NORTHLAND'S FAVORITE HITS » economy

Nancy Pelosi's Sequestration Concern: Her Paycheck And Her Dignity

Steve Tanko — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:50:11 +0000

It’s good to see that Nancy Pelosi has her priorities straight. The House Minority Leader has harsh words for the upcoming sequestration dilemma, because – she wants her paycheck! Speaking about a potential congressional pay cut, Pelosi shared the following: “I don’t think we should do it; I think we should respect the work [...]

How To Reduce The Impact Of The Social Security Tax Increase

Steve Tanko — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:00:10 +0000

At the end of 2012, President Obama increased the Social Security Tax by 2% – meaning that your take-home paychecks in 2013 are less than they once were. The move happened without much fanfare, but many Americans have been wondering what they can do to counter the loss of income. The experts at the Dollar [...]

Makers Mark Whiskey Cuts Alcohol Amount To Stretch Supplies

Steve Tanko — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:41:52 +0000

Makers Mark Whiskey has grown to become a popular choice among whiskey drinkers. Known by it's distinctive red wax sealed-bottle, the whiskey has taken it's place among the top-shelf varieties. Apparently, sales of the American-made liquor have outgrown supplies - so the maker of Makers Mark is reducing the alcohol content of the bottles it sells to stretch supplies

How Much Do You Pay A Snow Shoveler?

Steve Tanko — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:28:31 +0000

Now that the Northland has made it through another snow event, I thought this might be a good time to pose the question: How much do you pay a snow shoveler? Whether you’re the shoveler or the shovel-ee, the question offers a couple points of discussion. If you’re the shoveler – you want to make [...]

What Will Obamacare Cost? IRS Estimates $20,000 Minimum A Year For Average Family

Steve Tanko — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:15:17 +0000

(Photo by Martin H. Simon-Pool/Getty Images) With the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act – or Obamacare – everyone will be mandated to buy health insurance or pay a tax to the Internal Revenue Service. How much will this mandatory insurance cost the average family? Washington leaders have skirted the dollar and cents issue [...]

Tomato Prices Could Double; Trade Agreement With Mexico In Question

Steve Tanko — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:25:55 +0000

It seems we live in interesting times. Or, maybe we should say expensive times. First it was gas. Then it was our paychecks. Next was the price of milk. Now, it appears that the prices we pay for tomatoes might be getting ready to double - if a trade agreement that the United States has with Mexico falls through.

Duluth Welcomes Last Ship Of The Season; The John G Munson To Winter In The Port of Duluth-Superior

Steve Tanko — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:39:42 +0000

And you thought the cold temperatures and snow meant winter; One of the Twin Ports SURE signs that we’re in the winter season arrives in town today – as the John G Munson slowly slides into the Port of Duluth-Superior – marking the last arriving ship of the season. Final numbers for tonnage for the [...]

Free Milk On Wednesday For Superior And Douglas County Residents In Need

Steve Tanko — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:20:41 +0000

Seven-hundred cases of milk are on their way to Superior, with a planned-giveaway to happen on Wednesday January 23rd – starting at 10AM. Superior and Douglas County residents in need will be able to pick up a case or two for free, outside of the Solid Rock Mission. The milk comes from a dairy business [...]

Duluth Merchants Invite You To Shop Small Business Saturday

Steve Tanko — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:43:05 +0000

Help our Northland economy! Get some great deals! Take care of some of your Christmas shopping! There are many reasons to shop Small Business Saturday – November 24th. The Greater Downtown Council invites everyone in the Twin Ports to stop by and take advantage of the goods and services that are readily available right here [...]

Not So Fast: Obama's Spending Plans Will Raise Middle Class Taxes According To Watchdog Group

Steve Tanko — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:35:48 +0000

It may have sounded good in theory, but a non-partisan watchdog group has released their findings that Obama’s pledge to not raise taxes on the middle class doesn’t hold water. A new study by Douglas Holtz-Eakin of the American Action Forum finds that President Barack Obama’s spending plan would raise taxes on the middle class. [...]

McDonalds Profits Falter For The First Time Since 2003

Steve Tanko — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:58:39 +0000

They made it through the recession seemingly unscathed. During the most-recent economic downtown, McDonalds enjoyed plenty of black ink while their rivals saw red. Now it seems that the tables might be turning. McDonald’s Corp. says a key revenue figure came in flat in July, its worst showing in more than nine years, as diners [...]

Gas Prices To Rise Due To Drought Conditions; Could Play A Negative Role In The U.S. Recovery

Steve Tanko — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:18:27 +0000

The careful news follower has already heard about the expected rise in prices at the grocery store due to this summers harsh drought conditions across the country. What you may not have expected was how this dry season will affect prices at the gas pumps. Even if you’re not using gasoline that’s clearly labeled as [...]

Expect More Chicken And Less Burgers In McDonald's Future

Steve Tanko — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:48:30 +0000

Blame the economy. Blame the health nuts. Blame fierce competition. McDonald’s new CEO has arrived, and he’s ready to play chicken with America’s favorite restaurant. As Don Thompson moves into his new role, he brings a game plan to shake up consumers perceptions of McDonalds. The main player in that game plan: chicken. Thanks to [...]

Hooters-Style Restaurants Thrive Despite The Bad Economy

Steve Tanko — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:32:04 +0000

Financial watchers are divided on how restaurants fare during a downturn in the economy. Some schools say that the food and restaurant industry is “bullet proof” – and that food is a necessity; Others say that going out to eat at a restaurant is a “disposable purchase” – one that people tend to cut back [...]

Food Service Employees Not Treated Well – As Washington Cites Job Growth In That Sector

Steve Tanko — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:10:13 +0000

Washington Insiders continue to boast about how well the economy is doing; One of the service areas that gets trumpeted as seeing growth is the restaurant and food industry. And while it’s true that there has been some growth there over the last few years, it comes at a price. Twenty million American employees work [...]

Is This How We Move Forward? Unemployment Numbers Jump Again

Steve Tanko — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 21:21:15 +0000

8.2%. That’s the newest unemployment number; Up – again – from last quarter. At the same time, GDP growth also slowed – from 3% to 1.9% – signs that our economy if far from being in a good spot. Financial observers note that any reported growth to employment has come from people actually giving up [...]

Sesame Street Layoffs; Second Round Claims A Dozen Staffers

Steve Tanko — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:59:21 +0000

How’s that economy working? A dozen staff members of the venerable PBS children’s show Sesame Street were layed-off yesterday. The cuts came from the New York City office. The recession also cost Sesame Street 60 employees in 2009. Officials from the Sesame Street Workshop – the official name for the company that produces the TV [...]

JCPenney's New Image Fails; Reports Large 1st Quarter Loss

Steve Tanko — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:44:14 +0000

Three months into JCPenney’s new, “improved” image reveals one thing: customers aren’t impressed. First Quarter numbers were recently posted, showing that the retailer was off by $163 million dollars. Just prior the end of Q4 in 2011, JCPenney rolled out a new marketing campaign in which they “did away with gimmicks”. One of those “gimmicks” [...]

Retail Sales Slow To A Crawl

Steve Tanko — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:16:53 +0000

Despite the rosy reports coming from Washington, it appears that retail sales have slowed down to a stand-still. The Commerce Department reported that retail sales figures grew only 0.1% in the the month of April – and forecasts for the summer aren’t looking any better. April’s 0.1% growth follows the 0.7% posting for March 2012. [...]

JCPenney's Morale Problem

Steve Tanko — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:06:53 +0000

Earlier this year, JCPenney rolled out their new look and approach to retail sales – with a reduced emphasis on “sales” and “clearance” and more of an up-scale feel to their operations. It was a direct effort to combat sluggish sales across the board in their stores. Last month, the company let almost 1,000 people [...]