From This Collection

School districts weigh health risks and costs of reopening in the fall

Jul 14, 2020
The LA Unified School District, the second-largest in the country, will go online-only in the fall.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, which is sticking with online classes come August, has over 600,000 students. Testing them for COVID-19 could cost $300 per student over the year.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Those released from prison find reentry much harder due to COVID-19

Jul 14, 2020
Finding a job, often a challenge for people who have been incarcerated, is even more difficult because of the pandemic.
A Project Return staff member counsels a former prison inmate in the organization's parking lot.
Photo courtesy Corey Richard/Project Return

Local governments and companies encourage masks in absence of federal policy

Jul 13, 2020
New York, California and Oregon have put out public service ads to get people to wear masks.
A person walks by graffiti encouraging mask wearing in April in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

How the virus devastated workers in a Brooklyn neighborhood

Jul 13, 2020
Brownsville, where 80% of residents are Black, had an infection rate in May that was more than twice the New York City average.
Workers at Brownsville's Collective Fare assemble donated to-go meals. Many residents of the  neighborhood are essential workers and more exposed to risk.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Lifeguards, veterinary assistants and architects: a look at some of the jobs protected by PPP loans

Jul 13, 2020
About 75% of small businesses sought Paycheck Protection Program loans and about 72% of them got PPP loans, according to the Census Bureau.
Seattle Veterinary Associates is among the millions of businesses that have received loans through the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
Courtesy of Seattle Veterinary Associates

With tips down, some restaurants have raised wages for servers. Will it last?

Jul 13, 2020
“A lot of workers are saying no, I refuse to go back and put my health at risk and my family's health at risk for $2, $3 or $4 an hour.”
With business slow at most restaurants, some are raising wages to incentivize staff to come back.
Byron Smith/Getty Images

Quarterly bank earnings may tell a bigger story about the U.S. economy right now

Jul 13, 2020
Banks touch many sectors of the economy, that may be struggling — or thriving — during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Lots of parents hold off on back-to-school shopping

Jul 10, 2020
Because...are the kids even going back to school this year?
French schoolchildren wearing protective gear attend class in May. Will this year's purchases include face masks and hand sanitizer along with notebooks and pencils?
Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images

Higher education could see big revenue losses from a sports shutdown

Jul 10, 2020
College sports bring TV contracts, corporate donations and other income that could be lost this year due to COVID-19.
Fans cheer the Ohio State University Buckeyes at a 2008 game. In one year, sports brought in $209 million to the school.
Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

How the pandemic is creating a “low-touch” economy

Jul 10, 2020
Social distancing guidelines and nervous customers are pushing business to change how they operate. Some of the changes may be permanent.
The entry area of the Akwaaba D.C. bed and breakfast. Usually the inn would be booked solid this time of year, but few customers are visiting during the pandemic.
Kimberly Adams/Marketplace