The Columbus Dispatch says that Ohio lawmakers…
ohio
New Dairy Law In Ohio Designed To Strangle "rBGH-free" Labeling
By 4.22.08
Monsanto failed to get the FDA to ban “rBGH-free” labeling nationally, and it’s had mixed success at the state level. Now the company and its gang of ethics-free dairy farmers (those are the ones who use rBGH to increase profits, but want that truth kept out of the marketplace because it’s unpopular with consumers) have scored a significant win in Ohio this week. Yesterday the state passed a law that forces extra, rBGH-friendly fine print on every milk label that promotes itself as “rBGH-free.” The goal of the ruling: to require expensive label redesigns on competitors, and to crowd the label with unnecessary fine print in order to dilute the marketing power of the “rBGH-free” label.
Surveillance Tape Shows Man Who "Forgot" Case Of Soda Is A Thief And A Liar!
By 4.10.08
Our apologies to the Brooklyn, Ohio police department. New security camera footage released by the Brooklyn police department shows that the man who claimed he “forgot” the case of pop under his shopping cart actually grabbed it on his way out of the store! Now the man admits that he lied to reporters.
Mortgage Meltdown Woes Spread To Home Builders
By 3.21.08
Bill Whitlatch, longtime owner of one of the leading home builders here in northeast Ohio, is among the casualties. Three years ago, he borrowed from regional banks to start six developments in the Cleveland area. Soon the region’s home market turned cold. Buyers vanished. Mr. Whitlatch drained his personal savings of $2 million to keep his company going.
By 3.7.08
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Snow in Cleveland is affecting air travel. The FAA says:
Due to WEATHER / SNOW-ICE, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland, OH (CLE). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 3 hours and 12 minutes.
Continental, which uses Cleveland as a hub, is canceling lots of flights. [Ohio.com]
When Shoplifting Videos From Target, Please Do Not Set Lingerie On Fire As A Diversion
By 1.13.08
Quick, you stuffed $195 worth of videos into your jacket and you’re rushing towards the exit when you spot Target’s menacing security force. What do you do? If you answered “set lingerie on fire as a diversion,” then you may be as bright as 19-year-old shoplifter Tabitha Bozman of Elyria, Ohio.
Turns Out Skybus Might Actually Be Overpriced For What You Get
By 1.2.08
This past July, I decided to try out Skybus on their run from the “Seattle are”, where I live, to Columbus, Ohio, their hub and (as it just so happens) a place I visit several times a year. Now don’t get me wrong – I travel a LOT, so I’m used to delays, gruff employees and all manner of shenanigans, and trying out a brand-new airline that had only been flying for two weeks was a bit daunting. But I figured what he hell, I got a great price on two one-way tickets (the only way you CAN buy tickets on Skybust) so I threw in and figured I’d give them a shot.
Skybus Repairs Its Planes, Resumes Flying
By 12.27.07
The airline was offering refunds for flights that were canceled and was making efforts to rebook travelers on later Skybus flights. But Skybus was unable to transfer passengers to flights on other airlines because it does not have agreements with other carriers, Tenenbaum said.
Contractor Claims $2.7 Million Found In Homeowner's Walls
By 12.20.07
A Cleveland contractor found what amounted to a $2.7 million fortune in the walls of a house he was renovating. The homeowner offered him 10%, but he wants to keep it all, his lawyers enacting a centuries old “treasure trove” common law provision. Steel boxes contained rare 1929-series Cleveland Federal Reserve bank notes, worth about $85 each, $500 bills and a $1,000 bill. Tipster Zakarth quipped, “If the contractor had found a poison leak would he take ownership of that?” What do you think?
Another Ohio Judge Halts A Foreclosure
By 12.14.07
The judge said the foreclosure lawsuit was filed before Wells Fargo owned the mortgage – thus, the suit was premature.
By 12.14.07
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“If it sounds like legal loan-sharking, it’s not. ‘Loan sharks are actually cheaper,” leader of the Ohio Coalition for Responsible Lending, talking about payday loans. [CNN Money]
Ohio Study Provides Snapshot Of State Of High School Finance Education
By 12.7.07
Now that Ohio has made personal finance basics a mandatory requirement to graduate from high school, people are starting to look at the problem of who teaches it and what it consists of (just look at the comment threads in the two related posts below to see the wide spectrum of opinions and personal experience anecdotes). A new Ohio State University study has found that the current level of teaching is all over the place—and the people teaching it have widely varying levels of knowledge about the subject matter.
By 11.14.07
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Deutsche Bank tried to foreclose on 14 properties in Ohio, but the federal court judge determined that the bank couldn’t sufficiently prove that it actually owned the mortgage notes, and dismissed the case. [IamFacingForeclosure]
Tales From The Foreclosure Frontlines: The Little House That Couldn't
By 9.28.07
“My wife and I went through a foreclosure and bankruptcy here in Ohio (where we lead the nation in foreclosures). The long story short – we bought a house for $32,000 in 1995, but couldn’t afford to fix it up. Just kids at the time (I was 20, she was 22), we were expecting our son and found a fix’er upper. We took out a subprime second mortgage to do the much needed repairs ourselves. The neighborhood was going to hell and after seven years we wanted to get out, but we had no real equity…”
Ohio Attorney General Sues Credit Card Marketers Over Ohio State "Free Burrito" Event
By 9.24.07
Ohio Attorney General, Mark Dunn, is suing Citibank-affiliated credit card marketers for violating Ohio’s consumer protection laws during a “Free Burrito” event at Ohio State University.
All Charges Dropped Against Circuit City Receipt Refuser
By 9.21.07
Legal charges have been dropped against Michael Righi (pictured), the guy arrested after refusing to show his receipt to Circuit City, and his driver’s license to a police officer, in exchange for Righi’s pledge to not sue the city. On his blog, Righi writes that he was willing to fight the city to the end without forfeiting any rights whatsoever, but he wanted to spare his family, who would have been principal witnesses, from a protracted legal battle.
By 9.7.07
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Ohio’s legislature passed the Product Liability Act in 2006, which capped certain court damages at $5,000 and created special protections for companies that once sold paint containing lead. Gov. Ted Strickland vetoed it, but the Ohio Supreme Court overturned the veteo last month on a technicality. Today, a group of consumer advocates in Ohio turned in 1,800 signatures in an attempt to bring the issue to a public vote in November ’08. [Business Week]
