A layoff and other recession hardships were no match for Elizabeth Wilson’s fairytale wedding plans. In addition to other homespun moneysavers, Wilson spent a week in Pacheco, Calif. learning and using the art of letterpressing invitations for free from aficionado Robert Johnson.

Starting a business at any time is scary and, of course, it’s even scarier in today’s economy. More than half of US startups fail within five years. Rather than run from the topic, hundreds of business owners and investors decided to dwell on their own failures at a conference in San Francisco.

Homicide data for Richmond reveals some stark facts: Gun violence accounts for almost all deaths, less than a third of the crimes have been solved, over half of the homicides occurred over the summer and the victims are disproportionately under the age of 30.