Posh Salvation Army Centers Sputter in Downturn

Pork suppliers told to phase out hog crates

(NEWSER) - McDonald's is winning praise from animal welfare groups for taking action to create a more humane McRib. The fast food giant has told its suppliers to come up with plans for ending the use of gestation crates for adult female hogs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Most breeding sows in the US spend their entire lives in the tiny pens, which are so small that they cannot turn around. McDonald's says it has decided the pens are "not a sustainable production system." More»

Columbus, Indiana, and Casper, Wyoming top employment list

(NEWSER) - Recession—that's a big-city thing, right? Several mid-size cities around the US are making an argument for their economic superiority, boasting job growth higher than the 1.5% national average in 2011. You may not know these cities well, but the Christian Science Monitor recommends them:

1. Columbus, Indiana: No, not Ohio's Columbus: Indiana's version had 10% growth from 2009 to 2010, making it the best economic rebounder during the Great Recession. Jobs are up 6.4%.

But most remain upbeat about their future: Pew survey

(NEWSER) - The economy is doing a number on those aged 18 to 34, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center :

• Half say they have taken a job they didn't want.
• More than a third have gone back to school because of the job market.
• Nearly a quarter have taken unpaid work to gain experience.
• About a quarter have moved back in with the folks.
• More than 1 in 5 have postponed having a baby, and about the same number have put off getting married.

'Risky' McBites ad pulled after outcry

(NEWSER) - Annoying America's dog owners is bad for business, McDonald's discovered after running an ill-conceived radio ad for its new Chicken McBites. The ad said eating McBites was less risky than naming your son Sue, giving friends your Facebook password—or petting a stray pit bull. The ad was pulled after a flood of complaints from enraged pit bull owners, AP reports. More»

Evangeline Lucca wasn't about to wait at McDonald's

(NEWSER) - It started with a mean Big Mac attack, and somehow ended along the lines of "don't Tase me, bro": A North Carolina woman shut down a McDonald's drive-thru for 20 minutes this week when she cut in line, reports the Fayetteville Observer . Seems Evangeline Lucca skipped past the order window, and got more than a little testy when employees refused to serve her. Cops were called, words were exchanged, and a Taser and second-degree trespass charges put an end to things. The kicker: Lucca apparently pulls this stunt frequently, and she had her 3-year-old daughter in the car with her. The child is in social workers' custody. More»