With a circulation of nearly 2 million, USA TODAY is the most widely distributed newspaper in the nation. Its news section's cover story Tuesday was on how one "Wisconsin town (Manitowoc) reflects challenge in U.S. rebound."
USA TODAY, the Herald Times Reporter and 80 other community newspapers are owned by Gannett.
MANITOWOC — Business is picking up for retailer Renee Charlton in this small manufacturing city on Lake Michigan, but that may not be a good omen for residents. She sells secondhand clothes.
Residents who waved flags as President Barack Obama sped through their eastern Wisconsin community last month have been shopping at consignment and thrift shops out of necessity, says Charlton, owner of On Second Thought, which sells women's clothes, purses, shoes and jewelry. Her sales rose 20 percent in 2010.
She's glad to have the business, but concerned that middle-class folks in Manitowoc have yet to recover from the worst recession in decades, despite Obama's efforts during his first two years. Her 27-year-old son, a computer whiz, is a prime example: Unable to find full-time work, he has enrolled in a two-year criminal justice program at a nearby technical college.
"People are still cutting back," Charlton says. "They're still watching what they spend."
Manitowoc's struggles are a microcosm for much of the nation. As Obama promotes his proposed budget for 2012, the vast middle class he vowed to help during his 2008 presidential campaign is crawling — not bouncing — back.
Obama made helping the middle class the focus of his presidential race from the day he announced his candidacy on Feb. 10, 2007, in Springfield, Ill.
"As our economy changes, let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity," he said.
Ten days after coming to office, Obama created an interagency Middle Class Task Force and put Vice President Joe Biden in charge. It has acted as a think tank for economic policies and a sounding board for the public on topics ranging from education and training to workplace safety to retirement security.
USA TODAY, the Herald Times Reporter and 80 other community newspapers are owned by Gannett.
MANITOWOC — Business is picking up for retailer Renee Charlton in this small manufacturing city on Lake Michigan, but that may not be a good omen for residents. She sells secondhand clothes.
Residents who waved flags as President Barack Obama sped through their eastern Wisconsin community last month have been shopping at consignment and thrift shops out of necessity, says Charlton, owner of On Second Thought, which sells women's clothes, purses, shoes and jewelry. Her sales rose 20 percent in 2010.
She's glad to have the business, but concerned that middle-class folks in Manitowoc have yet to recover from the worst recession in decades, despite Obama's efforts during his first two years. Her 27-year-old son, a computer whiz, is a prime example: Unable to find full-time work, he has enrolled in a two-year criminal justice program at a nearby technical college.
"People are still cutting back," Charlton says. "They're still watching what they spend."
Manitowoc's struggles are a microcosm for much of the nation. As Obama promotes his proposed budget for 2012, the vast middle class he vowed to help during his 2008 presidential campaign is crawling — not bouncing — back.
Obama made helping the middle class the focus of his presidential race from the day he announced his candidacy on Feb. 10, 2007, in Springfield, Ill.
"As our economy changes, let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity," he said.
Ten days after coming to office, Obama created an interagency Middle Class Task Force and put Vice President Joe Biden in charge. It has acted as a think tank for economic policies and a sounding board for the public on topics ranging from education and training to workplace safety to retirement security.
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