Many people invest in mutual funds offered by large investment companies. The funds are sold by brokers who receive a commission on the funds they sell. A study has shown that some brokers push funds that give them the highest commissions regardless of the performance of the fund.
     Look into this situation by searching consumer and business publications. Write a 250-300 word item for your column on consumer matters.

     Gather information for a feature on the history of labor in your community and region.
     Some cities were created by the arrival of the railroad; some were located along harbors. Some grew near mines and farmlands, and in some of these workplaces child labor was exploited. Mines hired boys to do menial chores, and children were employed in cotton fields, children like 5-year-old Edith shown in this photo posing with her cotton sack in H.M. Lane's field in Bells, Texas. Edith's aunt says proudly, "Edith's a good steady picker. Works all day long."
     Photographs like this one and the work of public service journalists led to federal legislation protecting children from exploitation in the workplace.