While AT&T’s pending purchase of T-Mobile may still be many, many months away from a final ruling by the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department, today is the deadline for members of the public to add their comments to the FCC record. [More]
Government Policy
DA Declines To Prosecute Man Arrested For Starting Community Garden
By 6.20.11
A Burlington, Vt. man who was arrested for starting a community garden on public property without proper permission won’t face further legal troubles, thanks to a district attorney who dropped the charges. [More]
IRS Gives $110,000 To Wrong Guy, Now He's In Jail
By 6.17.11
A California father is in jail and faces charges after the IRS deposited $110,000 in his account that should have gone to another taxpayer, reports KCAL. [More]
Guy Relieves Self In Reservoir, Costs Portland $33K
By 6.17.11
If you absolutely, positively cannot make it to the restroom when in public, do your city a favor and aim at most anything other than its water reservoir. A man who confessed to disobeying such common sense has caused government coffers to leak nearly $33,000 to rectify the contamination. [More]
Target Recalls Additional 375,000 Booster Seats Because Kids Keep Falling Out Of Them
By 6.16.11
Almost two years ago, Target recalled around 43,000 Circo booster seats because a fault in the seat’s buckle could end up with a child on the floor. But after kids continued to fall down and go boom, Target decided this week to expand that recall by 375,000 seats. [More]
Chef Gets By TSA Screeners At O'Hare With Four Huge Knives In His Bag
By 6.16.11
Another day, another example of the ineptitude of the TSA screeners at American airports. The latest news comes from an award-winning Chicago chef who says that while the screeners were busy worrying about the contents of his pockets, they completely missed an arsenal of knives in his carry-on. [More]
DOT & Disney Team Up To Fight Distracted Driving, Promote New Movie
By 6.15.11
The Department of Transportation’s campaign against distracted driving is becoming animated. Literally. [More]
No More Chocolate Milk, Corn Dogs Or Chicken Nuggets For L.A. School Students
By 6.15.11
Almost a year ago, as school boards across the country began to ponder whether or not to keep chocolate milk on students’ lunch menus, we asked readers for their opinions, and 75% of you said that the milky, chocolatey childhood fave should continue to be offered, at least part of the time. The folks at the Los Angeles Unified School District disagree, voting yesterday to take away chocolate milk and other goodies from students at the second largest school district in the nation. [More]
Federal Courts: Schools Can Punish Students For Off-Campus, Online Speech
By 6.15.11
In a pair of rulings by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this week, judges sided with students who contended in separate cases that they were unfairly punished for publishing fake MySpace profiles of their principals. But the victories may be construed as defeats for student free speech, because judges’ opinions held that students can be punished for speech made off-campus and online if it is deemed to “materially and substantially disrupt the work and discipline of the school.” Neither of the cases ruled on earlier this week met that standard. [More]
Wisconsin Supremes Reinstate Collective Bargaining Law
By 6.15.11
Wisconsin’s state labor activists suffered a major setback Tuesday. The Wisconsin state Supreme Court overruled a county judge and reinstated a law that strips tens of thousands of public workers of most of their collective bargaining. [More]
Newlyweds: TSA Ruined Our Honeymoon Over Bottle Of Contact Lens Solution
By 6.14.11
If the last decade has taught us two things it’s that Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio is a prime entry point for terrorists and that a bottle of saline merits a lengthy talking-to from the Transportation Security Administration. Oh, wait… scratch both of those. [More]
FDA Announces New Labeling Standards For Sunscreen
By 6.14.11
Earlier today, the Food and Drug Administration announced new labeling guidlines for sunscreen in an effort to make it clear to consumers which products offer the best chance of keeping your skin from turning into shoe leather. [More]
Toy Security Wand Lets Kids Play At Being TSA Agents
By 6.14.11
There’s nothing cooler than being a TSA agent for Homeland Security and now the Spy Gear Security Scanner lets kids live out their dreams. It’s a handheld security wand whose LED lights flash and an alarm goes off when it detects metal, just like the real thing! [More]
TSA Agents Who Allegedly Failed To Screen Luggage Face Dismissal
By 6.14.11
Those Transportation Security Administration agents in Hawaii who allegedly let un-screened baggage through on flights will have to start looking for a new line of work. [More]
Burning Bananas Leave Diner Covered In Flames
By 6.13.11
A family was helicoptered to the hospital with severe burns after a tropical dessert ended in tragedy. The waiter poured the 151 proof rum over the plate of bananas Foster, a treat consisting of bananas sauteed in butter and soaked in alcohol and often served over ice cream, and then lit it. The liquid fire then spilled onto several members of the family, leaving one woman’s body covered in flames as her dress caught fire. [More]
Debt Collectors Out To Prove They Are Not All Zombie Bullies Who Want To Eat Your Face
By 6.13.11
For decades, U.S. debt collectors have plied their trade under the watchful but lazy eye of the Federal Trade Commission, which has the authority to go after the worst of the bunch but can’t create new rules governing these businesses. But later this summer, debt collectors will come under the supervision of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau… and that scares them, especially after complaints about debt collectors jumped 17% last year to 140,036. [More]
Alabama Brewery Owner Moonlights As Detective To Track Down Stolen Kegs
By 6.13.11
When an owner of an Alabama brewery lost 40 beer kegs in a heist, he took it upon himself to track down the culprits and the containers. Now comes the difficult part: Waiting for the legal system to get off its duff and allow him to reclaim the property he claims is his. [More]
Tell The Federal Reserve What You Think About Bank Rules
By 6.13.11
The Federal Reserve is mulling over some new rules for 35 of the nation’s biggest banks, including one that would require them to submit their annual capital plans for review. And they want to hear from you! [More]
