AltWeeklies Wire
The Shift to Local is Happening Across America, and It's Happening Nownew

I just spent 23 days traveling across America. I drove 9,220 miles, visited 25 cities and towns, and interviewed 75 people who are reshaping and reforming our communities by investing in local economies.
Dig Boston |
Joe Grafton |
08-20-2009 |
Business & Labor
At Vermont's Biggest Auction of the Year, Another Dairy Family Calls it Quitsnew

Ken and Carol Borland are among the many victims of Vermont's flagging dairy industry. In the past five years, the state has lost 250 dairy farms. In the last 12 months, 50 Vermont dairy producers have gone out of business.
Seven Days |
Lauren Ober |
08-17-2009 |
Business & Labor
GM Hits the Rocks: Will it be a 'Surgical' Bankruptcy?new
GM will now concentrate on small cars, and it is expending a lot of capital on the Chevrolet Volt, a radical plug-in hybrid still due in late 2010 that can travel 40 miles on its lithium-ion batteries alone.
New Haven Advocate |
Jim Motavalli |
06-16-2009 |
Business & Labor
GM's Bankruptcy Marks the End of an Era of Second-Best Arrogancenew
The truth is we all lose and, in a sense, it is the end of an era. But romanticizing GM's past, particularly the past several years, when we've watched it fall further and further behind Asian automakers in terms of affordability and technology isn’t healthy either.
Pasadena Weekly |
Jennifer Hadley |
06-16-2009 |
Business & Labor
It’s Survival Of The Fittest For Urban Pioneers in Downtown Dallasnew
Dallas dreams of a vibrant city center, where residents, shops and restaurants mingle. But this is not a report on what city officials envision. This is a look at downtown from the street-level. Restaurants are still struggling. Homelessness is still an issue. People still perceive the area as dead, although that perception is beginning to change.
Dallas Observer |
Kimberly Thorpe |
06-08-2009 |
Business & Labor
Is Casino Gambling in the Cards for Galveston?new
Backers say casinos can save the water-logged city, while opponents say they will bring nothing but ruin.
Houston Press |
John Nova Lomax |
03-10-2009 |
Business & Labor
Bartering Makes a Comebacknew
Bartering is gaining popularity fast, as Connecticut barter service owner Debbie Lombardi will tell you.
New Haven Advocate |
Brianna Snyder |
01-27-2009 |
Business & Labor
Money, Arrogance and Stupidity = Disaster for American Auto Industrynew

Chapter 11 does not mandate that the Big 3 close their doors. It mandates that they restructure and cut costs, just like the airlines did. Yet the Big 3 continue to be bullheaded and refuse to consider this option.
Pasadena Weekly |
Jennifer Hadley |
12-08-2008 |
Business & Labor
Paper Mill Closing Leaves One Wisconsin Town Fighting for Its Lifenew
The struggle over the NewPage paper mill in Kimberly, Wisc., underscores the larger pattern of hurt in the heartland.
Isthmus |
Roger Bybee |
10-20-2008 |
Business & Labor
Will FairPoint Run Out of Money?new
The Wall Street meltdown could really burn telephone customers in northern New England -- one of their phone company's largest lenders just went belly up.
Portland Phoenix |
Jeff Inglis |
09-17-2008 |
Business & Labor