike fear

Aug 10, 2018
In Erie, Pennsylvania, where more than a quarter of residents live in poverty, many are in "chronic crisis mode," one social worker says.
The Poor People’s Campaign March makes its way through downtown Erie. Marchers advocated for increased affordable housing in Erie, better-paying jobs and more accountability from elected officials.
Erika Beras/Marketplace

Immigrants use health services at a lower rate than people born in the U.S.

Aug 8, 2018
A report out today in the Journal of Health Services contradicts a common narrative.
Immigrants make up roughly 12 percent of the population in this country, but account for just 8.6 percent of heath care expenditures. 
John Moore/Getty Images

Mid-luxury brands say no to discounted goods

Jul 31, 2018
Ralph Lauren posts earnings bump by leaning in to full priced products
People walk by Ralph Lauren's Fifth Avenue Polo store on April 4, 2017 in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What consolidation among food distributors means for your dinner

Jul 30, 2018
U.S. Foods Holding Corp, already among the largest food service distributors in the country, announced today that it is buying five businesses from Service Group of America. It’s a $1.8 billion cash deal that adds up to $3.2 billion in annual sales and 3,400 employees in a push West across the U.S.  But what does that mean for your […]

Mr. Conte goes to Washington

Jul 30, 2018
Today President Donald Trump will welcome Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to the White House. When Conte and Trump met earlier this year at the G7 and NATO summits, they found common ground on Russia and on anti-immigration policy. But they see things differently when it comes to trade and military spending — two issues […]
Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (L) shakes hands with the President of the United States Donald Trump on the first day of the G7 Summit, on 8 June, 2018 in La Malbaie, Canada.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

In Erie, social services are a lifeline

Jul 26, 2018
New work requirements may change things for those who receive food and housing assistance in the Pennsylvania city.
Roberta Lubman, 66, regularly eats lunch at the Erie City Mission in downtown Erie. The free daily meal supplements what she receives from SNAP.
Erika Beras/Marketplace

The Trump administration leans on companies to do a better job of training workers

Jul 19, 2018
Today, surrounded by executives from some of the country’s best-known companies, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the National Council for the American Worker, aimed at developing a stronger workforce. The strategy is heavy on pledges, committees and advisory boards. But who’s going to foot the bill? Click the audio player above to […]

Diverse superheros, cheese plates pumping box office numbers

Jul 5, 2018
It’s a record year at the box office. “Black Panther” pulled in theatergoers over the winter and now this summer confirms it — the big screen is hot again. “The Avengers,” “Incredibles 2,” “Jurassic World” and “Ocean’s 8” all are luring millions of moviegoers off of their couches and into the multiplex. Ticket sales are […]

Conagra to buy Pinnacle Foods and more frozen staples

Jun 29, 2018
Conagra already owned frozen food aisle staples Healthy Choice and Marie Callender’s. Now with the acquisition of Pinnacle Foods for $8.2 billion, it’ll own other frozen food staples like Hungry Man dinners and Birds Eye vegetables. Together, all those foods will create a conglomerate worth an estimated $11 billion in annual sales. But as customers […]