Mainstream News

Cops Bust Prostitution Ring … at Senior Citizen Home

"The suspects are accused of running a prostitution ring out of their apartments, using cocaine, and ultimately causing drunks and drug addicts to bother others living in the building, pass out in the halls, and leave used condoms in the rec room. Oh, the building in question? It's a senior citizen housing complex in New Jersey, and the two main suspects who were arrested after a drug and prostitution sting last month are 75 and 66 years old, the Record reports. James Parham and neighbor Cheryl Chaney are suspected of being behind the recent increase in crime; a third suspect, 54, was also arrested on drug charges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCops Bust Prostitution Ring … at Senior Citizen Home

Oklahoma ABLE Commission agents bust south Tulsa brewpub for making too-strong beer

"The Oklahoma ABLE Commission cracked down on a south Tulsa brewery Tuesday afternoon. Agents say Pi Pizzeria and Craft Beer House is only licensed to make and sell low-point beer, but some customers complained it's too strong. 'Through the sampling process, we sent those samples to the lab and did determine they were making an alcoholic beverage, not low-point beer,' said Erik Smoot, ABLE Commission agent. The agents seized everything Pi used to make and brew its product. They say the manager is being charged with making and selling strong beer without a license." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOklahoma ABLE Commission agents bust south Tulsa brewpub for making too-strong beer

New Zealand Supreme Court to hear Kim Dotcom extradition appeal

"The Court of Appeal in March had overturned a decision ordering US prosecutors to hand over the evidence to Dotcom’s legal team as they seek to extradite him to face online piracy charges. The appeal court ruled that a summary of the case would suffice. Dotcom’s lawyers have sought to reinstate the original decision, arguing they could not effectively fight the extradition battle without full disclosure of the evidence against their client. The US Justice Department and FBI want Dotcom to face charges of racketeering, fraud, money-laundering and copyright theft in a US court, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years if convicted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Zealand Supreme Court to hear Kim Dotcom extradition appeal

Airliner diverted as secure cockpit door locks pilot out mid-flight

"An Air India flight to Bangalore was diverted to another city after the pilot returned from a toilet break and found the door to the cockpit jammed shut, the state-run carrier says. The flight left Delhi but the plane had to be diverted to Bhopal in central India when the pilot realised he could not get back to the controls. 'The commander of the flight had left the cockpit for a short while to visit the toilet and on returning to the cockpit found the door locked,' Air India said in statement. It said that 'all efforts to open the door, even from inside by the co-pilot, failed'. The co-pilot was forced to diverted the flight to Bhopal where the door was repaired." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAirliner diverted as secure cockpit door locks pilot out mid-flight

TSA issued $1.8 million in airport firearms fines last year

"There were 1,549 firearms discovered at TSA checkpoints nationwide in 2012. TSA has found 10 guns at Memphis International Airport this year and six at McGhee Tyson. Weapons — included guns — are not permitted in carry-on baggage. Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the security checkpoint. Passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint face a civil penalty from TSA, which last year assessed more than $1.8 million in civil penalties for firearms discovered in passenger carry-on bags." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA issued $1.8 million in airport firearms fines last year

IRS exec got $42k in bonuses in addition to $700k in salary from 2009-2012

"Lois Lerner, the senior executive in charge of the IRS tax exemption department and the federal employee at the center of the exploding scandal over the IRS targeting of conservative, evangelical and pro-Israel non-profits, was given $42,531 in bonuses between 2009 and 2011. That figure was included in data provided by the IRS in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Washington Examiner. Lerner is director of the IRS exempt organizations division, which processes and approves or denies applications from groups seeking tax-exempt status. With the bonuses, Lerner was paid a total of $740,931 for the four-year period." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS exec got $42k in bonuses in addition to $700k in salary from 2009-2012

Who will pay more under Obamacare? Young men

"Obamacare limits the amount insurers can charge older enrollees to three times the amount charged for younger participants. Men usually pay less than women, since they typically visit the doctor less frequently. The Affordable Care Act, however, doesn't allow insurers to charge different rates to men and women. Taken together, men ages 25 to 36 could see rate increases greater than 50%, according to Milliman's O'Connor, but women of the same age will only see their premiums creep up 4%. Meanwhile, men age 60 to 64 could see their premiums drop by 12%." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWho will pay more under Obamacare? Young men

How Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

"While soaring college tuition and low barriers to borrowing have been widely blamed, the New York Fed's maps indicate that the worst employment environment in a generation has had a powerful effect. In fact, those states with high delinquency rates on student loans are having trouble with all kinds of debt. The regions on the map with the most red ink—the Deep South and Southeast—also have the highest consumer bankruptcy rates, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. The Fed's report further connects the dots between the student debt crisis and the nation's overall financial health. It also gives policymakers contemplating a bailout something to think about." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

Switzerland to sign free trade agreement with China

"Switzerland has reached an agreement on details of a free-trade pact with China and expects to sign a deal in coming months, the country's economy minister said on Wednesday. 'What we currently have is a deal at the technical level,' Johann Schneider-Ammann told a news conference in Berne. He said exact details of the agreement would be given once it has been signed in the next few months. China is Switzerland's third biggest trading partner after the European Union and the United States, and the pact covers industry as well as agriculture. More details may emerge when China's Premier Li Keqiang visits Switzerland next week." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwitzerland to sign free trade agreement with China

U.S. Officials Deal Blow to Bitcoin

"The scrutiny comes after the Treasury Department ruled in March that firms issuing or exchanging online cash, including currencies not backed by a central bank, would be subject to the same money-laundering rules as traditional providers like Western Union Co. A number of firms have registered as money-transmission businesses since the agency issued the guidance, but Mt. Gox hasn't done so, according to a FinCen list. The agency doesn't have authority to take on Mt. Gox directly because it is based in Tokyo, but has fired a shot across the exchange's bow by going after its U.S. subsidiary." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Officials Deal Blow to Bitcoin