Business and Economic News

Xcel's new plan: Coal-free by 2030, nuclear until 2040
Xcel Energy said Monday it plans to shut its Minnesota coal plants, its last two in the Upper Midwest, a decade earlier than scheduled but seek a 10-year extension on its Monticello nuclear plant license.
Ford slashes 10 percent of its global salaried workforce
About 7,000 white-collar jobs are being eliminated as part of Ford's massive organizational restructuring. The automaker says it will save $600 million per year as a result.
America is in full employment, so why aren't we celebrating?
U.S. unemployment is at a nearly 50-year low. The jobless rate for Hispanics has never been lower. The past two years have been the best job market ever for African Americans. Shouldn't we be excited?
Brains and Losses: The bottom line on aging and financial vulnerability
Neuroscientists and gerontologists see evidence that people aging normally can become more vulnerable to financial exploitation. Marketplace's David Brancaccio and his team have identified fraud victims and their families who have been willing to tell their stories.
Documentary traces how Vietnamese-Americans developed the nail salon industry
If you got a manicure lately, chances are your nail salon was run by Vietnamese-American entrepreneurs. In "Nailed It," director Adele Free Pham investigates how refugees built a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Watch: Defunct steelmaker's 21-story headquarters imploded
Sixteen thousand tons of Bethlehem Steel collapsed in a matter of seconds Sunday as a demolition crew imploded Martin Tower, the defunct steelmaker's former world headquarters in Pennsylvania.
A big, hairy solution to restoring Minnesota's prairies
Bison will again roam a 170-acre swath of land at Belwin Conservancy near the Twin Cities this summer, where their presence benefits the restored tallgrass prairie.
Flooding disrupts barge traffic on the Mississippi River
Many of the locks and dams on the Mississippi that closed due to flooding that started in March have reopened, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn't expect the river to be fully unimpeded until possibly June.