(CBS News) STERLING, Ky. - Two American service members were killed Friday by enemy rockets in Afghanistan. Here at home, it is all too easy to forget about the war -- and the sacrifice of Americans in uniform and their families. But there is a man determined to make sure our fallen heroes get the final salute they deserve. CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman met him, "On the Road." If you only knew Private First Class Dustin Gross, or his family -- or even if you just grew up in this same small Kentucky town -- you'd be here too. But what if you didn't know Dustin at all? What if all you knew about him was that he was an Army soldier killed in ... Continue reading →

RAWR!meansI love you in Dinosaur! How cute and sweet!!!!YOUR SIGN MADE YOUR WAY!!! Most every sign I made is custom made to the owner specifications! Don't pass up the opportunity to have the exact sign you are looking for!Size: 11x11 (third picture show the sign next to an iPhone)Color: Espresso on green appleDon't like the colors? Don't like the saying? Message me and we can design a new one just for you. No extra charge!This is a one of a kind custom piece. This sign was custom designed, painted and distressed by me. All paint, no vinyl used. The edges can be routed for a nice finished look or left plain for a more aged look. All wood has natural dents, dings, knots, I take ... Continue reading →

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Wanxiang will take a $420 million minority stake in GreatPoint, one of the largest investments by a Chinese company in an American firm financed by venture capital, according to Ernst & Young, a Big Four accounting firm that tracks such deals.The partnership is a coup for GreatPoint Energy, which expects to add about 650 jobs in the United States over the next several years, including several dozen in Massachusetts, where its research and development is centered. It is also another sign of how aggressively China is pursuing new energy technologies - and finding Massachusetts a good place to shop.Westborough battery maker Boston-Power Inc., for example, last year attracted $155 million in Chinese government and private investment to build a factory outside of Shanghai to make ... Continue reading →

The Best Name In Public Radio: Mandalit del Barco Congratulations, Mandalit del Barco, correspondent, national desk, NPR West. Our very important competition has determined yours to be the singular Best Name In Public Radio. You must have a lot of Facebook friends or something because you turned in a handy whooping against your colleague Yuki Noguchi. Mandalit del Barco – 89% Yuki Noguchi – 11% I’m still a little surprised Douali Xaykaothao exited the competition as early as she did. Still, I can see the appeal of Mandalit del Barco. Lots of syllables but rolls of the tongue easily. Sounds exotic and comfortable at the same time. And most important, it’s not Andrew Miller. (He’s a great guy, though.) Unfortunately, there’s no prize to be ... Continue reading →

Kirsner’s Innovation Economy column appears in the Boston Sunday Globe, and excerpts from his blog appear on Mondays. Continue reading →

The size of the average ratepayer’s monthly electric bill in Massachusetts has shrunk to a six-year low, as utilities reduce rates because falling natural gas prices have made it cheaper to produce power, state energy officials said Thursday. State data shows that, on average, the residential utility customer is now paying about $112 a month for electricity, down roughly 25 percent since 2006 when they were paying about $150 a month. The savings come as natural gas prices hover around their lowest point in about a decade. On Wednesday, natural gas closed just below $2.62 per million British thermal units, down almost 40 percent in the last 12 months. Earlier this week, state utility regulators approved a nearly 16 percent decrease in electric rates for ... Continue reading →

Dozens of employees were kept from work at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Wednesday as union officials and representatives for the power plant’s owner remained at an impasse following all-night negotiations over a new contract. Pilgrim’s owner, Louisiana-based Entergy Corp., has been in talks with the Utility Workers Union of America Local 369 for more than a month, but the two sides have repeatedly deadlocked over health care, safety, and staffing issues. The union represents 380 Pilgrim employees, about 90 percent of the plant’s workforce. Union officials on Wednesday characterized Entergy’s actions as a lockout, saying the company turned away an estimated 100 to 150 employees with little notice Wednesday. “We showed up to work this morning and they picked and chose who could go ... Continue reading →