Business

Where In the U.S. do people say pee-kahn over pi-kahn? Joshua Katz answered your burning question by mapping Bert Vaux's dialect survey on regional variations in the continental United States.

National

The Enigmatic Pecan: Why So Pricey, And How To Pronounce It?

3:08pm November 09, 2013

by NPR Staff

The weather and demand from China are driving prices up. But how do you say the word pecan? NPR's Melissa Block gets answers from a pecan farmer and a linguistics expert.

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This Blockbuster store in Mission, Texas, is franchised by Border Entertainment. The company has 26 stores across Texas and Alaska that will live on after the last 300 or so company-owned stores are closed by early January 2014.

Blockbuster Fades Out, But Some Zombie Stores Will Live On

8:08pm November 08, 2013

by Serri Graslie

Dish Network announced this week that it will shutter the 300 or so remaining Blockbuster stores it owns across the country. But in some places, dozens of the video stores will have an unlikely afterlife.

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Hairdresser Lara Imler used to be an accountant. She doesn't miss her old job, except for the insurance.

Persistence Pays Off For Uninsured Alaskan

10:17am November 08, 2013

by Annie Feidt

A hairdresser in Alaska is one of the first people to get health insurance through HealthCare.gov. The 37-year-old woman has a chronic thyroid problem, so she's thrilled to find affordable coverage. Insurers are bracing for sick people like her to be among the first entering the market.

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Politics & Government

Outside Money Plays Big Role In Va. Race For Governor

10:17am November 08, 2013

by Peter Overby

Far-flung billionaires played a big role in the Virginia gubernatorial race. San Francisco environmentalist Tom Steyer and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent more than $2 million each to help elect Democrat Terry McAuliffe as governor.

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National

Twitter Makes Market Debut

10:10am November 07, 2013

The New York Stock Exchange is at the center of attention Thursday morning as Twitter goes public at $26 per share. That means company is expected to raise almost $2 billion. For the latest on this highly anticipated IPO, NPR's Zoe Chace talks with host David Greene.

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Obama To Visit Dallas To Smooth Bumps In Health Care Sign-Up

9:47am November 07, 2013

by Scott Horsley

President Obama travels to Dallas on Wednesday to meet with volunteers who've been working to educate consumers about the government's new health insurance marketplace. That task has been made more difficult by persistent technical problems plaguing the website.

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Most Remaining Blockbusters To Close In January

4:54am November 07, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

Blockbuster is going to shut all of its company-owned stores. Some franchise stores will stay open. At its peak, the video rental chain had about 9,000 stores.

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I Applied For An Online Payday Loan. Here's What Happened Next

5:06pm November 06, 2013

by Pam Fessler

For months, NPR's Pam Fessler got calls from around the world offering her short-term loans. She had fallen into the world of online lead generation.

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National

Remembering Chef Charlie Trotter, Chicago Fine-Dining Visionary

2:55pm November 06, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

Charlie Trotter was one of the country's most influential chefs. His death comes just a year after he closed his namesake restaurant in Chicago. Authorities plan to conduct an autopsy on Wednesday.

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Seattle coffee giant Starbucks says the company will hire at least 10,000 veterans or their spouses over the next five years.

Economy

Starbucks Is Latest Company Aiming To Help Vets Land Jobs

9:22am November 06, 2013

by Ashley Gross

The coffee giant says it will hire at least 10,000 veterans or their spouses over the next five years. It joins companies ranging from JPMorgan Chase to Walmart to Boeing in trying to bring down a stubbornly high unemployment rate for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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