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Fast-food workers and activists demonstrate outside a Chicago McDonald's in July in favor of a higher minimum wage. Illinois voters on Tuesday called on the state Legislature to approve a $10 minimum wage.

Fast-food workers and activists demonstrate outside a Chicago McDonald's in July in favor of a higher minimum wage. Illinois voters on Tuesday called on the state Legislature to approve a $10 minimum wage. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Scott Olson/Getty Images

Business

Thumbs Up For Higher Minimum Wages, And For Marijuana Industry

Voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota overwhelmingly approved minimum-wage hikes. Illinois voters approved a nonbinding wage-hike referendum. Recreational pot was approved in Oregon.

One proposed solution for New England's energy price spike problem: Importing more liquefied natural gas and feeding it into the pipeline network on the other side of the region's bottleneck.

One proposed solution for New England's energy price spike problem: Importing more liquefied natural gas and feeding it into the pipeline network on the other side of the region's bottleneck. Sam Evans-Brown/New Hampshire Public Radio hide caption

itoggle caption Sam Evans-Brown/New Hampshire Public Radio

Energy

New England Electricity Prices Spike As Gas Pipelines Lag NHPR

Consumers in the region are in for a shock this winter. Electricity rates there are set to jump as much as 50 percent for some customers as New England awaits the construction of more gas pipelines.

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A customer makes a purchase using Apple Pay on her iPhone 6 at a Walgreens store in Times Square last Monday. The mobile payment service has now been blocked by CVS and Rite Aid.

A customer makes a purchase using Apple Pay on her iPhone 6 at a Walgreens store in Times Square last Monday. The mobile payment service has now been blocked by CVS and Rite Aid. John Minchillo/AP Images for MasterCard hide caption

itoggle caption John Minchillo/AP Images for MasterCard

The Two-Way

CVS Pulls Apple Pay, And Many See A Fight Over Mobile Wallets

Rite Aid took the same step, leading many observers to note that the two companies are part of a group of retailers that's developing its own payment system, called CurrentC.

Candice Nelson fits her daughter Arya Kubesh with a Halloween hat at a store at Galleria Mall in Edina, Minn. Retailers are hoping Halloween will give them a good bounce into the peak spending time of the year.

Candice Nelson fits her daughter Arya Kubesh with a Halloween hat at a store at Galleria Mall in Edina, Minn. Retailers are hoping Halloween will give them a good bounce into the peak spending time of the year. Elizabeth Flores/MCT/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Elizabeth Flores/MCT/Landov

Business

Halloween-Thanksgiving-Hanukkah-Christmas-New-Year Buying Begins

Most retailers are feeling optimistic as analysts forecast rising sales over this long shopping season. They are hoping Halloween will give them a good bounce into the peak spending time of the year.

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Stocks took a beating, with key indexes falling more than 2 percent before bouncing back slightly.

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Stocks took a beating, with key indexes falling more than 2 percent before bouncing back slightly. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Economy

Turmoil Continues In Financial Markets As Dow Plunges

Stocks took a beating on Wednesday, with the Dow and the S&P 500 falling more than 2 percent before bouncing back slightly. Money flowed into safe haven investments such as U.S. Treasuries.

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By this time next year, U.S consumer are likely to be using credit cards with electronic chips, like these in Germany. But such cards are expected to stop only 60 percent of fraud, prompting a retailers' spokesman to call them the "not-so-smart card."

By this time next year, U.S consumer are likely to be using credit cards with electronic chips, like these in Germany. But such cards are expected to stop only 60 percent of fraud, prompting a retailers' spokesman to call them the "not-so-smart card." Martin Meissner/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Martin Meissner/AP

The Holidays Bring A New Season For Credit Card Breaches WSHU

Shoppers are heading into the heavy-spending season with no new credit safeguards in place. Experts say it'll be at least another year before the U.S. system moves beyond technology from the 1970s.

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Kmart says it has removed malware that had infected its checkout registers in stores. The company believes the malware may have been in place for about a month before it was detected.

Kmart says it has removed malware that had infected its checkout registers in stores. The company believes the malware may have been in place for about a month before it was detected. Rachel Murray/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Rachel Murray/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Kmart Says Its Store Registers Were Hacked, Exposing Credit Cards

The Sears-owned company says it removed the malware after it was discovered Thursday. It announced the exposure late Friday, saying no personal data or PIN numbers were lost.

During the recession, middle-class and poor Americans gave more of their incomes to charity organizations than did the wealthy, according to a new study.

During the recession, middle-class and poor Americans gave more of their incomes to charity organizations than did the wealthy, according to a new study. iStockphoto hide caption

itoggle caption iStockphoto

The Two-Way

Some Americans Boosted Charitable Giving In Recession; The Rich Did Not

As times got tough, America's less-wealthy citizens grew more generous, according to a new study. But people making at least $200,000 a year cut the portion of their incomes they gave to charity.