U.S. town creates local currency to boost coronavirus relief

U.S. town creates local currency to boost coronavirus relief

"Tucked away under lock and key in a former railroad depot turned small-town museum in the U.S. state of Washington, a wooden printing press cranked back to life to mint currency after nearly 90 dormant years. The end product: $25 wooden bills bearing the town's name - Tenino - with the words "COVID Relief" superimposed on the image of a bat and the Latin phrase "Habemus autem sub potestate" (We have it under control) printed in cursive. With the coronavirus pandemic plunging the United States into a recession, decimating small businesses and causing job losses across the country, some local governments are looking for innovative ways to help residents weather the storm. For Tenino, the answer was the revival of the local currency that had bolstered the town's economy in 1931 in the wake of the Great Depression."

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