Latest from Erika Beras

• Jun 29, 2018

  Instagram Lite debuts, designed for smartphone users in developing countries

  Instagram Lite popped up on the Google Play Store this week. It’s a slimmed down version of Instagram for people in developing countries. It works where networks are smaller, spottier and Android phones are more popular. Instagram Lite is a follower here, Facebook Lite arrived in 2015 and it now has over 200 million users. […]

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• Jun 20, 2018

  Holy guacamole! That avocado could last four weeks.

  Giving a whole new meaning to shelf life, avocados wearing a life-extending plant-based coating debut this week on U.S. grocery shelves. It’s one of the first products to potentially help cut down the billions of dollars in food waste each year in the United States. Click the above audio player to hear the full story.

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• Jun 19, 2018

  Public housing tenants surveyed after repairs, renovations to some privately managed buildings

  A study of public housing facilities in New York City found that those managed by private developers had higher tenant satisfaction compared to others managed by the public housing authority. But it also found that tenant turnover is higher in the privately managed buildings. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

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• Jun 18, 2018

  With the nomination of Kathy Kraninger to lead the CFPB, what can we expect from the agency?

  President Donald Trump has nominated a permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency created after the financial crisis. The nominee, Kathy Kraninger, is a federal budget official. We take a look at why the White House chose her and how the bureau has changed since its inception. Click the audio player above […]

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• Jun 12, 2018

  Philadelphia building tax could fund affordable housing

  Philadelphia City Council is expected to vote this week on what some members see as a potential solution to the city’s affordable housing problem — a 1 percent tax that could fund rental construction and help qualifying home buyers make down payments on houses. But the proposal is controversial. Click the audio player above to hear […]

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• Jun 7, 2018

  Bike share programs have largely missed poor neighborhoods

  

  But new efforts are seeking to remove barriers to riding like the need to have a smartphone or a credit card.

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• Jun 7, 2018

  UPS workers vote to authorize strike

  UPS Inc. workers, who belong to the Teamster’s Union, voted by more than 90 percent earlier this week to authorize a strike if there’s no agreement on issues around pay and expanding delivery days. The current five-year contract expires on July 31. Negotiations are ongoing. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

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• Jun 5, 2018

  High school graduation rates up, but there’s more than math to those numbers

  A study out from Johns Hopkins University tells us that at 84 percent, high school graduation rates are officially at an all-time high. That’s good news right? Maybe not, because increasing numbers of those high school grads arrive at college needing remedial courses. Click the audio player above to hear the full story. 

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• May 30, 2018

  Amazon shareholders to vote on Rooney Rule

  Amazon shareholders will vote today on adopting the Rooney Rule. Amazon’s board initially opposed the proposal, which requires interviewing minority candidates, including women, but has since reversed. The Rooney Rule originated in 2003 when the NFL began requiring teams to interview at least one minority candidate for top jobs. Other industries have adopted the rule and […]

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• May 11, 2018

  Our trade relationship with Iran in a nutshell

  

  The pistachio industry has zigzaged along with our diplomatic relationship with Iran.

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