Economy

June 5, 2006 - Last week, the North Carolina House voted 72 to 43 to boost the state's minimum wage by $1. The Senate had already voted for a dollar hike in its budget, and Gov. Mike Easley -- who originally supported only an 85 cent increase -- is now backing the full dollar raise for over 100,000 workers.

June 1, 2006 - The Durham, NC based Center for Responsible Lending has released a new study showing widespread discrimination against Blacks and Hispanics in the mortgage lending industry:

June 1, 2006 - The North Carolina State Treasurer intended to send a message to Exxon Mobile's board of directors:

May 25, 2006 - As many opponents of state run lotteries warned, revenue for North Carolina's lottery that are supposed to fund education may end up being used to offset general operating costs and reduce taxes:

May 24, 2006 - The Tennessee legislature will vote today on whether to boost the minimum wage, joining several others states (including North Carolina) seeking to shore up the federal wage floor which languished nationally since 1997.

April 24, 2006 - Most banks now offer "overdraft protection," a service typically packaged as a courtesy for consumers, a little extra benefit to help you out.

April 13, 2006 - A proposed Tennessee minimum wage increase was approved by the House Budget subcommittee. But there's a catch. According to a local newspaper report, the bill was amended to exclude restaurant workers who receive tips and part-time workers at movie theaters and "similar businesses". According to the article, Regal Cinema (based in Knoxville) had expressed concerns about the bill.

April 12, 2006 - Opponents of bringing the minimum wage in line with today's economy often say a wage hike will destroy small business. (They also argue that most businesses already pay higher wages anyway, an argument that completely contradicts the first point -- but I digress.)

April 11, 2006 - Good news from Little Rock. Gov. Mike Huckabee signed legislation raising the state minimum wage to $6.25 per hour effective October 1st.

February 24, 2006 - Each year, consumers lose $25 billion due to predatory mortgages, payday loans, and other lending abuses like overdraft loans, excessive credit card debt, and tax refund loans. These nefarious banking practices strip away wealth from low-income people and communities, and transfer them to powerful finance interests.