A look around the country

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Every Friday, we’ll be taking a look at what’s happening around the country by featuring stations that are covering economic stories with both local and national relevance. From foreclosures in Ohio to healthcare in Minnesota, the issues affecting Americans are similar across the U.S, but the ways communities are coping with change varies greatly.

Mortgages are at the center of everyone’s thoughts on the economy, and Emily McCord of WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio reports on the struggle one family in Dayton faces to pay back their loans.
Foreclosures Affect Those Who Can Afford Mortgages

Scrutiny over earnings has reached a fever pitch, and things that may have slipped through the cracks in the past are now front and center. As Elaine Baumgartel at KUNM in Albuquerque, NM reports, public workers who are earning both a pension and salary are getting grief for “double dipping.”
Concerns over Double Dipping Remain

One way to combat relationship woes that come with financial stress? Talking it out, as Tina Antolini at WFCR in Amherst, Mass., finds.
Mediation and the Recession

Minnesota Public Radio has a whole social network dedicated to covering the local economy. This week’s top story, not surprisingly, is healthcare. Check out the map of Minnesota plotting the uninsured by county.

For a broader view, Patchwork Nation looks at voices from across the country on healthcare in the various types of communities the map follows, from evangelical epicenters to military bastions.

Is there a story you’ve seen locally that hasn’t hit the national press? Share it here.

Greener grass across the pond

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Everyone seems to have France on the brain lately, but today it wasn’t just because of the Julia Child craze that’s sweeping the nation — the recession was declared over in France and neighboring Germany. While it doesn’t seem that Europe’s good fortune is coming to the States anytime soon, the economy stateside may not be all doom and gloom.

“History shows the deeper the recession, the stronger the bounce. And some people are now wondering what’s different this time around. Why should this time be any different? Even coming out of the Great Depression the U.S. economy did grow quite substantially,” Marketplace senior correspondent Bob Moon reported.

But even with growth in certain sectors, Nightly Business Report put a reality check on any reported comebacks in the job market here in the U.S.

“Just to stay even with the new workers entering the job market every year, the economy needs to produce about 130,000 jobs a month. We’re losing more than 300,000 jobs. To begin whittling down the unemployment rate, you need job growth of around 300,000 jobs a month.”

There’s little consolation for the hard numbers, but maybe the proof is literally in the pudding. If finance follows flavor, this USA Today story suggests that French cooking may be on its way out in the U.S. Is it just a little bitterness over the slow-to-follow-suit economic recovery, or is the economy really making duck a l’orange take a back seat to a good burger?

Healthcare reform and the rise of the uninsured

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The healthcare crisis is reaching a fever pitch, as more and more Americans find themselves without coverage, Patchwork Nation reported today:

“When Patchwork Nation analyzed the numbers, we found that the percentage of uninsured people grew across 11 of our 12 community types in that year. And between 2000 and 2006, all 12 types saw larger increases.”

Patchwork Nation director Dante Chinni spoke with Online NewsHour’s Anna Shoup about how these figures relate to other trends in the economy, and what these new numbers say about the debate over healthcare reform legislation.

A bailout for African American media?

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The arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. sparked a media storm a few weeks ago, but one prominent Boston African American paper couldn’t cover the story — they were shut down that week due to a lack in funding, PRI reports.

With larger African American magazines like Jet and Ebony struggling to survive in the current economic climate, how will a diversity of opinions on news topics that affect minorities continue if minority-oriented publications go under?

PRI’s Here and Now discusses a group of minority broadcasters who are seeking a temporary bailout, and the risk of missing big stories that affect the community if they aren’t funded.

Are minority-oriented publications necessary for the larger conversation, or are they to face the same fate as so many other newspapers and magazines until they figure out a way to stay relevant in the new economy?

Entertainment on a budget

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For many, the splurges on fancy dinners, trips to exotic locations, and expensive concerts are more and more limited due to the economy. But people still need to have some fun. So what are service providers doing to make entertainment more affordable?

Drive-in movies all but disappeared from the American landscape in the 80’s and 90’s, and a whole generation has missed out on the kitsch culture of the drive-in, experiencing it only through, well, movies and television that featured the drive-in. Could it make a comeback?

Robert Smith reports on NPR’s Morning Edition about cheap thrills at one drive-in theater – but it’s one of the few remaining in use in the U.S.

“My daughters are already asleep in the back seat. But that’s one of the beauties of a cheap thrill. If I had paid the $121 per seat for The Little Mermaid on Broadway, I’d be prying those cute eyes open right now. As it is, I can tilt the seat back and chill.”

In New York City, the ultimate local amusement park of days past was Coney Island, which has fallen into disrepair in recent years. But as WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show reports, redevelopment plans are gaining support and could bring low-cost entertainment back to Brooklyn.

Another cheap treat is a trend that started a while ago in cities around the U.S. – gourmet cupcakes. As a guest on Marketplace’s Whiteboard video blog, actress Aisha Tyler (of “24”, “CSI”, etc), suggested giving away 9,000 cupcakes to boost the economy.

Tyler’s idea single-handedly takes on the baking industry:

“By going out and spending some $36,000 on cupcakes, Aisha is juicing the economy in a significant way. For a start, whatever bake shop she patronizes will be very happy to have her business: maybe the staff will get a pay rise (they’ll certainly feel more secure with an order like that); maybe the shop will go out and hire some new people. The profits from the sale might go to placing some ads in the local papers (heaven knows they need the cash) or perhaps to refurbish the store or buy some new signage or equipment.”

On a somewhat smaller (but more realistic) scale, a secret cupcake peddler in San Francisco is creating her own cottage industry, making office workers excited for Wednesdays, as Amanda Dyer for KALW reports.

What are some free or cheap things you and your family are choosing over pricey treats in the current economic climate?