Thursday, December 26

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Texas Doctors Don’t Support Aetna-Humana Merger

The Texas Medical Association has now enlisted the help of the U.S. Department of Justice to look into a merger of health insurance companies Aetna and Humana. They say that the companies forming one giant alliance will be damaging to patients and their doctors due to reduced competition in an already narrow industry. "We feel like this is of paramount importance in Texas," said Dr. Joseph Valenti, a Denton obstetrician-gynecologist and chairman of the council of socioeconomics for the Texas Medical Association. They are one of the strongest medical associations in the country with roughly 80% membership of doctors in the state. Valenti wrote a letter to William Baer, U.S. assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's antitrust division, on Oct. 6, stating that Texas has mos...
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Arizona Dentists Team Up with National Charity Organization to Donate Halloween Candy to the Troops

Dentists who actually want candy? That may seem farfetched, but over a dozen local dental offices are soliciting candy to provide troops stationed overseas with some sweet joy after Halloween. According to local affiliate KTAR News, over 15 local dentists have started "buying back" uneaten Halloween candy from Arizonans as a part of Operation Gratitude's effort to send goodies to American troops who are spending holidays away from their families. Operation Gratitude is a national charity that works year-round to gather donations for military personnel overseas. Since they started their Halloween Candy Buy Back Program in 2005, the organization has collected more than 130 tons of candy and sent it to the troops. The program is ideal for parents looking to make their children's Hall...
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Arizona Woman Gets Free Rescue Dog After Being Scammed Online

An Arizona animal shelter has provided one local woman with a happy ending to her harrowing story of being scammed online while trying to buy an adorable puppy. According to AZFamily.com, Prescott Valley resident Diana Alvarez was searching online for a furry friend when she thought she stumbled on to her dream pet. To make the deal even sweeter, the seller didn't even charge her full price. They merely requested a delivery fee of $150, and the dog would belong to Alvarez. "I was to [send a] money order [for] $150 to her, and she gave me all of her information, so I did. I went to MoneyGram and I sent it," Alvarez said. After growing impatient while waiting for the dog to be delivered, Alvarez realized that something was wrong. As it turns out, there was no dog, and Alvarez rea...
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‘Dance Moms’ Star Being Charged with Bankruptcy Fraud in Pennsylvania

Somewhere in the greater Pittsburgh area, there is a group of teenage girls celebrating wildly at the news of their unscrupulous dance instructor finally being given a dose of her own medicine. According to local Arizona news affiliate ABC 15, Abby Lee Miller, the star of the controversial Lifetime reality show Dance Moms, is facing some serious legal trouble after a channel-surfing bankruptcy judge caught her lying red-handed. The now-50-year-old Miller filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2010 after claiming her debts had amassed to over $356,000, which included a $200,000 mortgage on a Florida home and another $96,000 mortgage on her dance studio in Penn Hills, PA. After it was found that she was hiding assets from the courts, Miller was indicted and charged with two counts of ba...
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Electric Company in Arizona Gives Up on Fight to Raise Prices for Solar Customers For Now

Arizona Public Service Co., the largest utility company in Arizona, announced recently that they will withdraw their proposed increase of fee for solar customers after receiving heavy opposition from local groups, according to AZ Central. Earlier in the year, the utility company asked regulators to raise the monthly fee on new solar customers for the use of the power grid during the day when their solar panels aren’t providing them with enough energy. The proposed increase will raise the fee for new solar customers from about $5 a month to an average of about $21. "Unfortunately, what should have been a relatively simple decision-making process has been turned into political theater by attacks and distortions from rooftop solar leasing companies that seek to paralyze Arizona regulato...
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Arizona-Utah Flooding Claimed At Least 15 Lives During the Month of September

The month of September brought tragedy to citizens along the Arizona-Utah border cities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, after a series of flash floods that claimed the lives of at least 15 people. The floods swept away two vehicles in a nearby town and washed through the canyons of Zion National Park, according to The Guardian. When the thunderstorms hit during the middle of the month, water started to build up. Local weather stations warned residents about the potential flood after two large thunderstorms approached. Unfortunately, many of the residents and visitors at the local park never saw the warning. "Around here, the floods have always been an entertainment,” says Carolee Jessop, local resident. “It’s always so dangerous because children will run out there and r...
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Arizona Audit Shows Errors in Real Estate Charges

A recent audit in the state of Arizona has revealed serious issues with overcharging and undercharging customers. The audit of the Arizona Department of Real Estate says that there were deficiencies in their cash collections, as well as a serious problem with reporting processes. The department was reviewed as a part of routine checkups from the Office of the Auditor General and took place between March 2014 and February 2015. The results of the audits were released toward the end of September on their website. “These are very routine reviews,” said Kathleen Wood, who is a financial audit manager at the auditor general’s office. “We do them periodically with various state agencies.” As the overseer of real estate educators, brokers, and the activities of their licensees, the Depar...
Scottsdale Dentist Offering Affordable Dental Implants to Help Practice New Technique
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Scottsdale Dentist Offering Affordable Dental Implants to Help Practice New Technique

Dental professionals can have different specialties. There are lots of experienced family dentists, for example. It's possible to get a dental plan that will include several family members, and people can find dental practices that will fully accept their insurance. If you're looking for a dentist in my area, you might start by reading about what their business websites say regarding dental insurance and the relevant requirements. Patients might immediately find a dentist office near me that will meet their needs. Finding a dentist open near me shouldn't be difficult throughout the week, although not every dental office will have weekend hours. If they do, you'll probably find it tough to schedule the appointment on those days. Too many people will want to make weekend appointments. How...
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Tucson Glass Art Gallery Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary

Glassblowing might have first begun in the first century BCE, but it's alive and well at the Philabaum Glass Studio and Gallery, which is celebrating its 30-year anniversary. Tom Philabaum, the Tucson gallery's namesake, has been working as a glass artist for 40 years, constructing beautiful works of art for purchase by the public. He first started his own glassblowing studio in 1975 in Tucson. Seven years later, he started a gallery to sell the works he was making, and three years after that -- in 1985 -- he moved to the present location, where he's continuing to make amazing glass art 30 years later. "This building actually used to be a Tastee-Freez," said gallery manager Allison Harvey. "When he was looking to start a new glassblowing studio here in town, he needed a building that...
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12 New International Tourist Zones Will Allow Paris Shops to Stay Open Late and on Sundays

In a project that's been planned since earlier this summer, the city of Paris will begin allowing shops in 12 designated International Tourist Zones (known as ZTIs in French) to open on Sundays and stay open until midnight during the weekday. The plan will go into effect later this fall, according to the French news site Thelocal.fr. The 12 zones are in the following locations: Saint-Germain; Rennes-Saint-Sulpice; Olympiades-Italie; Saint-Emilion-Bibliotheque; Le Marais, including the Haute Marais and Ile-saint-Louis but excluding Place de la Republique; Les Halles; Saint-Honoré-Vendôme; Montmartre; Haussmann; Maillot-Ternes, along with Avenue Wagram; Champs Elysées-Montaigne; and Beaugrenelle, with a part of Rue Saint Charles. The move will be great for tourists and local leisure sh...