http://www.record-eagle.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:08:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_351095024.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_351095024.html Elyse Boyd darts between tables and the cook's grill, delivers hot plates of breakfast to hungry diners, then pauses to take a sip of Mountain Dew behind the counter. It's a busy life for Boyd, 21, who works four jobs to help support her family, including her husband and 3-year-old daughter. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:32:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_350093030.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_350093030.html There was a time when Pat and Bob Pierce had a money cushion, a few dollars left over once the bills were stamped and sent. Those days are gone. Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:31:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_349101054.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_349101054.html Aza Drielts-Davis would work 60 hours a week if she could. But no one's offering that many hours these days, so she logs about 40 between shifts at Admiral Discount Tobacco and as a receptionist at Advanced Computer Solutions in Traverse City. Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:00:58 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_349101104.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_349101104.html Teenagers Alisha and Nicole Bowles are expert bargain hunters; they frequently clip coupons and shop at discount retailers and secondhand stores for everything from clothing to Christmas gifts. "Young girls at their age want their own money," their mother, Barb Vickers, said. "But they want to help." Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:00:57 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_349101109.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_349101109.html Children are not immune to the effects of an economic recession, even when parents try to shield them from discussions on family finances, an elementary school social worker said. Sun, 24 Aug 2008 09:52:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_237095116.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_237095116.html Instead of extras, Heather Pollington's daughters will return to school next week with just the basics. Some new supplies, a pair of shoes, jeans and a few shirts. There isn't room for much else. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:02:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_183095212.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_183095212.html Ken Homa can see the region's tattered economy wearing on the people his agency tries to assist during tough times. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:53:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_183095200.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_183095200.html Sometimes she wakes in the middle of the night and worries she's not a good mother. She listens as her children sleep nearby, their rhythmic breathing a small comfort, a hedge against anxiety and fear that threaten to overwhelm her. She listens to the night sounds so close, just outside the thin walls of a tent she and her children -- Mary, 17, Edward, 12, and Aimee, 4 -- call home. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:02:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182090034.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182090034.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:02:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182095549.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182095549.html The coolers inside John Rosa's liquor store and pizzeria are half empty. It's too expensive to restock. Outside, gas pumps are shut off, and stand as weathered remnants of a bygone era. For decades, Rosa's family made a living selling gas and repairing cars. That was then. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:01:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182095600.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182095600.html Leah Ferguson worked as a dishwasher at a local American Legion Post, then for a catering business and finally made restaurant stops at Mustard's and Trattoria Stella in Traverse City. The recent Traverse City Central grad has plenty of service industry experience, but now struggles to find a job. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:00:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182095607.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_182095607.html Bob Thalman is considering leaving Michigan to begin his career. He graduated in May from Cedarville University in Ohio with a degree in English and a passion for libraries. He has worked at the Traverse Area District Library since 2002, a job he holds today. But Thalman, 22, said Ohio is more "optimistic" than Michigan about library careers. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:09:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_181101051.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_181101051.html This story begins a three-day Record-Eagle series examines the lives of those caught in the grip of the failing state and national economies, and offers snapshot examples of how your friends, family, neighbors, and communities cope during bad times. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:08:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_181101137.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_181101137.html One northern Michigan man acknowledges he's guilty of the crime of poaching. But he said he illegally killed a deer only because of his lousy financial situation. "It's feeding your family," he said. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:08:00 +0000 http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_181101117.html http://www.record-eagle.com/economy/local_story_181101117.html Jan Nickerson doesn't mind walking to the Kingsley post office each day to make her public transit bus connection. The money she saves by riding instead of driving steered her to the bus nearly two years ago.