Posts

Landowners in Tennessee have filed a $165 million lawsuit against the Tennessee Valley Authority over the spill of millions of gallons of coal ash sludge from a TVA plant near Knoxville. The December 22 spill “created a tidal wave of water and ash which destroyed several homes and ruptured a major gas line in a neighborhood located adjacent to the plant,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The $165M lawsuit was filed Tuesday by developers who claim that the coal ash sludge spill caused a number of home sales to fall through, according to CNN....

Twenty-two arrest warrants have been issued in connection with an alleged hazing death of a freshman at Northern Illinois University. Prosecutors believe that the NIU frat hazing killed 19-year-old David Bogenberger. In November, Bogenberger was found dead at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house near NIU’s DeKalb campus. Toxicology tests showed the freshman had a blood-alcohol concentration about five times the legal limit for driving, reports Chicago’s WMAQ-TV. While cardiac arrhythmia is listed as the official cause of death, police believe that alcohol intoxication was a significant factor....

Weddings are supposed to be joyous affairs–not fighting affairs. Angela Davito and her new husband clearly didn’t get the memo. Upset that uninvited guests were dancing provocatively with his new bride, the groom initiated an all out rumble during the Arizona couple’s reception. Not only does this story involve pepper spray, a kick to the groin, and a hysterical woman, it includes a tale of an Arizona bride fighting with a pregnant guest....

In the ongoing saga of uncoupling Brangelina, Brad Pitt won a key visitation battle. A judge ruled that Angelina Jolie must allow Pitt visitation with their six kids: four hours of custody every other school day, and 12 hours every other non-school day. Hopefully those children travel light because that is a lot of back-and-forth action on a daily basis. Jolie has been rumored to be withholding the kids from Pitt, and the judge declared he will not sign off on a permanent arrangement until Pitt and his children have time together....

Brittany Murphy’s mother has filed a lawsuit claiming that toxic mold is responsible for the actress’ pneumonia-related death. Though the coroner did not find mold during the autopsy, the presence of mold in her house was never disconfirmed. Though it’s just a theory, the story still has some wondering whether toxic mold can kill you. You might be happy to know that such deaths, if they do occur, are rare....

The FDA is targeting orange juice for fungicide testing. Officials say that they received notice from a juice company that it detected low-levels of carbendazim in its juice. The company also said it detected levels in a competitor’s product. Fungicide is used on produce to kill fungi and fungal spores. Carbendazim is not approved in the U.S., according to the AP. It is, however, used abroad including in Brazil. Brazil exports juice to the states....

A new tax scam on the Internet is luring taxpayers into filing tax information on a site masquerading as a member of the Free File Alliance. As a result, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reminding taxpayers that the only place to access the Free File program is through the official IRS.gov Web Site. According to the IRS Announcement, these fraudulent web sites may accept tax information from taxpayers, then change the taxpayers’ bank account numbers to their own before filing the return through a legitimate Free File partner....

It’s a good gig if you can land it. As we have reported previously: Proposition 19 would not legalize driving while high. It would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. However, Trutanich believes that if the drug is legalized there will be more stoned drivers on the road. Trutanich recruited California police agencies and the California Highway Patrol to observe drivers who were high on marijuana to compare their behavior against that of drunk drivers....

When Lady Gaga went after fansite LadyGaga.org last month, some were confused. But the pop star continued with her fight to shutter the site, and now she has lost. The National Arbitration Forum ruled on the LadyGaga.org complaint last week, finding in favor of webmaster Miranda. A panel of arbitrators decided that the noncommercial fansite does not violate Lady Gaga’s trademark. Can Gaga now go to court? And why didn’t she file a lawsuit in the first place?...

Mattel Inc. and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have announced a recall of about 800,000 toys due to the potential hazard of excessive amounts of lead in surface paint on the toys. Tuesday’s recall announcement involves about 675,000 “Barbie” accessory toys, 8,900 “Bongo Band” toys, and 90,000 “Geo Trax Locomotive” toys. Mattel Inc. states that it has received no reports of illness or injury associated with the recalled toys, but the company is urging consumers to immediately take any recalled toys away from children, and to contact Mattel for information on returning the product and receiving a free replacement toy....

Michael Jackson never did anything like the average citizen. It makes sense then that the doctor charged in his death would also get unique treatment in court. Dr. Conrad Murray served as Jackson’s personal physician to the hefty price tag of $150,000 a month. His court hearing scheduled for tomorrow, which normally lasts 1 day with 2 witnesses, could feature as many as 35 witnesses and last 2 weeks. No real surprise there....

BMW announced a worldwide Mini recall, citing a familiar fault that could potentially spark engine fires. BMW’s Mini recall affects more than 235,000 vehicles worldwide, including about 89,000 Mini Coopers in the United States, Motor Trend reports. The recalled Minis are equipped with a turbocharged 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine, according to Motor Trend. BMW blames a computer circuit board that controls the turbocharger cooling system. If the circuit board fails, the water pump can start to smolder, according to CNN....

Choking is no joking matter. It is the third leading cause of death in American homes. Most of us have been eating for decades and have gotten a lot of practice at it! But that’s why they call it an accident – an unfortunate and unplanned event. But is it? Here are the three most common choking food challenges for adults. If you’re concerned about a choking hazard, perhaps consider cutting these out, or at least limiting them in certain situations where the risk of choking is higher or if your ability to deal with a choking hazard is compromised....

Singer-guitarist Peter Frampton was hurt in a car accident on a Southern California highway, and claims a driver sending text messages was at fault. Frampton says he suffers some neck and back pain and plans on visiting the ER. After the accident, Frampton took to Twitter and blamed the collision on another driver. The 62-year-old rocker says he was sitting in stationary traffic on the highway when a “texting woman driver” ran into the back of him....

Fans of the artist Prince were delighted with the recent announcement that a new posthumous album, named after the title track, ‘Deliverance,’ was being released. The unexpected surprise album was all set to release this Friday, on the one year anniversary of Prince’s death. Unfortunately for fans, the album’s producer, Prince’s former sound engineer, will not be able to drop the album on time, or maybe ever at all, thanks to a federal court order....

Holy Randy Quaid arrest! The Batman and Robin of crime commission (as opposed to crime prevention) have struck again. Randy and Evi Quaid were arrested this past weekend for allegedly squatting in the guest house of a property in Montecito, Ca. that they used to own. Their defense? They thought they still owned it. That would surely explain why they were hanging in the guest house while some interlopers redecorated and made themselves comfortable in the main building....

Tax season is upon us and the scams are everywhere. So if you’re in need of a refund anticipation loan, you might want to reconsider your options. A refund anticipation loan, or refund loan, is like a pay day loan in that it is secured by your tax refund, and, for the price of exorbitant fees and interest rates as high as 600%, you can have your money immediately. Otherwise, you just wait eight to fifteen days for the IRS to issue you a check....

With convicted Ponzi-scheming hubby Bernard “Bernie” Madoff behind bars for the rest of his life, and the government in possession of all but $2.5 million of the couple’s cash, U.S. District Judge Denny Chin approved the return of Ruth Madoff’s passport. Just where will she go? Stylish European cities, quaint French villages, or Lichtenstein (said to make more dentures than any other country)? The beaches of Saint-Tropez, Cozumel, or Tahiti?...

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an independent safety group, has released its top picks for the safest used cars for teens. The group is known for its yearly Top Safety Pick list, ranking the safety of new cars. But after a phone survey revealed that 83 percent of parents who bought a car for their teen bought a used vehicle, the group decided to compile a list of the safest, most affordable used vehicles for teens....

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer is asking for a federal inquiry into a growing number of reports that debt collectors are attempting to “shake down” surviving spouses and children of deceased credit card debtors, even when those family members are under no legal obligation to pay off the debt of their deceased loved ones. The Democratic Senator from New York sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week, citing several recent media reports of companies that “call surviving relatives, often shortly after the death of a loved one, to coax or cajole them into making payments on the deceased relative’s credit card....