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Showing posts from February, 2014

Federal law prohibits employers from firing employees based on....

Federal law prohibits employers from firing employees based on a protected characteristic such as race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age (if the employee is at least 40), disability, citizenship status, or genetic information. However, only employers with a minimum number of employees must comply with these laws (for example, most types of discrimination are prohibited if an employer has at least 15 employees). It is best to contact an employment attorney to discuss your individual case and how the law applies. Laws also prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age (40 or over), genetic information, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, military status, unfavorable military discharge, gender identity, arrest record, being a victim of domestic violence, or being protected by an order of protection. If you are fired for complaining about discrimination, or for participating in an investigation of a discriminat

Banks Accused of Aiding and Abetting Predatory Internet Payday Loans

Four Oaks, NC: Victims of Internet payday loan proprietors and the predatory interest rates they charge have a friend in the US Justice Department. As various states have taken matters into their own hands and launched Internet payday loan lawsuits against Internet lenders, the feds have launched their own initative. Dubbed “Operation Choke Point,” the investigation is not directly targeting the lenders themselves, but rather the banks that allow them to process their exorbitant fees in the first place. The Internet payday loan industry has grown exponentially with the increase in e-commerce, as more and more consumers go online for everything from purchasing products to paying their bills. In so doing, Internet payday lenders have been able to circumvent state-by-state regulations that govern storefront payday loan lenders in terms of interest rate caps. Internet lenders are not only unlicensed for the state in which their customers reside, they don’t adhere to the various inte

McDonald’s worker fired after paying for food donation

OLEAN, N.Y. (WIVB) – Heather Levia wanted to help first responders by giving them a warm meal on a cold day, but when she showed up to work the next morning she no longer had a job. Levia, a 23-year-old single mom with twins, works two jobs and is putting herself through nursing school. During her morning shift as a manager at McDonald’s last week, while several local fire departments worked in sub-zero temperatures to put out a house fire, Levia says she saw a way to help. Olean firefighters ordered 25 breakfast sandwiches and hash browns, and Levia says she pulled $83 out of her pocket and paid for it herself. “Just because I appreciate everything they do,” she explained. Then a little bit later, another department ordered $70 of food. Levia sent her boss a text message to see if the company would pay the tab. She thought they might because she claims they regularly give free meals to police officers who stop by. “It’s very common in our store,” she said. But Levia’s boss s

The myths of marijuana: Former DEA chief says pot legalization a 'disaster'

Power Players These days, former DEA administrator Peter Bensinger is like a lonely voice crying out in the wilderness – an anti-drug crusader who served three American presidents, now battling the perils of pot at a time when legalization is all the rage. “I think it’s a disaster,” he told “Power Players” of the rapid growth in sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado and Washington and medicinal pot in 18 other states. It “will damage the young people in that state. It will damage the industries in the state, and put the highways in jeopardy,” he said. “Plus, it's against federal law and the Constitution and our international treaties.” Bensinger argued that the public, and politicians now pushing to legalize the drug, have been duped by the “myth” that marijuana can do no harm. “You'll dissipate a drink in about an hour per drink; marijuana can stay in your body for a week,” he said. “It goes to where we're fattest, which is our brain. … It causes short

Fifty Vehicles Involved in Rainy Wreck on Pennsylvania Highway - NBC News.com

Fifty Vehicles Involved in Rainy Wreck on Pennsylvania Highway - NBC News.com : Damaged vehicles line the road after an accident on Interstate 80 in Clearfield Borough, Pa., on Feb. 19, 2014. As many as 50 cars are involved in a massive pileup on a central Pennsylvania highway, officials said Wednesday morning, as dangerous freezing rain continues to sweep eastward . About 40 tractor-trailers and 10 cars were caught up in the wreck on Interstate 80 in Clearfield, local Fire Chief Chad Baughman told NBC affiliate WJAC . A 13-mile stretch was closed on I-80, although the eastbound lanes were reopened around 10 a.m. ET. The scene is about two hours northwest of Harrisburg. Clearfield Hospital was expecting at least three or four victims; the severity of injuries wasn’t immediately known. The state Department of Transportation had earlier Wednesday closed a 10-mile stretch of I-80 in western Pennsylvania and a seven-mile stretch in Clinton County, which neighbors Clearf

30 years for man who shot and killed agent Brian Terry

Manuel Osorio-Arellanes is the only defendant to face justice in the U.S. in the death of Agent Brian Terry, whose family is traveling to Arizona to attend the sentencing hearing. Prosecutors are seeking 30 years in prison for Osorio-Arellanes, who was wounded in the shootout on Dec. 14, 2010. The gunbattle brought attention to the Fast and Furious operation in which agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed suspected gun smugglers to purchase weapons from Phoenix-area shops with the intention of tracking them to Mexican drug cartels. Agents allowed the purchase of 2,000 guns, but then lost track of more than 1,400 of them. Two of those guns were found at the scene of Terry's murder in southern Arizona, and dozens of others were found at crime scenes in Mexico. The Fast and Furious operation led to the resignation of top officials and resulted in the country's chief law enforcement officer being held in contempt after he refuse

President Obama Says That Bill O'Reilly Will Never, Ever Again Set Foot In The White House

WASHINGTON, D.C. -  Many fans who tuned in to watch Super Bowl XLVIII suddenly saw President Obama sitting in the White House talking to FOX  talk show host  Bill O'Reilly. Most of the viewers at first wondered if there had been some kind of electronic glitch that caused the  television  channel to change. But low and behold it was not a FOX network glitch. It was a carefully orchestrated ploy by the so called  Fair and Balanced network. Bill "The Pill" O'Reilly went after the president like a cheetah chasing down a gazelle. The extremely tall  Bill-O  asked the president about all of the vacations he has been taking. President Obama said that he deserved every single one of them. O'Reilly then asked him why he doesn't give Vice-President Joe Biden more duties to perform. The president told the FOXER that Joey Biden already does more in one day than (Rush) Limbaugh, (Greta) Van Susteren, (Megyn) Kelly, and he (O'Reilly) do in one friggin wee

Police: Naked Man ‘On Some Kind Of Narcotics’ Was ‘Trying To Eat’ Teen’s Face Off

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A 6-foot-3, 250-pound naked man died after being shot by a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s sergeant when he attacked a former New York City police officer, chased a man and his young son and bit a man on the face. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at a Tuesday night news conference that the man later died at a hospital but it wasn’t immediately clear whether he died from gunshot wounds or from a medical condition. According to Bradshaw, the man was walking on a street in Delray Beach when, for no apparent reason, he attacked the 66-year-old retired officer. The man continued down the street, where he chased a man and his 10-year-old son near the entrance to a gated community. Bradshaw said the man then started fighting with an 18-year-old man, who defended himself with a box cutter. The man bit the 18-year-old on the face. “The 18-year-old thought he was trying to eat his face off,” Bradshaw said. “The people that he assaulted, starting with the retir

So, Michelle and Barack Obama: What IS the state of your union? Rumours their 21-year marriage has been racked by screaming rows, allegations of infidelity and a string of jealous fights

ObamaCare Makes One Ohio Family Very Happy

Written by Adam Click The Obama Administration has something to crow about after a report on the effects of ObamaCare yielded some surprising results. "We are delighted to announce that after spending hundreds of millions of dollars, ObamaCare has made one family in Ohio very happy." explained Tab Hunter, ObamaCare ombudsman during a presser where the lucky family was introduced to the nation. Rodger Schmaltz, the patriarch of the only family in the nation to benefit so far from the massive program, took the stage with his wife, Ethel, and their three children to thunderous applause from a select group of ObamaCare workers and ex cons, as Mr. Hunter went on to explain that the Schmaltz's were able to navigate the ObamaCare website, overcome administrative hurdles, get enrolled in the program and successfully complete an emergency room visit to remove a splinter from a little finger of five year old Sally Schmaltz. "Sure, planning an Antarctic expedition with a her

Man with rifle, machete arrested for threatening ex-President Bush

Fri, Jan 31 2014 By Joseph Ax NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York man sitting in a car that had a loaded rifle, machete and a container of gasoline was charged on Friday with threatening to kill George W. Bush after professing a romantic interest in the former president's oldest daughter, prosecutors said. Benjamin Smith, 44, of Pittsford in upstate New York was arrested in Manhattan by the U.S. Secret Service, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court. "Bush will get his," Smith screamed as he was taken into custody, according to the complaint. Later, when asked about his marital status, he told agents he was divorced and "working on a relationship with Barbara Bush." At a preliminary hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Griswold told U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Pitman the government believes Smith was referring to the former president's daughter and not Bush's mother, who shares the same name. It is a cri

Woman steals ABC 7 reporter's car on camera

SARASOTA, Fla. - It's scam awareness month here at ABC 7, and sometimes exposing these types of things can be hazardous. That was the case today for 7 South Newsroom reporter Josh Taylor , who is investigating an alleged rental property scam. In 12 years of covering stories on the Suncoast. Josh has seen a lot of things. Getting carjacked is certainly its own chapter. It started out with a 91-year old Venice woman claiming she had rented an 11-bedroom home on Siesta Key for a family reunion. It turns out though that after some code violations the home now only has five bedrooms. She wanted her money back but was told no, even though it was in her contract that she was entitled to it. ABC 7 went looking for answers, and Josh was setting up his camera Friday afternoon when this happened…