Page 11 - Consumer Issues News Today

Amid ongoing concerns about reproductive access in the Magnolia State, Mississippis Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups are slated to introduce the "Right to Contraception Act" in February. Ninety percent of women between ages 18 and 64 have used some form of birth control at some point in their childbearing years. State Rep. ...

Today AARP is honoring a California woman whose journey to the U.S. inspired her to open a shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Betty Kwan Chinn escaped persecution and homelessness in China decades ago and fled to Hong Kong and then the U.S. ...

The American Red Cross said it is experiencing an emergency blood shortage. A regional facility in North Dakota said its situation is not quite as dire, but stressed the need to maintain strong supplies from donors. January is National Blood Donor Month and the urgent plea from the Red Cross noted the U.S. ...

An Omaha Maya organization has received one of five $15,000 grants from the nonprofit Green Latinos. Some 85 five organizations applied for the grant from the Justicia y Equidad Fund for "under-resourced Latino environmental justice organizations." Communidad Maya Pixim Ixim (CMPI) is an Omaha-based nonprofit supporting Maya and other Indigenous communities in Nebraska. Lola Marina Juan Tomas, CMPI interim executive director, said there are approximately 10,000 Maya in Nebr...

Ahead of National Service Day, the governors office brought together Utah leaders to discuss the importance of service and volunteerism. Utah Lt. Gov. ...

Android phone users in New Hampshire could receive some of a $700 million antitrust lawsuit settlement with Google. States attorneys general alleged the company monopolized the market for app distribution and in-app payment processing in its Google Play Store - often taking a cut of up to 30%. New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General for the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau Alexandra Sosnowski said the settlement will hopefully spur innovation. ...

New federal data from the Department of Education confirm retirement-age borrowers are struggling to repay their federal student loans. About 60% of borrowers over age 62 have been making federal student-loan payments for more than 15 years. Tia Caldwell is a policy analyst with the Education, Opportunity and Mobility Initiative at the nonprofit New America - who said she suspects many other borrowers have been paying even longer. ...

The "smart toy" market is now a more than $16 billion industry, and is expected to double by 2027. This holiday season, experts are warning parents to check the safety and privacy features of toys purchased for children. U.S. ...

A prestigious award for volunteerism has been presented to the founder of an organization helping people with Parkinsons disease enjoy the great outdoors through hiking. Bill Meyer is the recipient of the 2023 AARP Washington Andrus Award for Community Service. He was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2009. ...

A new report showed New York City small businesses in communities of color are recovering more slowly post-pandemic. The Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development survey found businesses run by people of color are more likely to close in the next year, and immigrant businesses are more likely to relocate in the same time frame. The pandemic is to blame for some of the problems, as are increasing rents and other economic factors. ...