Business

Something's missing in the small town of Jackman, Maine. They've have an electrician and some carpenters among their 800-odd residents, but no plumber — which can complicate things.

National

Rural Town Needs Plumber, Hopes A Student Will Take The Plunge

10:31am August 11, 2014

by NPR Staff

There's no licensed plumber in Jackman, Maine. So one family is offering a $2,000 scholarship to a local student or former graduate willing to get licensed as a plumber and return to work there.

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BuzzFeed Receives $50 Million Investment

8:04am August 11, 2014

BuzzFeed is expected to use the funds from a venture capital firm to add a number of new content sections and expand news coverage. Earlier, Disney was interested in purchasing BuzzFeed.

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Tourists Pay To Be Locked Up In Budapest's Cellars

8:04am August 11, 2014

Many escape-room games have sprung up in the Hungarian capital recently. The tourists playing the game have to find their way out by solving a series of mysterious clues.

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Items Up For Sale At Unclaimed Baggage Center Reflect Trends

8:04am August 11, 2014

by Emily Ochsenschlager

It has been called the lost luggage capital of the world. Bags and suitcases that can't be reunited with their owners end up in northern Alabama at the Unclaimed Baggage Center.

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Lotteries Take In Billions, Often Attract The Poor

7:19am August 11, 2014

by Steve Tripoli

Americans wager nearly $60 billion a year on lotteries. Revenues help states, which use the money to provide services. But researchers say the games often draw low-income gamblers who are on welfare.

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Bulleit is one of 50 different brands a food blogger says is using whiskey from an Indiana factory.

National

Why Your 'Small-Batch' Whiskey Might Taste A Lot Like The Others

3:25pm August 09, 2014

by NPR Staff

A food blogger says dozens of distilleries are buying rye whiskey from a factory in Indiana and using it in bottles labeled "artisan."

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Troubles Compound For Malaysia Airlines

11:15am August 08, 2014

Malaysia Airlines has operated at a loss for the past 3 years. Its troubles were compounded by the loss of a flight over the Pacific in March, and another shot down over eastern Ukraine last month.

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Fire Prevention Bear To Celebrate Birthday

11:15am August 08, 2014

Smokey Bear turns 70 on Saturday. Since 2008, actor Sam Elliott has been the voice of the public service announcement icon. The PSA campaign began on August 9, 1944 — the same day Elliott was born.

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In recent years, public pension funds have been dramatically increasing their investments in hedge funds.

Some Public Pension Funds Making Big Bets On Hedge Funds

2:28pm August 07, 2014

by Chris Arnold

States and cities have been investing billions of pension money dollars in hedge funds. That's costing a lot of money in fees, and experts say the pensions don't have much to show for it.

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Economy

Triad Restaurant Ends Its 'Thankfulness' Discount

9:50am August 07, 2014

Local diner ends its 15% discount for diners who pray before their meal.

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