Here are a few articles that caught my attention in the last few weeks, maybe even today.

First off, home prices. (Read below in the news briefs for more on the local news.) USA Today schooled me on a trend happening across the country with a story under this headline, “Even midsize cities are getting pricey, leading some buyers to smaller markets.” In recent months, conversations I’ve had with local business leaders have revolved around the need for housing that younger workers can afford. The article in USA Today says: “The 50 percent runup in U.S. home prices since 2011 is reshuffling the pecking order of hot housing markets. While many midsize metro areas that had been affordable, up-and-coming alternatives – such as Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh; and Salt Lake City – are still coveted by buyers, but their sales are declining or increasing more slowly amid sharply rising prices and shrinking supplies. Meanwhile, many smaller, more affordable markets – such as Boise, Idaho;  Dayton, Ohio; Greenville, South Carolina; and Winston-Salem – are benefiting from an influx of new residents and home sales that continue to climb.” Is Greater Des Moines poised to become one of those hot housing markets?

Next up, a story out of the Quad-City Times – this is a shorter read – on a trend in local retail: “In the age of Facebook swap sites, Q-C thrift stores find new ways to reach customers.” The bigger-picture retail scene has had a lot of upheaval this year, so this caught my attention as one way an Iowa business community was adapting.

The Corridor Business Journal talked with University of Iowa Community Credit Union President and CEO Jeff Disterhoft about the financial institution’s coming name change. 

If you are interested in experiencing augmented reality, check out this New York Times online story that features the horror of the Carr Wildfire in California using the technology. The 360-degree view of a melted children’s slide is haunting.