Business Story of the Day

Economy

FCC Attorneys Will Be Back In Court To Defend Net Neutrality

12:18pm December 04, 2015

by Joel Rose

The Obama administration's plan to regulate Internet access like a public utility faces a big hurdle on Friday. Major phone and cable companies are challenging the FCC's Open Internet rules in court.

Queue Listen Now

Adan Faudoa landed a job at Pandora, one of the first tech companies to set up shop in Oakland.

As Tech Firms Come To Oakland, So Do Hopes Of Racial Diversity

7:38pm December 03, 2015

by Pendarvis Harshaw

Oakland, Calif., is known for being diverse. The tech industry? Not so much. But there's hope the situation will improve as more tech companies move to Oakland.

Queue Listen Now

As Tech Firms Come To Oakland, So Do Hopes Of Racial Diversity

5:46am December 03, 2015

by Pendarvis Harshaw

Oakland, Calif., is known for being diverse. The tech industry? Not so much. But there's hope the situation will improve as more tech companies move to Oakland.

Economy

For Julie B., The Future Is Pretty In Plastic

7:46am December 02, 2015

David Greene profiles an unlikely manufacturer in Los Angeles, for our "American Made" series. Julie B. is a toymaker who has had to adapt to stay in business. Her company moved from toys to art.

Queue Listen Now

(Top) A worker at Blue Creations prepares a pair of blue jeans for a crinkle effect known as "3-D whiskers." (Bottom) Employees at Blue Creations apply the destruction/distressing process to jeans by sanding, ripping and tearing them on molds.

From Pocket Lining To Jeans, A Niche Means Survival In LA Fashion

8:34am December 01, 2015

The fashion industry in LA has been bleeding jobs for years. One bright spot has been high-end denim. Whereas $30 jeans are often made in China or Mexico, designer jeans are almost always made here.

Queue Listen Now

Professor Philip Yaghmai (left) talks to Ismael Becerra, 18, in the lab at El Camino Community College's Compton campus. Students translate machining theory into practice on vertical mills, CNC machines and other heavy equipment used in aerospace fastener

What Gets Made In LA Is Way More Than Movies

3:19pm November 30, 2015

The LA area is home to the most manufacturing jobs in the U.S., from clothes to metal parts to new aerospace tech. Companies have reinvented themselves, even as they struggle to find skilled workers.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

Food Banks' Pickle: Getting Food To The Right Place At The Right Time

6:13am November 27, 2015

by Jacob Goldstein

On any day, a food bank could end up with heaps of pasta sauce, but no pasta. To solve the problem, a network of food banks created a currency of fake money and embraced trade.

It actually costs more than a penny to make a penny.

Critics Wonder Whether Pennies Make Sense Anymore

8:04am November 26, 2015

by Chris Arnold

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew says the government is reviewing a proposal to stop making the penny. It actually costs nearly 2 cents to make a penny, so the government loses money.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

Low Energy Prices Force More Northeast Nuclear Power Plants To Shut Down

5:25am November 25, 2015

by David Sommerstein

The actions raise questions about nuclear's future in the U.S., including its role in reducing climate change. It's left the rural community that's home to one of the plants reeling.

Harvesting sweet potatoes: Workers sort the potatoes in the field, collecting small and large ones in different buckets. Each bucket weighs 30 pounds or so. A worker will shoulder that bucket and dump it into a flatbed truck 400 to 500 times a day. It's a

Economy

Behind Your Holiday Sweet Potato Dish, Hard Work In The Fields

3:12pm November 24, 2015

by Dan Charles

More than half of America's sweet potatoes were lifted by hand from the soil of North Carolina. It's some of the most back-breaking farm work to be found, and migrant laborers do most of it.

Queue Listen Now