Although Snohomish County, Washington officials insisted they couldn’t have anticipated the March 22nd massive Oso, Washington landslide that took down the hillside, destroyed homes, and cost the lives of over 30, records dating as far back as the 1950s show that the hillside in Oso has been unstable and prone to landslides. The area affected by…
Before ACA, those considering leaving a job with good health insurance to start a business faced a challenge in purchasing health insurance on the individual market. Costs were high, and those with pre-existing conditions in many cases were excluded. Without a spouse with a job providing health insurance, quitting a day job was difficult if…
Following the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, lawmakers in Washington, D.C. pressed the secretary of transportation to move forward on the idea of ejectable black boxes in commercial planes, an idea that the FAA has been working on for more than 10 years. A P3 Orion, one of the planes searching for the missing Malaysia…
The “Grandparent Scam” has been around for years, however the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports a dramatic increase in complaints in recent months. Imposters posing as grandchildren in trouble place frantic calls to grandparents late at night; saying they need help immediately, pleading for money. Worried grandparents send wire transfers as instructed–often thousands of dollars….
Since 2003, about 750,000 Americans have received metal-on-metal hips, which were supposed to last longer than devices made with ceramic and plastic, yet nearly 20 percent of the hip replacements done each year and 10 percent of the knee replacements are revisions, often done because the original device was defective. Some patients have experienced debilitating symptoms…
The Department of Justice and committees in the U.S. House and Senate opened investigations into the timeliness of GM’s reporting crashes due to ignition switch defects to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the NHTSA’s failure to investigate sooner. GM reported that the weight of a key ring, perhaps coupled with road conditions,…
Employers Cut Work Hours to Avoid Obamacare Even though the Obama administration has delayed the employer mandate requiring companies with 50 or more “full-time” employees (working 30 hours or more a week) to offer their workers health insurance or pay a penalty, many employers have already taken steps to avoid the law by cutting work…
On Saturday March 15th, during National Consumer Protection Week, citizens can bring up to two boxes or bags of documents to be shredded to the Portland Police Bureau’s Southeast Precinct, located at 4735 East Burnside Street, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Each year during NCPW, federal, state, and local consumer protection agencies, together with…
California could be the first state to require warning labels on sodas and other sugary drinks if Democratic Senator William Monning’s proposal to add a warning label, as with tobacco and alcohol, to beverage containers containing added sugar is passed by the state legislature. Proposal Backed by Medical and Other Health Groups The label would…
On February 9, the City of Portland tested for the first time a federal system called Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), warning residents to remain indoors and avoid traveling due to icy conditions. Cell phone customers with WEA-capable mobile devices received what looked like a text message that was accompanied by a unique attention signal and…