NEW ULM, Minn. -- At the Country Loft gift shop, customers buying homemade fudge or a porcelain doll will come away with something more: cash back on a card to use for more shopping and a good feeling about supporting a charity and their local economy.

During challenging economic times, running any business can be tough, but running a nonprofit can be especially difficult. I asked Cathy Lanyard, executive director of the American Friends of ALYN (a nonprofit that supports one of the world's leading chi

President Bush says those rebate checks are going to help move the economy along. Retailers are working on their own economic stimulus plans - coaxing people to use those rebate checks with special discounts and targeted promotions.

A local veterinary practice is offering free eye exams as a service to dogs that serve the public. On May 14, National Service Dog Eye Exam Day, the Veterinary Specialists of Rochester are offering the exams to seeing eye dogs, police dogs and any other d

In its 10 years as an annual downtown event, the Sarasota Reading Festival attracted thousands of bibliophiles, local authors and those still learning to read.