Back in my day, the only billboards along the side of the road were for things like light beer, ambulance chasers, adult video stores, fast food and car dealerships. No longer will roadside advertising be limited to such things, as a new era of everyday legal marijuana use in Washington has made the country’s first cannabis billboards a reality. [More]
washington
New Washington State Rules Rein In Packaging Of Marijuana Edibles
By 6.26.14
Washington state’s first bunch of licensed retail marijuana sellers are slated to open on July 8. But when they do, it looks like they might not be selling a wide variety of pot-infused edibles that don’t meet new packaging guidelines intended to make sure that the products A) aren’t marketed to kids, and B) won’t be confused with other snacks that don’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol. [More]
Seattle City Council Approves Plan To Increase Min. Wage To $15/Hour
By 6.2.14
While federal lawmakers mull over the President’s call for a $10/hour minimum wage, the Seattle City Council has approved a phased-in wage increase that will eventually lift the city’s minimum hourly pay to $15 an hour, the highest rate in the entire country. [More]
89-Year-Old Storeowner Takes Golf Club To Legs Of Sword-Wielding Robber
By 5.30.14
Pop quiz, hot shot: You’re an 89-year-old owner of a small store that is being robbed by a man carrying a sword (yes, a sword). Do you A) let him take what he wants and hope he doesn’t hurt you; B) try to talk him out of it; or C) grab the nearest object and start swinging away? [More]
Father-Daughter Burglary Spree Ends After She Posts Doctored Microsoft Employee Badge On Facebook
By 5.27.14
I’ve never had a daughter, and I didn’t really have much of a dad. Most of what I know about father-daughter relationships comes from watching Paper Moon. I have a feeling that last part might also be true of a dad-daughter pair in Washington state caught stealing more than $40,000 worth of stuff from the Microsoft store on the company’s main campus. [More]
Man Takes Kids To Chuck E. Cheese’s For Wholesome Purse-Snatching Fun
By 5.2.14
For decades, Chuck E. Cheese’s has been a place where parents could bring their kids for wholesome activities like chowing down on overpriced pizza, running around uncontrollably, and playing around in pits of plastic balls that you convince yourself aren’t covered in germs. But one man in Washington state recently added another game to the mix, called “Go steal some purses and give them to me.” [More]
Washington State Sold Computers Loaded With Sensitive Personal Information
By 4.11.14
It’s not just retailers and manufacturers that carelessly sell used and refurbished electronics containing sensitive information left behind by a previous user. The state of Washington has sold or given away hundreds of surplus computers that contain things like Social Security numbers, medical records, tax forms and other confidential information. [More]
Walmart Throws Out $19,000 In Meat After Man Pokes Syringe Into Sausages
By 10.28.13
It’s a classic saying: One bad apple spoils the entire barrel, and a few syringe-poked packages of breakfast sausage causes Walmart to toss out the entire section of the meat department. [More]
Will Bank Of America Balk At Taking Washington State’s Marijuana Money?
By 9.26.13
We’ve already written about how owners of legitimate marijuana businesses are being forced to pay their taxes in cash because federally insured banks are unwilling to let them open bank accounts. These payments then pose a problem for the state, which has to worry about finding a place to deposit the tax revenue. [More]
Marijuana Shop Owners Paying Taxes In Cash Because Banks Can’t Take Their Money
By 5.13.13
Marijuana may be legal and taxed in Colorado, but the federal government still considers anyone who sells it to be a drug dealer and won’t allow banks to offer accounts to these businesses. So how is a legal businessman supposed to pay those sales tax to the state? [More]
Such A Thing As A Pot Vending Machine Exists, Might Be Heading To Colorado & Washington
By 1.4.13
Now that Colorado and Washington have legalized marijuana for recreational use, businesses are clamoring to get a piece of the action, and coming up with some entertaining ways to do it. For example, a pot vending machine already exists for medical use, so why not introduce the same kind of devices for anyone in those states looking to buy some legal bud? One company is working on adapting its vending machines for just that purpose. [More]
Washington Costco Customers Want Canadians To Shop On Their Own Side Of The Border
By 8.15.12
We don’t like to be alarmist, but we sense the next huge international skirmish brewing on the border between Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia, where discount-hungry Canucks (is that an insult? We’ve heard it is, but then there’s the hockey team, so…) are apparently making the border crossing to shop at Costco — and where some locals are all “Hey, stop buying all the dang Huggies!” [More]
Washington Residents Have More Booze-Buying Options, But Are Paying More For It
By 6.1.12
Until now, buying liquor in Washington state had meant you needed to go to a state-operated store. But that monopoly has now ended after residents voted to open up liquor sales to a wide range of retailers. Unfortunately, this now means that some folks are now paying a lot more to get tipsy. [More]
Slapping A Loudmouth 10-Year-Old Is Not The Best Way To Get Him To Shut Up In A Movie Theater
By 5.22.12
What happens when two bad consumers come in conflict with each other in dimly lit movie theater? One ends up with a bloody nose and lost tooth, while the other faces assault charges. [More]
Bank Of America Tells Family It Won't Foreclose, Tries To Foreclose Anyway
By 5.4.12
For two years, a family in Washington state has been waiting for Bank of America to get its act together and finally figure out whether it’s evicting them or whether it’s going to adjust their mortgage. [More]
Postal Carrier Told He Can No Longer Wear Santa Suit On The Job
By 12.21.11
For more than a decade, a postal carrier in Bellevue, WA, has spread Christmas cheer along his mail route by donning a Santa Claus costume over his uniform for a few days leading up to Dec. 25. But after someone complained to the USPS about his Kris Kringle getup, the Santa costume will have to remain in his closet this year. [More]
Washington State Inspectors "Deeply Concerned" About Undercooked Beef At Burger King
By 9.8.11
While most people are used to the grayish, overcooked burgers often served at fast food mega-chains, inspectors for the Washington Dept. of Health have found what they call a “disturbing trend” of undercooked beef being served at Burger King. [More]
Office Depot Manager Accused Of Swiping Millions In Toner And Ink
By 6.14.11
The loss prevention staff at Office Depot should be checking employees’ pockets. Authorities in Washington state have charged a manager, along with a former employee, at the retail chain of swiping oodles of office supplies that they are accused of then re-selling on eBay. [More]
