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Maria Hollenhorst

Associate Producer

Latest Stories (256)

Micro businesses and the pandemic

The highs and lows of making in-demand pandemic products

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Apr 1, 2021
Clear plastic barriers to protect workers are everywhere now. What does that mean for companies that make them?
In 2020, California Acrylic Design made custom plastic barriers for schools, government agencies and a wide range of businesses.
Courtesy of California Acrylic Design
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COVID-19

How COVID-19 made high-frequency data a go-to economic indicator

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 31, 2021
More than ever, economists are turning to alternative forms of data to help them understand the economy in real time.
Geolocation data collected from mobile devices has become a useful pandemic indicator for the CDC, the Federal Reserve and Wall Street analysts.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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Micro businesses and the pandemic

Why this small business said goodbye to the office for good

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 31, 2021
“We’re gonna save about $60,000 a year,” said Carolyn Walker, CEO and managing partner of Response Marketing in Connecticut.
The pandemic shrunk Response Marketing's revenue and forced the firm to go virtual. “I feel like if I made it through this, we can make it through anything,” says CEO Carolyn Walker.
Courtesy of Response
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My Economy

“Dog and human alike, we just have to figure it out”

by Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 26, 2021
Dogs returning to pet-care facilities are acting differently than before the pandemic.
Tara Robertson, owner of PupStars Pet Care in Chicago, works with one of her canine customers.
Courtesy of Tara Robertson
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United States of Work

For small-business owners, “it’s just never-ending”

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 17, 2021
An independent hairstylist reflects on her newfound respect for small-business ownership after a year on her own.
Hairstylist Ashley Nelson’s private suite in downtown Boise, Idaho. She's looking to grow and bring people with her.
Courtesy of Ashley Nelson
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“This is not Christmas,” Illinois comptroller warns of federal relief money

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 16, 2021
“That money is essentially spoken for,” Susana Mendoza says of the $7.5 billion coming to the state from the American Rescue Plan.
Federal relief money offers a chance for Illinois to pay down its debt. Above, a view of Lake Michigan from the Sears Tower Skydeck in Chicago.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images
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United States of Work

Why this unemployed bartender feels “betrayed” by the nation's safety net

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Mar 4, 2021
Neil Cairns of Portland, Oregon, is finding that returning to work is a tough job.
"I'm casting my net as wide as I can," says former bartender Neil Cairns about his search for work.
Thomas Patterson
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What does inflation look like?

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Feb 23, 2021
Inflation’s been hard to find in this economy for years, but what if that changes?
At 2% inflation, the Federal Reserve's target rate, it takes about 35 years for prices to double.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Do looks matter for success in economics? Actually, they're pretty important.

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Feb 18, 2021
The short answer is yes, but you should read the long answer too.
A recent working paper on the effect of attractiveness on the job outcomes of economists is the latest example of the economics profession reflecting on itself.
Photo by Norman Smith/Fox Photos/Getty Images
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United States of Work

The pandemic as seen by a high-school senior and his older brother

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
Feb 17, 2021
“It's very easy to just stay in your room all day and not let anybody know what's happening to you,” says student AJ Williams.
CPA Michael Durant, right, and his younger brother, AJ Williams. The brothers lost their mother to COVID, and Williams is missing his freedom because of the quarantine.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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