Segments From This Episode

• Cautious optimism? Hopeful pessimism? Small business owners’ outlook is a mixed bag

  by Justin Ho

  

  A National Federation of Independent Business survey found respondents pessimistic about business conditions. That said, more businesses decided to invest in equipment — a sign that many are hopeful about the future.

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• Is cost of housing the culprit for pessimism about economy?

  by Samantha Fields

  

  Inflation dipped slightly, but housing remains the biggest driver of rising prices.

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• The way real estate agents are paid could be changing. Here’s how that could affect buyers and sellers.

  by Matt Levin

  

  Agents typically split the 5% to 6% commission when a home is sold. Rates could go lower in the wake of class-action litigation.

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• The fix for crummy cell reception? Probably more cell towers.

  by Kai Ryssdal and Sean McHenry

  

  Networks are clogged, and we need to build more towers, says Alana Semuels of Time magazine. But we don’t want the towers, just the service.

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• Why retailers are rethinking self-checkout

  by Meghan McCarty Carino

  

  The discount retailer Dollar General is planning to spend an extra $50 million to staff up its stores before the end of the year. The retailer and others have been cutting its labor costs by leaning on self-checkout stations in recent years.

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• Small-town New Mexico newspaper rewrites its obituary

  by Savannah Peters

  

  The Deming Headlight was a “ghost paper” under its corporate owner. Now independent, the paper has rebounded with community support.

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