Local News

Two Arizona-based moving companies are facing consumer-fraud lawsuits from the state's Attorney General, Tom Horne. The lawsuits allege that 3 Gorillas Moving and Storage LLC in Tuscon, and Allstars Movers and Storage Inc. in Phoenix, engaged in practices that were deceptive, misleading, and just plain false. Both companies are charged with falsely representing the costs of their services, demanding payment when reaching a destination, and refusing to unload trucks unless customers paid up. Both companies also provided unfair claims processes for items that were lost or damaged. The defendants in each lawsuit will have to pay restitution for customers if they are charged, in addition to fines of $10,000, per violation of the Consumer Fraud Act. Allstars Movers go by several nam...

Black Friday has long been one of the busiest shopping days of the year, but the businesses that typically stand to benefit from it are usually behemoth retail stores, which draw a huge portion of revenue away from small businesses. What's more, is the corresponding internet shopping event, Cyber Monday, cuts into the retail dollars that might be otherwise spent at small businesses as well. Small Business Saturday, which falls on Saturday, November 29th, aims to change that. According to The Missoulian, Small Business Saturday was created in 2010 by financial services company American Express to help encourage people to do some of their holiday shopping at local small businesses. The Missoulian also reports that studies have shown that both Black Friday and Cyber Monday pose a threat to...

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed on Tuesday that it will begin equipping its officers with body cameras, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. They have chosen to go with body cameras supplied by Taser, the company best known for producing stun guns that are used by officers to subdue potentially dangerous suspects. Officers from the LAPD tested two different body camera brands in the field over the last three months, choosing the Taser brand cameras due to their ease of use and storage, and other features that make the cameras and video footage more accessible. It also took officers very little time to adjust to evidence.com, Taser's storage site for video footage collected by on-duty police officers. One officer compared the cloud-based storage system to Apple's iPhon...

As the heated national debate continues over the use of the Washington Redskins mascot name, with many citing the term as racist and derogatory, a Navajo high school on the nation's largest Native American reservation, in Arizona, continues to defend the mascot's use despite growing controversy. The high school has emerged as a symbol, and continues to inspire those supporting the NFL franchise's right to use it. Both students and teachers at Red Mesa High School have shown overwhelming support of keeping their football team's nickname as the Redskins. A recent poll conducted by the school revealed that over 88% of students and 70% of faculty are in favor of keeping and honoring the use of their traditional mascot. Furthermore, over half of students -- 60% -- did not feel that the term "R...

A 28-year-old hiker escaped the wilds of Oregon unscathed, thanks in no small part to the forces of luck. Erik Larson, a resident of Bend, Oregon, disappeared into Oregon's famed Three Sisters Wilderness, one of the more scenic parts of the 2,663 mile Pacific Crest Trail, on September 30. Larson, like many hikers, wasn't content with the trails outdoorsmen typically take, and chose instead to take the proverbial road less traveled. That, as the famous Robert Frost poem goes, certainly did make all the difference. Changes in climate, the lack of a map, and spotty cellphone service left Larson without any means of escape, as he slowly realized that he was in out of his depth. Luckily, as the hiker pushed on to find a way out of the woods, he found a spot with cell reception, enabling him ...

A Pennsylvania woman is facing trial for charges after being accused of drunk driving and using her deceased sister's identity. According to CBS, Crystal Lample of Ellwood City waived her right to a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. The 35-year-old is being charged with drunk driving and providing false identification information, among other charges. Lample was arrested on Sept. 11 after police received a report of an erratic driver. During interactions with police, it is alleged that she was barely capable of standing up and told police that she was Brandi Lee Miller. Police later discovered that Miller died in 2010. According to Altoona Mirror, police found Lample inside a pickup truck; when they approached her, she got out of the vehicle and stumbled away. She appeared to be int...

If you’re looking to take in the back-country beauty of Canada, an extended hike offers an incomparable experience. Take, for example, the Berg Lake Trail just outside Edmonton. Winding around behind Mt. Robson, it’s a 21-km trail whose 800 m elevation gain offers stunning views. Berg Lake itself offers icy turquoise water and the opportunity to see the icebergs that give the lake its name. Enjoying the beauty of longer hikes such as the trail to Snowbird Pass (22 km each way), however, requires overnight camping along the way. This means giving up some comforts—this isn’t RV camping, and you’ll need to carry lightweight tents, sleeping bags, camping stoves, food and clothes all in your pack. Expert hiker James Storrie spent four days last month completing the trek. But the experience...

Finance Minster Joe Oliver announced last week that small businesses in Canada will receive $550 million CAD ($500 million USD) in rebates for their employment insurance premiums. Businesses will receive the rebates, known as The Small Business Job Credit, over the next two years in order to help them increase the number of employees they hire. The credit lowers insurance premiums about 15% to $1.60 per $100 of insurable earnings as of Jan. 1, down from the current rate of $1.88 per $100. The rebates will be applied when businesses file their taxes. In addition to the rebate, small business health plans such as Tax-Free Health Spending Accounts (THSAs) help small business owners and employees write off their out-of-pocket healthcare as a tax-free business expense -- another government sa...

The Columbus Blue Jackets have, over their years of playing hockey, led to a lot of lost teeth in the Nationwide Arena. This past Friday, however, teeth were being taken care of in the arena thanks to TeamSmile, which was visiting for the second consecutive year. TeamSmile is a traveling dentist’s office. A non-profit organization based out of Kansas City, Missouri, TeamSmile came to Columbus in order to provide complimentary dental care to about 250 children who were members of the city’s Boys and Girls Clubs. TeamSmile has been providing dental care to kids for the past nine years, and they’re moving forward with the goal of making kids comfortable with receiving quality dental care. “We partner with local sports teams to turn what might have been a bad experience into a very positive...

Burglary is such a common problem in the United States that once every 14.4 seconds, a home is burglarized. This means that during the average TV commercial break, eight homes get broken into. It's such a common problem that the news of break ins is sometimes treated with apathy and ambivalence. However, you can't help but feel scared, nervous, and anxious when it happens close to your home, which is why a recent string of residential burglaries in Whittier, a city in Los Angeles County, California, has residents concerned over their safety. “We’re very aware of the situation and actively working the cases and trying to put information together to catch the individuals committing the burglaries,” said Officer Brad White. So far, eight homes have been reportedly broken into and robbed in...