Credit Option or Debt Trap?
Missouri is fertile ground for payday lenders. With some of the loosest regulations in the nation, it’s among the states with the most payday lending stores per capita. Now, the payday lending industry in Missouri is fighting for its life, as activists aim for the November ballot to try to rein in these lenders they say trap the working poor in a cycle of debt.
Mormons Returning After Extermination Order
Ever since Mormon prophet and founder Joseph Smith revealed the Book of Mormon in 1830, his followers have struggled for acceptance. If you want to understand the “why” behind this rocky relationship, the rolling farmland of northwest Missouri might be the best place to start — the birthplace of the human race, according to Joseph Smith, and the place where Christ will first step down in the second coming.
Marathon Gets Joplin Back On Its Feet
In Joplin, Missouri, runners are gearing up for the city’s second annual marathon tomorrow. Some local runners say having a goal to shoot for helped them carry on, after they lost everything in last May’s devastating tornado.
George Who?
BBC presenter Matt Frei asks why so many Americans fetishize their own history – and why so many others can’t even name the Vice President. Jacob Fenston hits the streets of DC to find out what Americans know about history and current events.
Catholic University Phases Out Co-Ed Dorms
At colleges across the country, some 90 percent of student housing is now coed. Notre Dame and Brigham Young are among the universities that never followed that trend and stuck with single-sex housing. Now the Catholic University of America thinks that’s the way to go. The Washington, DC school is turning back the clock and returning to single-sex dorms. As Jacob Fenston reports, the university is fighting back against what it perceives is a culture of drinking and casual sex.
Bikeshare Program Rides High In D.C.
For bicyclists, it’s a spring ritual: dust off the old bike after a long winter stored in the garage. But in some cities, you no longer have to own a bike to ride one. Bike-sharing schemes are a fixture across Europe. But now they are taking root on American soil. Jacob Fenston reports on the nation’s largest bike-share system, in Washington DC.
Mobile Payments Challenge Credit Cards
Over the past decade, Americans have been writing fewer checks and using more plastic. But now, some analysts are predicting an end for the credit card too. Who’s the giant-killer capable of one day taking down Visa and Mastercard? As Jacob Fenston reports, it could be your smartphone.
Smartphone Banking On The Rise, But Is It Safe?
Not only can you update your Facebook status on your smartphone — you can also manage your bank account. But security experts warn that as more people bank by phone, more criminals will can steal by phone. Jacob Fenston has the story.
Halloween Goes High-Tech
Halloween has always sparked creativity: white sheets become ghosts, front lawns become graveyards. But these days, the holiday is going high-tech. Jacob Fenston has more.
4th Grade Text Sparks Civil War Debate
The Civil War has been over for 145 years, but in Virginia, the battles rage on. This week’s fight was over a 4th grade text book. It claims that thousands of black soldiers joined the Confederate army. As Jacob Fenston reports, the controversy has called into question the way that Virginia approves text books.