Two Minute Tips

Local & Small Business

Total Halloween spending was expected to reach $8.4 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation. ("Jack" image by Jason OX4 via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)

10 Halloween business trends to jumpstart a story

Costume shops and vintage clothing retailers obviously get a surge in foot traffic as Halloween approaches. But they aren’t the only businesses to benefit from this holiday. Halloween creep Each

Percent of Balance 90+ Days Delinquent by Loan Type (Source: New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel/Eaquifax)

Covering household debt in your community

After the shock of the financial crisis, Americans began weaning themselves off plastic. In each of the 19 consecutive quarters since 2008, however, debt has been nudging its way back

Amy Wu joins a panel of journalists who discuss the importance of local journalism. (Image courtesy Amy Wu)

Explaining community news to your community

I was recently tapped by the Democratic Women of Monterey County (DWMC) to join their panel of community journalists on “Reporting in the Age of Trump.” I swiftly accepted the

Bride and groom wearing Converse sneakers

New wedding business trends

As newlyweds and their guests gear up for the spring and summer wedding season, wedding planners and related businesses are also looking for creative ways to tap into this lucrative

LGBT-owned business: Stats and facts

LGBT-owned businesses can be a valuable topic for business reporters. While employee diversity has made headlines for years, stories on businesses that self-identify as being lesbian-, gay-, bisexual- or transgender-owned

Community libraries have plenty of money stories waiting in the stacks. (Image by "thumpchgo" via pixabay)

Finding the money stories in your local library

Libraries are a vital part of many communities, even in the digital age. Between 2002 and 2012, public libraries’ total revenue increased 7.2 percent. With new funding streams such as partnerships

Story ideas for your local Thanksgiving coverage

In the past, we’ve written about how useful the Census Bureau’s “Facts for Features” can be for generating topical business stories. With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s a good time

Community reporting: Focus on expenditures

Proximity to city hall seems as though it would mean easy access to much needed information. But being a reporter in small town USA doesn’t necessarily come with immediate entrée to essential data

Theresa May revealed the timeline for Britain's exit from the European Union. (Photo via pixabay.com)

How business reporters can localize Brexit

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, has announced her government will formally begin negotiating its exit from the European Union no later than March. Financial markets panicked and

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