(Marita Madeloni of Madeloni Photography)

Sacramento Urban Farmer to Start Food Academy after Visit to Milan

South Sacramento urban farmer, Chanowk Yisrael, wants to see local food systems improve. Eight years ago, he started growing organic food for his family and eventually launched the Yisrael Family Urban Farm in Sacramento’s historic Oak Park neighborhood. Now, he’s expanding that vision to motivate Sacramento youth to become more engaged in changing our local food system — announcing today that he’ll be partnering with Slow Food Sacramento to charter the city’s first Food Academy.

Dec 10, 2015 Amber Stott
(Shutterstock)

Student Debt Can Hurt Women More Than Men

It will take women MBAs a year longer than men to pay back their student loans, according to our analysis of Bloomberg data, gleaned from our annual ranking of MBA programs.

Dec 10, 2015 Natalie Kitroeff & Jonathan Rodkin
(Shutterstock)

A Sour, Hard-to-Eat, Occasionally Deadly Fruit Makes a Comeback

Let’s face it. The grapefruit is cumbersome and often sour. Also, it can kill you. So of course Stewart and Lynda Resnick decided it will be their next celebrity plant product. The Californians and their company, the Wonderful Co., have made a lot of money turning unassuming agricultural commodities into well-known brands.

Dec 8, 2015 Lauren Etter

So, You Want To Be the Next Big Thing?

5 tips for launching a successful product

Sometimes, a real no-brainer, problem-solver of a product can crash and burn spectacularly upon entering the market. This isn’t limited to the Pepsi Clears of the world, where sheer ridiculousness doomed the idea from the start: According to Nielsen data, 85 percent of new consumer packaged goods will fail within two years. Marketing snafus, bad luck and timing aside, pitfalls in the process of product design are often to blame. Catching oneself before blundering into them takes a conscious effort, as several local designers and makers illustrate.

Dec 8, 2015 Andy Galloway
(Shutterstock)

California Debt Foe Campaigns to Block Billion-Dollar Bond Deals

Dino Cortopassi, who lives near Stockton, watched as the California city loaded up on debt for amenities like a waterfront ballpark, only to slash services after the community went bankrupt. So he’s spending $4 million in an effort to give the state’s voters more power to curb bond sales.

Dec 4, 2015 Romy Varghese
(Shutterstock)

I’m Exempt — What Does That Mean?

If you feel you're owed flexibility, you're wrong

I just started a new job where I am an exempt employee. When I started, I was asked to provide a “regular work schedule” that I selected as 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. When I inquired about coming in at 8:30 on Monday and Friday mornings, my employer said they didn’t favor that and as a new employee,  I didn’t feel comfortable pushing back. As an exempt employee, what are the rules about standard hours?

Dec 3, 2015 Suzanne Lucas
(Shutterstock)

Four Signs You Have a Dead-End Job

The balance of power in the workplace has begun to shift subtly from employers to employees, resulting in what the Harvard Business Review dubs a “candidate-driven” economy. That means if you’re a young professional unhappy with what you’re doing, you’re in a better position than ever to make a move.

Dec 3, 2015 Sarah Grant