Among the jobless, an encouraging Labor Day story

As the economy continues to struggle, millions of Americans remain out of work on the one day set aside each year to honor the working man and woman. With the national jobless rate persistently topping nine percent and the number even higher in South Carolina, it can be easy for the unemployed to feel discouraged.

Until just a week ago, Don Ray of Myrtle Beach was among those long-term unemployed. But he is now among the few with an encouraging story to tell. Ray had been looking for full-time employment for more than a year, sending out scores of resumes and knocking on countless doors, until he was hired for a sales job at the hhgregg store in Myrtle Beach last week.

Continue »

Kiva City: Using Microloans To Revitalize Small Businesses In Struggling American Cities

Microfinance platform Kiva has proven many times over that people are willing to give $25 microloans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. Now the platform is bringing its microfinance savvy to small business owners in struggling areas of the U.S. with  Kiva City, a program launched this past June. The program has already proven successful in Detroit and New Orleans (the two launch cities), where 19 initial loans have been fulfilled by microlenders. That's over $135,000 in loans.

Continue »

August is First Month of Iraq War With No U.S. Military Deaths

August was the first month since the US-led invasion in 2003 that no US soldiers were killed in Iraq.
An independent group, icasualties.org, has displayed the statistics for August on its website, which tracks US fatalities in Iraq every month.

The 48,000 US troops still in Iraq will withdraw at the end of the year. Almost 4,500 US soldiers have died there.

Continue »