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With an economy dependent on tourism, Hawaii tries to encourage visitors

Nov 18, 2020
The state has dialed back mandatory quarantines for visitors if they test negative for COVID-19.
Hawaiian Airlines jets outside Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu. Hawaii has seen a more than 90% reduction in the number of arriving air travelers since the start of the pandemic.
Ryan Finnerty

Paycheck Protection Program loan recipients face a new challenge: Taxes

Nov 17, 2020
As the year draws to a close, small business owners are starting to figure out their tax liabilities for 2020. That's complicated for businesses that got Paycheck Protection Program loans.
Empty chairs are seen inside a restaurant in New York on Nov. 13, 2020. Businesses whose PPP loans are forgiven are not allowed to claim deductions on expenses that were paid for using loan money.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

Growth in retail sales is slowing. That's a bad sign for the economy

Nov 17, 2020
As goes the U.S. consumer, so goes the U.S. economy.
Shoppers walk in South Coast Plaza in August in Costa Mesa, California. Smaller retailers are having a harder time transitioning to online sales and adjusting to COVID-19 restrictions.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

COVID recession puts damper on large construction projects

Nov 17, 2020
The Houston area lost the most construction jobs of any big city over the last year.
A worker directs traffic as construction takes place on a new tower in New York City in March.
Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

Black students most likely to be going to school remotely

Nov 17, 2020
More than 70% of Black students are going to school entirely online, compared to 40% of white students.
More than 70% of Black students are learning entirely remotely right now, according to a Marketplace-Edison Research poll.
FG Trade via Getty Images

How might COVID-19 vaccine makers compete in the marketplace?

Nov 17, 2020
At first, COVID-19 vaccines won't be marketed in the usual sense, because the government will be the main buyer.
A volunteer takes part in a COVID-19 vaccination trial this summer in Hollywood, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Retail workers balance financial need with pandemic risk

Nov 17, 2020
A recent survey from Korn Ferry found that 47% of retailers are having a hard time finding seasonal workers this year.
Al Bello/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

How small businesses are bracing for a COVID winter — or not

Nov 16, 2020
Many that survived the shutdowns in the spring have a strategy, while others fear they just won't make it.
A bar in Manhattan sells to-go cocktails at the beginning of the pandemic. Small businesses are preparing for another round of lockdowns, as the virus continues to surge across the country.
Victor J. Blue/Getty Images

Second coronavirus vaccine, from Moderna, shows promise

Pharmaceutical company Moderna said its vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Some NYC businesses are trying to negotiate for lower rent

Nov 16, 2020
With pandemic restrictions still cutting into revenues, some business owners say they need a break on commercial rent. But not all landlords are willing to negotiate.
Joanne Kwong at one of Pearl River Mart's locations.
Camille Petersen