Around the Nation

Economy

Banks Ease Purse Strings On Luxury Home Loans

5:58am October 16, 2013

by Peter O'Dowd

For the first time in decades, interest rates for jumbo home loans are lower than rates for a typical mortgage. And because of that, the luxury market is the fastest growing sector of home loans. In Phoenix, sales of homes that cost more than $500,000 are up 64 percent.

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We Say Goodbye To Detective Munch, Umpire Wally Bell

5:58am October 16, 2013

Sgt. John Munch is turning in his badge on Law & Order SVU Wednesday night. Actor Richard Belzer has played Munch for 15 seasons on the show. And we remember veteran baseball umpire Wally Bell, who died of a heart attack this week. He'd been on the job for 21 seasons. Bell was 48.

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IRS offices around the country, like this one in Brooklyn, N.Y., have been closed since the partial government shutdown began two weeks ago. While the agency continues to cash checks from payees, refunds, audits and most other operations are suspended.

The IRS Can't Take Your Questions. It Will Take Your Return

6:21pm October 15, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

Tuesday is the deadline for taxpayers who requested an extension on their 2012 tax returns. With most of its staff currently furloughed, the Internal Revenue Service is not answering calls, issuing refunds or collecting audits. Even so, don't expect a filing reprieve; the midnight deadline is still in effect.

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15 Years Later, Where Did All The Cigarette Money Go?

12:12pm October 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

So far, tobacco companies have paid more than $100 billion to state governments as part of a 25-year, $246 billion settlement. Though the money was meant to be spent on prevention and smoking-related programs, it didn't come with a mandate.

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Harvest Brings Farm Families Together, Redefines Commitment

5:36am October 15, 2013

by Grant Gerlock

For farm families in Nebraksa, it's all hands on deck to bring in the corn harvest. And just one year after the worst drought in half a century, 2013 could be one of the biggest corn crops ever.

3 American Economists Win Nobel Prize

7:46am October 14, 2013

Eugene Fama, Lars Peter Hansen and Robert Shiller won the 2013 economics prize for their work on developing new methods to study trends in asset markets. They will share the $1.25 million prize.

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Chiefs Break Record For Loudest NFL Stadium

6:24am October 14, 2013

Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs were recorded howling at more than 137 decibels as the Chiefs defeated Oakland. That decibel level is louder than a rock concert and almost as loud as a jet engine.

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Not In My Backyard: Hollywood Sign's Neighbors Fed Up With Tourists

6:12pm October 13, 2013

by Sam Sanders

Los Angeles' iconic Hollywood sign is among the city's biggest tourist attractions. But homeowners who live on the streets under the sign say visitors are wreaking havoc in their neighborhood.

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Meg Gill is the president and co-founder of Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles. Her brewery is favored to win awards at the Great American Beer Festival.

Women, The 'First Brewers,' Lean Into Craft Beer-Making

10:09am October 12, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

The craft-brewing industry has long been a male-dominated world. But that's starting to change. This weekend, several female-owned craft breweries are favored to take home the most prestigious awards at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

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Seniors around the country depend on weekly deliveries of nutritionally balanced food from the USDA's supplemental nutrition program.

Shutdown Leaves Some Seniors Worried About Their Next Meal

7:27pm October 11, 2013

by Patrick Center

Some Michigan seniors may be going hungry thanks to the government shutdown. In western Kent County alone, more than 1,300 low-income seniors depend on a government surplus food program. But the USDA has announced that the program is hold until further notice.

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