Ben Casselman

Are Long-Term Unemployed Taking Refuge in Disability?

blogs.wsj.com — The sharp rise in federal disability rolls in recent years has sparked worry that able-bodied workers are using the system to hide from the weak job market. But new research suggests those fears may be overblown. Some 8.9 million Americans were receiving federal disability payments in May, up 1.8 million, or 25%, since the recession began in 2007.

While housing and entertainment have boomed, office space in downtown KC sits empty

kansascity.com — The mantra behind the multibillion dollar makeover of downtown Kansas City the past decade was to make it a better place to work, live and play. With the addition of expensive amenities, more people have indeed come to live and play downtown. But when it comes to work, businesses remain unimpressed.

Forget Fed-Speak, Look for the Latest Growth View

online.wsj.com — The Outlook: Jon Hilsenrath and Phil Izzo write that the most important indicator from the Fed's meeting this week might be what it does with its often too-rosy growth outlook.

Covering the Cops

newyorker.com — In the newsroom of the Miami Herald, there is some disagreement about which of Edna Buchanan's first paragraphs stands as the classic Edna lead. I line up with the fried-chicken faction.

Quill: Generation J Toolbox

spj.org — Current Issue | Browse Archive | About Quill | Advertising Info Media Kit [PDF, 785 KB] | Back Issues | Reprint Permission Form | Pulliam/Kilgore Internship Info Thursday, June 06, 2013 Generation J Toolbox Follow the leaders By Jennifer Nicole Sullivan OK. I'm stumped. It's true.

Analysis: Fed Likely to Push Back on Market Expectations of Rate Increase

blogs.wsj.com — Federal Reserve officials have been trying to convince investors for weeks not to overreact when the central bank starts pulling back on its $85 billion-per-month bond-buying program. An adjustment in the program won't mean that it will end all at once, officials say, and even more importantly it won't mean that the Fed is anywhere near raising short-term interest rates.