Beware of beetles! Most people don’t order salads with a side of beetles, but some are getting them regardless. Consumerist recently reported that several consumers have found Iron Cross Blister Beetles in packaged organic salads. Yuck! What do you do if a bug of any kind makes an appearance in your food? Iron Cross Blister Beetles Most of the time, bugs and other foreign objects in food are gross but usually harmless....
As the saying goes, “when it comes to human beings, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.” But can pop psychology mantras be maxims of law in criminal courts? Can evidence of past crimes, even far off or juvenile offenses, be used against you in a new case? It’s a broad question, and one that can only be answered with a few specifics, additional circumstances, and, of course, some caveats....
Who would’ve thunk it? Jenelle Evans – arrested again. And for the second time in one week! The Teen Mom 2 star was booked into North Carolina’s Brunswick County jail Monday evening and charged with violating a domestic violence protection order. Unable to post bond, she’s apparently still behind bars. Few additional details have been released, but it’s quite possible that the violation involves Evan’s ex-roommate, Hannah Inman. Last week, Jenelle Evans was arrested for allegedly making harassing and threatening phone calls to Inman....
When it comes to pranks, the law does not joke around. While many pranks can be chalked up to kids being kids, when practical jokes cause damage to property, or worse, injuries, then police tend to get involved. However, property damage and injuries aren’t the only things that push pranks over the line of what’s legally permissible. In fact, most pranks minimally cause the prankster to be exposed to civil liability for damages, on top of the criminal liability....
Apple is set to refund at least $32.5 million to customers whose children purchased apps without adequate parental consent. It’s part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. If your child has a habit of going on app-buying sprees without your knowledge, this settlement should help curb your kiddo’s spendthrift ways. Public Comment on Consent Agreement Package The FTC alleges Apple violated the Federal Trade Commission Act by failing to inform account holders – in this case, parents – that by entering a password, they were approving not only a single in-app purchase but also a 15-minute window in which children could incur unlimited charges without further action by a parent....
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby is being accused in a new lawsuit of assaulting a 15-year-old girl in the Playboy Mansion four decades ago. In a civil suit filed in a California state court on Tuesday, Judy Huth claims that in 1974, Cosby gave her alcohol and convinced her to lie about her age to gain entry to the Playboy Mansion. Once inside, Huth alleges that Cosby sexually molested her and caused her “psychological damage and mental anguish....
The seemingly endless reams of complex federal tax laws and regulations need to be simplified, and more assistance is necessary for taxpayers who are struggling to pay their tax bills, the National Taxpayer Advocate’s office urged in its annual report to Congress, released Wednesday. According to an IRS News Release announcing the release of National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson’s annual report: “U.S. taxpayers spend $193 billion a year complying with income tax requirements, an amount that equals 14 percent of the total amount of income taxes collected....
Delaware’s highest court ruled that the state’s death penalty statute is unconstitutional, which could signal the end of capital punishment in the state. The decision, based on the Supreme Court’s invalidation of Florida’s death penalty law, held that judges were given too great a role in imposing death sentences. While Delaware could appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court or re-write the statute to comply with constitutional requirements, the state legislature’s push to abolish capital punishment could be an indicator that the ruling will stand....
On Tuesday, the first increase in the federal minimum wage increase in nearly 10 years took effect. The federal minimum wage is now $5.85 per hour, up from $5.15 per hour. In May, Congress finalized a law which would raise the federal minimum wage in three stages – the first of which came Tuesday – to $7.25 per hour over the next two years. According to the Associated Press, Tuesday’s increase “ends the longest span without a federal minimum wage increase since the pay floor was enacted in 1938....
After feeling the pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ford has agreed to recall an additional 1.2 million pickup trucks because the driver’s air bag may inadvertently deploy. The models are the 2004-6 F-150s and the 2006 Lincoln Mark LT, a sibling. In February, Ford recalled about 135,000 F-150s in the United States from the 2005-6 model years, but that was about one-tenth of the number the safety agency said should be recalled, The New York Times reports....
When someone asks what you’re going to be for Halloween, chances are the first answer that comes to mind isn’t “safe”. But with October 31 just around the corner, there are a number of things you should keep in mind to make sure that costume ideas, neighborhood “trick or treating”, and candy consumption are both fun and safe for you and your family. Parents and kids should make sure costumes and accessories are flame-resistant and highly visible to motorists, remember to inspect all treats for evidence of tampering, and take steps to ensure that they’re choosing safe houses to visit, according to a Halloween Safety Alert from the U....
CBS has finally responded to the Happy Days lawsuit, which accuses the network of failing to pay merchandising royalties owed under actors’ contracts. Brought by Marion Ross, Don Most, Anson Williams, Erin Moran, and the estate of Tom Bosley, the lawsuit, filed in April, also alleges that CBS acted fraudulently and in bad faith. CBS says it’s a joke. Curiously unsupported by both The Fonz and Richie, the Happy Days lawsuit is yet another in a recent line of cases in which actors have been attempting to recover merchandising royalties that were never paid according to contract....
It’s official: Kim Kardashian’s divorce case is finally over, and reports say it’s a slam dunk for the reality TV star. As we all know, NBA star Kris Humphries liked it and put a ring on it, but Kim has been trying to take it off – for a while. Today, a judge dissolved Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Kris Humphries. Here’s what we know about Kim Kardashian’s divorce settlement: After a judge approves the divorcing couple’s settlement agreement, the judge gives the couple a divorce decree that shows that the divorce is final and summarizes how the key issues have been resolved....
As written about previously on this blog, some groups received criticism for sending out mailers that were made to look like the census forms from the federal government, but were actually used for soliciting donations. A law was passed in March of this year that prohibited such mailings. According to TPMMuckraker, the Republican National Committee, one of the groups whose faux census-style mailings pointed up the need for the new law, is still sending out mailers that the report says will be confused with the census forms....
Jared Fogle, who became famous as the face of Subway’s healthy sandwiches, is back in the news. And it’s not for sandwiches. Back in 2015, it came to light that Fogle possessed child pornography and had a thing for minors. Trying to Appeal His Sentence Fogle, who is representing himself, has filed a motion to recuse the judge who sentenced him because she didn’t preside fairly over his case. He claims that the judge was biased against him because she “is a mother of (2) teenage daughters....
A great deal of military-grade war equipment is ending up in the hands of local police departments according to Pentagon data. Even in small towns, police departments have the ability to buy surplus military gear from the federal government, often at a discount. According to The New York Times, since 2006, departments around the country have obtained “tens of thousands of machine guns” as well as “armored cars.” How exactly are local police gearing up with the leftover tools of war?...
Country superstar Mindy McCready’s child custody battle is headed back to court today – another chapter in a long dispute with her mother over McCready’s 5-year-old son. Police found McCready, 36 and pregnant with twins, hiding in a closet with her son at her boyfriend’s home in Arkansas Friday night, ABC News reports. The boy was placed in foster care. Today’s court hearing in Arkansas will determine whether the child should be returned to his legal guardian, McCready’s mother....
Will American consumers get their long discussed, long fought-over Consumer Protection Agency? As the wrangling over the finance reform bill begins to draw to a close, some form of the new CPA appears in both the House and Senate bills. A joint committee of the two houses is expected to meet soon to reconcile the differing versions of the agency in each bill. According to Reuters, the two versions of the agency are quite different....
Two men who allegedly pilfered items from Paul Walker’s crash scene have been charged with felony grand theft in addition to two misdemeanors. But what exactly did the two thieves steal to warrant a grand theft charge? Jameson Witty, 18, and Anthony Janow, 25, each face one felony count of grand theft of personal property, reports the Los Angeles Times. The two allegedly stole part of the wrecked Porsche in which the late actor perished....
How’s this for a weird, tragic case? Arthur Sedille admitted that he put a gun to his wife’s head and shot and killed her during sex. According to police Sedille, 23, said that he would frequently put a gun to the head of his wife, Rebecca Sedille, 50, during sex. It was part of a fantasy sex game they liked playing at their home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Usually the gun wasn’t loaded....
