Business

U.S. Treasury checks are run through a printer.

Get A Social Security Check? Treasury Says It's Time To Go Electronic

12:33pm February 19, 2013

by Brian Naylor

Every month, the government sends out about 5 million paper checks to Americans who receive federal benefits. As of March 1, however, the Treasury Department is planning to make those checks a thing of the past. It's encouraging holdouts to move to direct deposit or a debit card.

Queue Listen Now

Majority Of Downloaded Apps Are Abandoned

12:33pm February 19, 2013

People have been downloading about 10 apps per month onto their devices. Great news for businesses, except research from the business consulting firm Nuance Enterprise shows that the vast majority of those apps are quickly forgotten about, especially those that are free.

Queue Listen Now

Obama Again Calls For Balanced Plan For Cuts

12:33pm February 19, 2013

President Obama spoke Tuesday about the impacts of deep spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1. With a group of first responders in uniform standing behind him in the White House, he said if Congress doesn't stop the cuts, responders won't be able to help communities respond to disasters.

Queue Listen Now

People read newspaper headlines in Athens. In 2009, there were 39 national dailies, 23 national Sunday papers, 14 national weekly papers and dozens of TV and radio stations for a population of 11 million.

Greece's Economic Crisis Reveals Fault Lines In The Media

7:05pm February 18, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

A system of favors among Greek media outlets, politicians and banks helped produce one of the most inflated media sectors in Europe. But the media have been hit hard by the country's massive austerity drive, and have taken a huge loss in terms of credibility.

Queue Listen Now

Todd Macy, a banker from Marin County, Calif., was the victim of identity theft. Nearly a year after filing his return, he's still waiting for his federal tax refund.

What Happens When Someone Else Gets Your Tax Refund

6:27pm February 18, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

If you usually wait until April to file your taxes, you might want to hurry up — before identity thieves beat you to it. Using stolen names and Social Security numbers, these criminals file fake tax returns. This generates big, and fraudulent, refunds, before the real taxpayer gets around to filing.

Queue Listen Now

Oregon State University has been growing a variety of hazelnut trees over the years to develop blight-resistant breeds.

Growing Resistance, Oregon Hazelnuts Battle Blight

6:42am February 18, 2013

by Deena Prichep

Carefully developed breeds are overpowering Eastern filbert blight, which had threatened to crush the U.S. hazelnut industry.

Queue Listen Now

A Union Pacific freight train passes over a grade crossing in Elmhurst, Ill.

National

High-Speed Rail Buzz Overpowers Daily Chug Of Freight Trains

7:12pm February 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

President Obama reiterated his goal of bringing America up to speed with new high-speed rail projects nationwide. Meanwhile, the freight-rail systems are still helping farmers keep costs down and getting their crops out. Any new kind of rail expansion would have to take these long-established networks into account.

Queue Listen Now

In Kansas, A 'Glide Path' To No Income Taxes. Will It Work?

9:47am February 15, 2013

by Frank Morris

Gov. Sam Brownback plans to get rid of Kansas' income tax and cut the size of state government. Some lawmakers say it's a great experiment that will show that lower tax rates and streamlined bureaucracy can stimulate growth; others are concerned about overreaching.

Queue Listen Now

Automatic Budget Cuts Near As Democrats, GOP Stand Firm

8:39am February 15, 2013

by Mara Liasson

It looks like the across the board spending cuts that were never supposed to happen are going to — at least for a while. It's another sign of Washington's dysfunction.

Queue Listen Now

Effects Of Automatic Spending Cuts Become Clearer

8:39am February 15, 2013

by Brian Naylor

The clock is ticking on the sequester. That's the Washington term for the across the board spending cuts that will take effect March 1st unless Congress acts to put them off.

Queue Listen Now