Page 16 - Consumer Issues News Today

The holiday gift-buying season is here -- and that means people need to stay vigilant so they dont fall victim to scams. Thieves take advantage of the season with a variety of cons, whether its to steal money or personal identity information. Kay Tomlinson, an AARP Fraud Watch Network volunteer with AARP Washington, says online gift buying is popular but people should be careful. ...

About 300 young adults leaving foster care in California will now receive a monthly check to help them make ends meet, part of the states first guaranteed income program. Some 150 people in Ventura will receive $1,000 a month and another 150 in San Francisco will receive $1,200 dollars a month, with no strings attached. Sen. ...

November is National Family Caregivers Month and a few tips can help people with these duties. Executive Director of the Oregon organization Aging Concerns, Vicki Schmall, said family caregivers often are called the backbone of long-term care. But she said people performing these roles must remember to think about themselves as well. ...

College application season is in full swing, when prospective students are focused not only on where to enroll but how to pay for it. College can cost from $15,000 a year to almost $90,000, depending on the school. The Carolinas Credit Union Foundation is stepping up to break down financial barriers by offering scholarships to credit union members. ...

The proposal to create a public owned electric power utility in Maine was defeated but the confusion surrounding electricity rates remains. A series of free upcoming workshops aims to help older Mainers better understand their electric bills and advocate for lower rates. Alf Anderson, associate state director of advocacy and outreach for AARP Maine, said the election showed everyone has a stake in the future of Maines utility prices. ...

The Iowa Utilities Board is taking public input this week on a proposed rate hike by one of the states biggest gas and electric service providers. Advocates for lower-income Iowans and seniors are pushing back. Alliant Energy is proposing to increase natural gas and electric rates by nearly $300 million over the next two years, with a 13% hike in electricity rates and a 5% hike for gas, which would translate to paying $250 more per year for the average residential customer. ...

The Biden administration has proposed a rule to help people save more in retirement and avoid "junk" fees from unscrupulous financial advisers. According to the White House, a financial adviser may receive a commission as high as 6.5% to recommend some insurance products, posing a conflict of interest. Melondia Franklin Corpus, an educator for 36 years, finally reached her retirement milestone last May. ...

As the Food and Drug Administration warned more than two dozen over-the-counter eyedrops could potentially cause infection, partial vision loss and blindness, medical experts in the Commonwealth are urging residents to toss out and report suspected products to the FDAs MedWatch Adverse Event portal. Dr. Richard Eiferman, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Louisville, explained the FDA requires a preservative be added to all eyedrops, and the recalled products either lacked the pres...

A set of border security bills under consideration by Texas lawmakers will cause harm to migrants, residents, and state law - according to a state civil rights group. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is opposed to Senate Bill 11 - which would make it a state crime for illegally entering Texas from Mexico, and authorize state police to arrest violators. Its similar to legislation that failed to pass in an earlier session this year. ...

In Arkansas and across the nation, book bans are becoming more common. The American Library Association says there were almost 700 attempts to censor library materials nationwide from January to August, and more than 1,900 challenges of specific book titles. In Saline County, Patty Hector said she was removed from her position as library director for not banning books. ...