Gift Returns Made Easy With 5 Simple Tips

You are going to get some great deals over Thanksgiving weekend, but there’s no guarantee your gifts will go over well with everyone. Here are five tips to make sure your presents will be presentable for returns and exchanges. 1. Keep your receipts. As most everyone knows, the majority of retailers require a receipt for a refund, as proof of your purchase. It’s also a good idea to keep the original box and other packaging – even the shopping bag – in case a store clerk gets suspicious or extra picky, AARP money specialist Ron Burley says....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 414 words · Jacqueline Linares

Health Warnings On Hot Dogs

A cancer group has sued some of the biggest hot dog producers in the country, seeking to force them to put warning labels on their dogs. The group contends that just like cigarette companies must warn about the health effects of their product, hot dog companies should be forced to warn about the cancer increasing effects of processed meat. According to the AP, the Cancer Project’s suit is aimed at Kraft Foods (who makes Oscan Meyer dogs), Sara Lee, Nathan’s Famous and the makers of Hebrew National and Sabrett brands....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 423 words · Marvin Ramsey

Instacart Settles Worker Rights Class Action Lawsuit For 4 6M

A common trend amongst the sharing economy employers is to avoid the legal complications of having a regular workforce. However, avoiding legal complications often results in legal battles. Fortunately, for Instacart, the class action that could have potentially reclassified their workforce from independent contractors to employees has settled without upsetting the burgeoning app’s status quo. The Instacart workers were seeking relief for numerous alleged violations of labor codes, including a failure to reimburse expenses, tip pooling, and a lack of a grievance procedure when a worker is deactivated....

October 10, 2022 · 3 min · 451 words · Brandon Redman

Jetblue Pilot Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity

JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon was found not guilty by reason of insanity for disrupting a flight he was supposed to be captaining. Earlier this year, the 12-year veteran JetBlue pilot lost it on a flight from New York to Las Vegas. He reportedly left the cockpit and began running up the aisles screaming about a bomb being on board. His co-pilot had to lock him out of the cockpit and ask passengers to restrain the pilot....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 359 words · Janet Poland

Judge Lohan Violated Alcohol Monitor Doubles Bail Amount

A judge determined that Lindsay Lohan violated terms of her release from the results of a court-ordered alcohol monitor and doubled the actress’ bail to $200,000. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel did not reveal the exact details of the alcohol related violation, the Associated Press reports. As previously discussed, Lohan appeared at the MTV awards recently when the alcohol monitoring bracelet alarm went off, alerting the device maker monitoring company....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 265 words · Richard Rainey

Lies And Crime What Are False Pretense Laws

Remember when your parents told you you would get in less trouble if you just told the truth? Or the phrase, “the cover-up is worse than the crime?” There are many instances where lying makes a bad situation worse, and the criminal justice system is no different. Take theft, for instance – taking someone else’s property without permission. Theft can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on how much you stole....

October 10, 2022 · 3 min · 474 words · Cathy Gomez

Sf Bus Bashing Joke Leads To Facebook Threats

A man pretending to be the infamous San Francisco bus vandal ended up getting threats on his Facebook page. After the San Francisco Giants defeated the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, a group of stupid fans decided to vandalize the city. One particular vandal was caught on camera destroying a SF Muni bus by throwing what appears to be a steel ladder through the bus windshield. San Francisco resident Tony Lukezic noticed an uncanny resemblance to the bus vandal and decided to use that picture as his Facebook profile picture, reports Wired....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 353 words · Nicole Beck

Snoop Dogg Arrested For Pot In Same Tx Town As Willie Nelson

What do Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson have in common? They’ve both been arrested in the same small west Texas town over marijuana. Snoop Dogg’s latest pot bust took place at a border patrol checkpoint in tiny Sierra Blanca, Texas. A drug-sniffing dog reportedly smelled out the presence of weed. Authorities found several joints in a prescription bottle in a trash can in the back of Snoop’s bus. The rapper claimed ownership of the marijuana, according to the New York Daily News....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 366 words · Deborah Soria

Study Airline Passenger Complaints On Rise

Results from the 18th annual Airline Quality Rating Report released today show that the top three air carriers for passenger satisfaction in 2007 were Air Tran, Jet Blue, and Southwest Airlines – based on criteria including on-time arrivals, baggage handling, customer complaints, and boarding denials. The Associated Press reports that “overall the industry did a poor job last year,” with “more lost bags, more bumped passengers, more consumer complaints and fewer on-time flights than in the previous year....

October 10, 2022 · 1 min · 162 words · Louise Kim

Supreme Ct Nuns Can Skip Obamacare Form Pending Mandate Appeal

The nuns behind the Little Sisters of the Poor got a partial win on Friday, as the full U.S. Supreme Court ruled that they can avoid official government forms to sidestep Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate. In a page-long order, the High Court blocked the government from enforcing the contraceptive mandate against the objecting non-profit. The order also allowed the Sisters to send a letter declaring themselves to be a non-profit with religious objections rather than use the official government form....

October 10, 2022 · 3 min · 431 words · Curtis Gonsalves

Textaholics Can Now Text 911 With Their Emergency

Some cell phone users will soon be able to send text messages to 911, in a service that will be the first of its kind in the United States. Verizon Wireless announced it’s set to launch a text-to-911 service in select areas of the country later this year, Phoenix’s KPHO-TV reports. “It’s a new way for people to communicate in times of need,” a Verizon spokesman said. It may be new in America, but the UK already has such a system, called EmergencySMS....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 386 words · Abel Dunn

Top 5 Legal Lies From Htgawm S1 E6 Freakin Whack A Mole

“How To Get Away With Murder” keeps ramping up the intensity, but is it losing touch with that other thing… you know… the law? We’ll run down the top five flat-out legal lies in Episode 6, “Freakin’ Whack-a-Mole,” but first: a tweetable recap for anyone who missed the latest installment. #HTGAWM in 140 Characters: Wes extorts Annalise to help drug girl. Death penalty habeas appeal. Asher gets trophy by selling out judge dad and sleeps w/ frosty Bonnie....

October 10, 2022 · 3 min · 546 words · James Sullivan

Uber Settles Lawsuit Over Driver Background Checks

Uber claims its background checks on potential drivers are the most comprehensive in the industry. Turns out that’s not exactly true. And it’s gonna cost ridesharing company $10 million. This week Uber settled a lawsuit filed by San Francisco and Los Angeles prosecutors over the quality of its criminal screening for drivers, and may have to pay more if it doesn’t institute new background check procedures. So what was Uber doing, and what does it need to do now?...

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 403 words · Bryon Harris

Virginia Man Gets Married 3 Times Gets Arrested For Bigamy

In what appears to be a case more about a divorce misunderstanding than an episode of Sister Wives, a Virginia man has been arrested for having multiple wives without ever getting divorced. Frank Ernest Blake, Jr. was charged with two counts of bigamy and two counts of forgery, the latter for forging marriage licenses by giving false information about his previous marital status. And now he’s looking at quite a bit of prison time....

October 10, 2022 · 3 min · 466 words · Amanda Gage

Was Your Email Among Millions Exposed In Epsilon Data Breach

If you recently received an email from a company you do business with, your information may have been stolen as part of the Epsilon data breach. Epsilon is a marketing company that manages e-mail lists for a variety of large companies, such as Target, Kroger, Marriot, Best Buy and a host of banks. Last week, hackers broken into their system, stealing potentially millions of email addresses, opening up customers to e-mail phishing scams....

October 10, 2022 · 2 min · 356 words · Micheal Dorch

Why Did The Fbi Bug An Oakland Courthouse

Last week, the East Bay Express broke news that federal agents placed an array of audio and video surveillances devices in and around the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Alameda County, California. The extent of the surveillance was only revealed after evidence gleaned from recordings was used against a criminal defendant. While it seems clear that the FBI did not have a warrant for the surveillance, what’s less clear is how many people were recorded, how many conversations were taped, and whether any of this was legal....

October 10, 2022 · 3 min · 508 words · Mariano Nagura

2Nd Miramonte Elementary Teacher Arrested For Child Abuse

A second Miramonte Elementary teacher has been arrested days for child abuse days after Mark Berndt’s arrest. Now Martin Bernard Springer, 49, was arrested on suspicion that he fondled two girls. Berndt’s arrest shocked Los Angeles after charges he made children play a “tasting game” with his semen while blindfolded. Springer, meanwhile, allegedly touched two girls. One was 7 and the other 8. The incidents took place sometime during the last three years, reports USA Today....

October 9, 2022 · 2 min · 335 words · Melissa Kulesa

7 Car Crash Leads To 6 Dui Arrests

An ugly seven-car crash in Georgia over the July Fourth weekend led to six DUI arrests and sent two people to the hospital with serious injuries. The chain-reaction crash occurred on Interstate 75 south of Atlanta about 4 a.m. Friday. Southbound lanes were blocked for six hours. No one was killed, but five of the seven drivers have been charged with DUI, Atlanta’s WSB-TV reports. A sixth driver will also face DUI charges after he’s released from the hospital....

October 9, 2022 · 3 min · 438 words · Robert Burns

Bpa Study It S Not Just For Bottles Anymore

A new BPA study has safety advocates clamoring for a greater look into the exposure to BPA through canned food. Bisphenol A, or BPA is a chemical used to make plastics. It has been found in baby bottles, water bottles, and other plastic containers. BPA is also used in the lining on the inside of metal cans, which gave rise to the recent study. The Senate may debate BPA in a food safety bill early next month....

October 9, 2022 · 2 min · 425 words · Helena Mercado

Can You Refuse To Identify Yourself To Police Officers

When police ask you to identify yourself, what are your legal options? In the most practical sense, refusing to identify yourself seems like a surefire way to get on a cop’s bad side. Just ask “Django Unchained” actress Daniele Watts, who was cuffed on Thursday after refusing to identify herself to the LAPD (she was not arrested, however). It may seem like a small distinction, but there’s a big legal difference between refusing to give a police officer a driver’s license or ID card and identifying yourself....

October 9, 2022 · 3 min · 452 words · David Petzold