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COVID broke the habit of attending school. Now, districts are spending millions to bring kids back

Jun 27, 2023
About one in three students are chronically absent, double the number before the pandemic.
About one in three students are chronically absent, double the number before the pandemic.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

New businesses are popping up in "donuts" of downtowns

May 30, 2023
A lot of people started new businesses after the onset of the pandemic. That number has stayed high, in part because many businesses are popping up outside of traditional downtown urban cores.
Populations in the suburbs are growing faster than in urban cores, according to an analysis of Census data by the Brookings Institution. This is one reason many new businesses are opening up in neighborhoods that surround downtowns.
Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images

Americans started new businesses at a record pace during the pandemic. They're still at it.

Apr 19, 2023
Experts are not sure why entrepreneurship has remained high despite a low unemployment rate.
marchmeena29/Getty Images

Census Bureau to add business startups as an official statistic

Nov 10, 2021
The fast-moving nature of the pandemic demands new measurements that are more timely.
Business startups have surged during the pandemic. The Census Bureau is making permanent a new monthly metric for business formations.
mixetto via Getty Images

Here's why we're seeing a rush to create new businesses

Aug 19, 2021
There were over 4 million applications for new businesses last year, according to the Census Bureau.
There was a boom in applications for new businesses last year, per the Census Bureau.
pixdeluxe via Getty Images

Businesses are re-opening at a frenetic pace, Yelp finds — especially where vaccination rates are higher

Jul 23, 2021
Where there are lower vaccination rates, there’s less consumer interest.
A man walks past a restaurant with an illuminated "Open" sign on May 5 in Los Angeles.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

"And then it occurred to me that I could just make the box of supplies myself"

Nov 17, 2020
Teacher Nia Grigsby started The School Box Toolbox when her own daughters were running low on supplies early in the pandemic.
School Box Toolbox supplies for first and second grade students.
Courtesy of Nia Grigsby

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My Economy: Starting a small business in Echo Park

Apr 5, 2019
Maurice Harris wanted to open a coffee shop when he saw his neighborhood changing. The process wasn't easy.
Maurice Harris is the owner of Bloom & Plume Coffee in Echo Park in Los Angeles, California.
Sean McHenry/Marketplace